Fraunhofer Scales Specialized Chip Manufacturing
The APECS pilot line bridges the gap between experimental research and commercial production for low-volume semiconductor components.
Updated on Oct. 15, 2026 in Semiconductors
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The Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology is scaling its manufacturing process for specialized chips used in high-precision semiconductor lithography. These components enable IMS Nanofabrication to produce photomasks for 5 nm technology nodes and below.
Why it matters
Conventional foundries typically require annual orders of 10,000 wafers, which is too high for specialized components that require lower volumes. This specialized manufacturing model allows for high-tech production at volumes two orders of magnitude lower than standard industry thresholds.
The TROM3 chip generation features 590,000 control cells, while Fraunhofer engineers utilize electroplated gold electrodes reaching heights of up to 50 micrometers to facilitate high-speed beam control.
The players
Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology
This German research organization specializes in applied sciences and operates the APECS pilot line for chip development.
IMS Nanofabrication
Based in Austria, this company creates multibeam electron-beam systems used in advanced semiconductor lithography.
The details
Fraunhofer manufactures these chips by performing post-CMOS processing to add gold electrodes to standard circuitry, which enables multibeam electron-beam systems to maintain throughput as feature sizes shrink. Because these low-volume runs cannot utilize standard statistical process control, engineers provide direct, manual supervision of every individual production cycle.
Timeline
2005: Collaboration between Fraunhofer and IMS Nanofabrication began.
2012: Fraunhofer developed a chip with 262,000 control cells.
2015: IMS began selling systems using the TROM2 chip.
The Tech Race
This manufacturing breakthrough is critical to maintaining the scaling trajectory of EUV lithography at 5 nm technology nodes as feature sizes continue to shrink. It positions Fraunhofer to bypass the high-volume constraints of traditional foundries that currently dominate the semiconductor market.
By enabling more efficient manufacturing of high-precision photomasks, this technology helps semiconductor firms maintain steady production schedules for advanced hardware. This ultimately facilitates the continued miniaturization of the processors found in everyday consumer electronics.
The takeaway
The success of the APECS pilot line demonstrates that specialized, low-volume manufacturing remains viable through collaborative research networks. This model provides a blueprint for other industries struggling to find foundry capacity for non-standard component requirements.
Further reading
For more on the latest developments in chip production, visit the Semiconductors section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by EE Times.
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