xLight today announced it has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL). This CRADA kicks off an anticipated, long-term collaboration between the company and Fermilab, which will develop critical superconducting Radio Frequency components key to reshoring semiconductor manufacturing in the United States. The work under the CRADA signed today will focus on superconducting radio frequency cavity and cryomodule development and testing.
“xLight’s team has extensive experience at National Labs. As such, we have a deep appreciation for Fermilab’s excellent work and leadership in particle accelerator technologies,” said Nicholas Kelez, CEO of xLight. “This collaboration will allow xLight to accelerate development of our EUV light source, and we’re grateful to work with the experts at Fermilab in pursuit of our mission to help the United States regain and maintain its leadership position in the semiconductor industry.”
“The partnership with xLight represents a unique opportunity to transition the technologies that Fermilab develops for our science mission to commercial applications. These collaborations spark innovation and support DOE’s investments in science and technology that can benefit all Americans," said Lia Merminga, Director of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
Mr. Kelez and Director Merminga met on April 4 to formally launch the collaboration, which will enable the production of higher performing advanced chips while using less energy, making the entire chip manufacturing process more efficient and effective. These chips are critical to many aspects of modern life – from smart phones and computers to the military, data centers and artificial intelligence. This improvement to semiconductor manufacturing will also positively impact important fields like biotechnology and robotics.
About xLight
xLight is a venture-backed start-up based in Palo Alto, CA, led by a team of light source pioneers, lithographers, and particle accelerator builders. The company was founded with the mission to build a light source capable of revolutionizing lithography, metrology and inspection. Our work is driven by the belief that the United States must regain and sustain leadership in semiconductor manufacturing. xLight leverages decades of investment and U.S. leadership in particle accelerator technology, infrastructure, and knowledge to rapidly develop and deploy our unique light source. Building on this foundation, we designed an HVM compatible system with novel capabilities that delivers productivity and performance to enable decades of continued advancement in leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing.
About Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.