Building the world’s most powerful lasers

We’re on a mission to commercialize particle accelerator driven Free Electron Lasers (FEL) for critical US economic and national security applications.

xLight is building the world’s most powerful lasers to revolutionize semiconductor lithography, metrology, and for other critical economic and national security applications. We have developed a new EUV Free Electron Laser (FEL) light source for the semiconductor market to replace the current laser-produced plasma (LPP) source, which is nearing its physical limits. Our FEL systems will significantly enhance ASML’s technology roadmap, transform semiconductor fab capabilities while reducing capital and operating expenses, and help restore U.S. leadership in advanced semiconductors. 

A New Light Source that Transforms Leading Edge Semiconductors 

Leading-edge semiconductors are the essential commodity for economic prosperity and national security. Today’s manufacturing process is dependent on technology that is rapidly nearing the end of its life and no longer economically viable.

Laser produced plasma (LPP) is currently the only method of producing EUV light for cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing. However, it is extremely power-hungry (~1.5 MW of electricity yields only 500 W of light) and is incapable of fully supporting the current and future versions of ASML’s scanners, which require up to 2 kW source power.

xLight is working with leading fabs to introduce a fully backward-compatible light source with distinct advantages.

  • Our EUV FEL light source produces 4X more power that enables better lithographic patterning, which is necessary to manufacture chips with smaller and more efficient feature sizes. In addition to being more powerful, our FEL system has programmable light characteristics that improve current capabilities and enable next-generation lithography (e.g., shorter wavelengths) - uniquely enabling the extension of Moore’s Law for decades. Connecting existing ASML scanners to an xLight FEL significantly improves the tool’s capabilities, delivering next-version scanner performance without the cost and complexities.

  • By delivering up to 4X higher EUV power, fabs can optimize patterning improvements, productivity, and yield, unlocking billions in additional annual revenue per scanner and ~50% per wafer cost reduction.  Additionally, a single xLight system can support up to 20 ASML scanners with a 30-year operating lifetime, reducing capital and operating expenditures by more than 3X. 

  • 5X Improvement in Energy Efficiency and Water Consumption 

    Many fabs are limited by available power and water – by contrast, xLight's FEL system reduces power and water usage by up to 8X per wafer 

     

    No Required Consumables 

    Unlike LPP, xLight’s system does not require tin or hydrogen, providing significant savings in operational costs and better availability. tion text goes here

Breakthrough Technology Ready Now 

xLight is currently building a feature-complete prototype that will be connected to an ASML scanner and running wafers by 2028.

Our team is uniquely qualified and deeply experienced with the mature FEL and particle accelerator technologies that we are leveraging to build our light source. 

While advanced lithography alone represents a multi-billion-dollar opportunity per light source for xLight, FELs can also unlock near-term revenue in other high-impact areas. Our systems are uniquely suited for advanced metrology and inspection that benefit from higher power and tailored wavelengths. Outside of semiconductor applications, our systems’ capabilities can solve complex national security and biotechnology problems – from point defense and ground-based space debris mitigation to medical imaging, and scientific research. 

Who We Are

xLight is a venture-backed start-up based in Palo Alto, CA, led by a group of light source pioneers, lithographers, and particle accelerator builders with extensive experience.

We have assembled a skilled team of national experts that are driven to develop, build, and operate FELs for critical economic and national security applications and collaborate with the Department of Energy National Labs to leverage decades of investment and U.S. leadership in particle accelerator and FEL technology, infrastructure, and knowledge