Former Intel CEO Gelsinger Turns to Particle Accelerators for New Way to Make Chips

Former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has become chairman of xLight, a company that plans to use the free-electron laser (FEL) as a light source for EUV lithography equipment.

Image source: xLight

The possibility of using a particle accelerator to generate radiation in lithography machines has long been discussed, but xLight claims it can create such a source by 2028 while maintaining compatibility with existing equipment. “As part of my new role at Playground Global, I have joined xLight as Executive Chairman of the Board. I will be working closely with Nicholas Kelez and his team to create the world’s most powerful free-electron lasers using particle accelerator technology,” Gelsinger wrote in a LinkedIn post.

EUV lithography is an advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology that uses a 13.5 nm light source. Currently, only ASML manufactures EUV lithography equipment, which uses a sophisticated method to generate light at this wavelength. There are other methods for creating extremely short wavelength light sources for chip manufacturing, and one of them involves using a particle accelerator as a laser-generated plasma (LPP) source.

Gelsinger said xLight uses LPP technology to create a light source that delivers four times more power than any currently available counterpart. ASML’s Twinscan NXE:3600D EUV machine uses a 250-watt LPP source, while the NXE:3800E uses about 300 watts. ASML has also demonstrated a light source in the lab that delivers more than 500 watts.

While ASML continues to work on increasing the power of its light sources, Gelsinger claims that xLight already has a 1000-watt-plus LPP source that will be commercially available by 2028. He claims that xLight will reduce the cost of a single wafer by about 50 percent, as well as cut capital and operating expenses by a factor of three, which would be a significant step forward in manufacturing efficiency. xLight also has the potential to reduce the cost of FEL-based lithography equipment.

It is noted that xLight does not seek to replace ASML’s EUV installations with its own analogues. Instead, the startup is working on an LPP source that will be compatible with ASML equipment.