For decades, chipmakers have sought to make semiconductors faster by shrinking down silicon transistors and packing more of them on each chip. But shrinking transistors comes with its own problems: controlling electron flow becomes harder, which exacerbates problems such as leakage, power loss and heat.
Nexstrom, a semiconductor startup incubated by Xora Innovation, thinks using two-dimensional (2D) materials instead of silicon is one viable way to solve that problem, especially as the global component shortage driven by demand for data centers shows no signs of letting up.
The Singapore-based company is building equipment and processes that would let foundries manufacture extremely thin semiconductors, known as transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), directly on chip wafers.
Now, TMDs aren’t really two-dimensional; they’re just so slim that they’re bunched together with a large family of materials that are called “2D materials” to illustrate their thinness. TMDs are just a few atomic layers thick, a feature that has drawn attention from chipmakers seeking ways to further shrink chip sizes.
The startup says its product, called North Star, is designed to grow TMDs directly on 300mm (12-inch) wafers used in commercial chipmaking.
The startup isn’t alone in recognizing the potential of using 2D semiconductors to shrink chips further. TSMC, Intel and Belgium’s IMEC are all developing ways to integrate 2D materials into transistors, and equipment and materials companies such as AIXTRON, CDimension and several startups are tackling other parts of the manufacturing chain.
TSMC, ASML and IMEC recently even showed how 2D-material transistors could be used in a 300mm integration process.
Nexstrom, however, is betting that it can make strides in a particularly difficult area: producing these materials for semiconductor production at scale. The company’s technology is based in part on research by its co-founder and chief scientist Lance Li, who previously led research on post-silicon electronics at TSMC. Li has worked on 2D materials since 2012.
“In the lab, people can get very small, high-quality materials, but only on a very small scale,” Li told TechCrunch. “This is exactly the gap Nexstrom is addressing.”
To do that, the Singapore-based company on Tuesday said it has raised a $12 million seed round from investors including Xora, Foothill Ventures and SEEDS. The company has so far raised $15 million in total.
But instead of competing with chipmaking giants like TSMC, Samsung and Intel, Nexstrom wants to sell its technology to them or work with them as partners. The company says some companies in the industry are already testing samples of its wafers and materials, though it declined to name them.
Still, there are several problems to be solved before such tiny semiconductors can be manufactured at scale, chief of which is consistently growing TMDs across a full-size wafer.
“At the current stage, our work is focused on delivering material quality that [industry partners] have specified,” Nexstrom’s CEO Phoebe Tan told TechCrunch. “We have proven material results on wafers using our 12-inch system that has just been installed. We have systematically scaled from 2 inches to 6 inches, and we are going to complete our 8 inch and 8 inch by the end of October.”
Nexstrom plans to use the funding to further develop its technology and move its equipment closer to commercial production. Tan said the money will also go toward improving process control and measurement capabilities, expanding its team, and supporting qualification programs with potential customers.
The startup expects its equipment to be ready for commercial production between 2030 and 2035.
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