Deep dive: Inside the semiconductor ecosystem
These articles offer in-depth perspectives on specific parts of the semiconductor ecosystem. They focus on technologies, tools and methods that enable development and production.
Sweden is home to several companies whose technologies support essential stages of the global semiconductor value chain. Behind every next-generation chip are processes defined by precision measurement and the fidelity of the patterns that guide fabrication – areas where Swedish engineering plays a central role.
Alongside these established strengths, a growing group of emerging companies is contributing new methods and capabilities. What role do these specialised tools play in global semiconductor production, and which Swedish companies are developing them?
X-ray metrology for the most advanced processes
Kista-based Excillum has become a global reference point for high-performance X-ray sources. Its MetalJet technology replaces solid anodes with a liquid metal target, enabling higher brightness and improved stability. As a result, measurements once limited to synchrotron environments are now readily available for industry applications, from lab to fab.
“Semiconductor inspection and metrology for future nodes will depend more and more on X-rays and the ability to measure hidden 3D structures. With innovations from Excillum we make this possible at an industrial scale,” says Julius Hållstedt Head of Segment – Semi and Electronics at Excillum.
MetalJet’s uniqueness lies in its brightness, photon flux and spot-size control. As device geometries fall below 10 nanometres, metrology must detect subtle variations in critical dimensions, crystalline quality, composition and contamination — parameters that directly affect yield and device reliability.
Higher flux and brightness improve many semiconductor X-ray techniques — including high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), fluorescence and spectroscopy — by reducing exposure times and increasing signal-to-noise. These advantages allow researchers and process engineers to characterise structures with greater precision and much higher throughput.
One example is advanced inspection of device structures, where nanometre-scale features must be measured with high accuracy, contrast and stability. By enabling earlier measurements of critical dimensions and faster evaluation of new materials and process steps, Excillum’s technology supports the qualification of next-generation semiconductor processes.
Patterning with nanometre accuracy
Mycronic is one of the very few companies worldwide – and for certain mask classes the only one – capable of building high-precision mask writers. Their systems combine tightly controlled laser exposure with ultra-stable mechanical platforms and advanced datapath architectures, enabling terabyte-scale pattern files to be transferred with nanometre accuracy. These mask writers are deployed by several of the world’s largest display makers.
As photomask requirements become more demanding, Mycronic’s writers maintain stable, nanometre-scale stage accuracy across long production runs spanning multiple days, compensating for vibration, drift and optical distortion. This stability supports complex patterning flows without compromising precision.
“Every display begins with a pattern, and the quality of that pattern defines everything that follows. Our mission is to make that starting point as precise as physics allows,” says David Luthman, Group Manager of Process, Metrology & Test Center at Mycronic.
Mycronic’s platforms are also widely used in advanced display manufacturing. Their systems support G8+ and G10+ substrate formats – glass panels up to roughly three metres across that are later divided into displays for everything from TVs to laptops and mobile devices. Deployed in high-volume production environments, they ensure the mask quality required for advanced resolutions and consistent yields.
One application is OLED and automotive panel production, where sub-pixel structures must meet extremely tight tolerances. Mycronic’s ability to pattern large-area masks with nanometre accuracy enables manufacturers to achieve the brightness, efficiency and durability expected of modern displays.
A growing landscape of specialised tools
A new generation of specialised technology companies is advancing key capabilities across the semiconductor value chain. Their technologies are still emerging, but each explores methods, materials or architectures with the potential to address future bottlenecks in manufacturing and integration.
- AlixLabs is developing a selective atomic layer etch technique that could reduce process steps and energy use in future chip-manufacturing flows. The method is currently being validated with industry partners.
- TekSiC, which recently moved from prototyping to commercial CE-certified PVT furnaces for silicon-carbide crystal growth, enables reliable SiC production for high-voltage and high-efficiency power electronics.
- Smoltek is developing ultra-thin capacitors based on vertically aligned carbon nanostructures, offering high capacitance density for advanced RF modules and compact, high-efficiency power architectures.
Together, these companies show how Sweden’s semiconductor capabilities are expanding into new areas of patterning, materials engineering and advanced packaging. By developing methods that streamline fabrication and enhance integration, they strengthen Sweden’s capacity to contribute to next-generation semiconductor technologies.
Moving forward
These companies reflect a broader national strength: Sweden develops the specialised tools and methods that modern semiconductor production depends on. Together, they contribute to an ecosystem that will be increasingly important as Europe pursues its long-term semiconductor ambitions.
Sustained momentum requires research, industry and infrastructure providers to move forward together. In Kista, Semiconductor Arena enables this collaboration by providing companies and researchers with a shared environment to test ideas, develop technologies and exchange insights across the semiconductor value chain.
Do you want to get involved? Reach out to hanna.eldh@kista.com
Semiconductor Arena is co-funded by the European Union and Region Stockholm and is run by Kista Science City, KTH, RISE and Sting.
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