In response to rising demands for performance and energy efficiency across domains such as AI, high-performance computing, sensing, photonics, and power electronics, Lam Research and CEA-Leti signed a multi-year agreement on Jan. 30 in Grenoble, France. The deal builds on an existing collaboration—particularly around plasma-based process technologies—and is designed to speed the transition from exploratory research to industrial manufacturing readiness using new materials, fabrication processes, and device architectures.

The strengthened partnership reflects a shared view that closer coordination between equipment suppliers and research organizations is increasingly necessary as semiconductor innovation becomes more complex and application-driven.

Bridging exploration and industrialization According to CEA-Leti CEO Sébastien Dauvé, the research institute traditionally operates at technology readiness levels (TRLs) 4 and 5. “Here, the objective is to reach TRL 6, which is the gateway to industrialization and a key confidence builder for industrial partners,” he told EE Times.

That step—from validated laboratory processes to technologies that can be transferred into manufacturing environments—is a recurring bottleneck in semiconductor development. Dauvé said the expanded partnership is designed to address precisely that gap.

“When a research institute works alone with an industrial partner, questions often arise around portability and scalability,” he said. “Conversely, for an equipment supplier, being able to say, ‘We developed and matured this process with a reference research institute, ‘is powerful’.”

The collaboration allows Lam Research to demonstrate equipment capabilities alongside advanced device integration and characterization performed at CEA-Leti, helping to reduce risk for semiconductor manufacturers evaluating new process technologies.

Chris Carter, group VP and general manager of Lam Research’s Customer Support Business Group, said the industry is increasingly challenged by the need to improve performance while reducing power consumption. “Harnessing the properties of new semiconductor materials can potentially break some of these tradeoffs and deliver step-function improvements,” he told EE Times.

Carter said Lam Research is focused on accelerating innovation that supports chipmakers responding to AI-driven computing demands. “Centralizing CEA-Leti’s strengths in device characterization with Lam’s capabilities in advanced processes, novel materials, and films allows for faster pathfinding,” he said.

Equipment-process co-development That tight coupling between equipment and process development becomes especially critical as the industry turns toward compound and multi-element semiconductor materials. These materials are increasingly relevant for RF components, power electronics, photonics, and optical interconnect technologies, where they can enable higher switching speeds, improved signal integrity, and more efficient power conversion.

At the same time, they introduce significant manufacturing complexity, making close coordination between equipment suppliers and process developers essential.

Dave said CEA-Leti’s facilities combine multi-step integration toolsets with extensive metrology and materials analysis capabilities, allowing researchers to evaluate process variations rapidly and provide actionable feedback to equipment partners. “One of our roles is to secure these processes so they are fully ready for industry,” he said.

Introducing new materials also raises contamination and sustainability challenges in semiconductor fabs. Dauvé noted that sustainability is an area of growing focus for CEA-Leti, which is “deeply involved” in the European GENESIS project aimed at optimizing fabrication processes while reducing water and material consumption.

He added that existing computing architectures remain relatively inefficient for many AI workloads, creating opportunities for innovation at multiple levels—from device design and materials to fabrication processes and system integration. Progress, he said, will need to occur simultaneously across power conversion, data transmission, and memory architectures.

Lam’s advanced etch and deposition technologies, including pulsed laser deposition (PLD), will play a central role in the joint research. PLD enables the deposition of complex thin films with high precision, making it particularly well suited for emerging compound semiconductor and photonics applications.

Beyond the technical capabilities themselves, Carter highlighted the importance of collaborative development environments. By working closely with customers and maintaining access to diverse material sets, Lam expects the partnership to streamline joint development efforts and support next-generation devices that combine lower power consumption with higher performance.

The agreement targets a broad range of specialty semiconductor domains, including MEMS, sensors, photonics, RF devices, microLED displays, and power-management technologies. While these applications have historically represented smaller markets than advanced logic, demand is accelerating as AI systems require new sensing, communication, and energy-management capabilities.

“Photonics for data communications in data centers is a clear example,” Dauvé said. “There is strong demand for new materials, as well as advanced deposition and etching processes. Integrating new photonic materials, lasers, and optical packaging technologies is becoming a key research priority.”

The collaboration also extends into emerging areas such as quantum optics. According to Dauvé, these devices introduce new reliability and process requirements, further underscoring the importance of coordinated development between equipment providers and device researchers.

Ecosystem-driven innovation Beyond individual process technologies, the partnership reflects a broader shift toward ecosystem-driven semiconductor innovation. Dauvé described research and technology organizations such as CEA-Leti as critical intermediaries connecting equipment vendors, material suppliers, device manufacturers, and emerging startups.

These collaborative networks help reduce technology risk by validating new processes before they reach production fabs, he said. They also play a strategic role in strengthening regional semiconductor ecosystems while remaining tightly integrated with global industry supply chains.

Dauvé emphasized that Europe cannot pursue semiconductor self-sufficiency in isolation and must remain connected to international technology partners. Equipment manufacturers, in particular, play a central role in enabling collaboration across the semiconductor value chain.

Both organizations believe the expanded partnership will help accelerate the development of specialty semiconductor technologies as industry demands continue to evolve. “We contribute our strengths in integration, metrology, and functional validation,” Dauvé said. “And we gain access to equipment that is still maturing, which allows us to influence final tuning. Sharing roadmap perspectives—while respecting confidentiality—is essential to developing the most relevant processes.”

As AI, photonics, advanced sensing, and emerging computing paradigms reshape semiconductor requirements, joint research models like this are becoming increasingly important for translating experimental breakthroughs into manufacturable solutions.

By: DocMemory
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