Southampton opens E-beam lithography chip facility
University of Southampton’s new E-beam lithography facility, just the second in the world, provides incredible accuracy critical to designing the tiny components that power technologies of the future.
A new facility that uses cutting edge E-beam technology to build the next generation of semiconductor chips has been opened at the University of Southampton in the UK.
The new E-beam lithography facility is just the second in the world, and the first outside Japan, according to a post on the university website.
It provides incredible accuracy that is critical to designing the tiny components that power technologies of the future, from medical diagnostics to defence systems, the post said.
“Britain is home to some of the most exciting semiconductor research anywhere in the world — and Southampton’s new E-beam facility is a major boost to our national capabilities,” said UK Science Minister Patrick Vallance. “By investing in both infrastructure and talent, we’re giving our researchers and innovators the support they need to develop next-generation chips right here in the UK.”
E-beam lithography uses a focused beam of tiny particles called electrons to create patterns in materials with unrivalled resolution — allowing researchers to create features thousands of times smaller than a human hair.
“The introduction of the new E-Beam facility will reinforce our position of hosting the most advanced cleanroom in UK academia,” said Professor Graham Reed, who leads the university’s Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) and CORNERSTONE. “It facilitates a vast array of innovative and industrially relevant research, and much needed semiconductor skills training.”
The UK government has launched a new £4.75million semiconductor skills package to help build the talent base needed to fuel this high-growth industry. The package is expected to boost research and development capacity at universities, such as Southampton.