xLight and Los Alamos National Laboratory leverage machine learning to manufacture semiconductors in new R&D project
xLight and Los Alamos National Laboratory announced they have entered a new phase of collaboration. Their project focuses on the application of machine learning techniques to enable the automation of a large-scale particle accelerator. This level of automation is necessary for the accelerator to function 24/7, and is a requirement on xLight’s technical roadmap to build the ultimate light source for semiconductor manufacturing.
“Los Alamos National Laboratory has an 80-year history of innovation and development in accelerator technologies, and we are thrilled to partner with them to solve the difficult automation and diagnostics problems for high power accelerator operations,” said Nicholas Kelez, xLight CEO and CTO.
“The global economy relies on a robust semiconductor industry, and increasing our domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity is imperative for our collective economic and national security,” Laboratory Director Thom Mason said. “We’re proud to work with xLight to transfer the technologies and expertise we have developed to support the future of semiconductor manufacturing here in the United States.”
The project is made possible by the Technology Readiness Gross Receipts Tax (TRGR) initiative, which provides New Mexico businesses the opportunity to work directly with scientists and engineers at Los Alamos or Sandia national laboratories to advance technologies licensed from or developed in a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. The TRGR initiative empowers businesses to advance past the invention stage to market-ready technology. xLight has offices in New Mexico and California.
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About xLight
xLight was founded in 2021 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. The company’s mission is to commercialize particle accelerator driven Free Electron Lasers (FEL) for critical US economic and national security applications. xLight is led by a team of light source pioneers, lithographers, and particle accelerator builders, and the company’s work is driven by the belief that the United States must regain and sustain leadership in semiconductor manufacturing. Learn more at www.xlight.com
About Los Alamos National Laboratory
As a federally funded research and development center, Los Alamos National Laboratory aligns its strategic plan with priorities set by the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE NNSA) and key national strategy guidance documents. The Laboratory executes work across all of DOE’s missions: national security, science, energy and environmental management. Scientific and engineering capabilities developed through LANL’s stockpile research are part of what makes DOE and NNSA a science, technology and engineering powerhouse for the nation.
