AlixLabs announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office has issued the notice of allowance for the company’s latest patent application, US20250087487A1, titled Formation of an array of nanostructures. This milestone marks the next step in AlixLabs’ commitment to advancing semiconductor manufacturing technologies.
Internally referred to as the “Tetris” patent, in honor of Alexey Pajitnov, the new patent integrates self-aligned double patterning (SADP) with atomic layer etching (ALE)-based pitch splitting (APS™) technology. This innovative approach, being industrialized by AlixLabs since its founding in 2019, combines elements of both classical and leading-edge techniques to deliver superior performance for semiconductor manufacturing.
The invention arose from AlixLabs’ efforts to develop a process for precise sidewall angle control in APS™, a key component in silicon-based processes. By leveraging plasma etch process selectivity and combining features from complex plasma processes, AlixLabs has pioneered a method that blends the traditional SADP process with the advanced APS technology.
This allows the company to utilize mature industrial technologies while benefiting from the advanced control and improved performance of cyclic processes and topographical selectivity. As a result, AlixLabs’ solution offers semiconductor manufacturers an enhanced ability to address the challenges of patterning at sub-5 nm nodes.
This breakthrough is significant for the integration of APS™ technology into existing semiconductor production workflows, preserving the use of existing Process Design Kits (PDKs) which are essential tools for chip designers. By doing so, it reduces the barrier for APS adoption in high-volume manufacturing (HVM), easing the transition to next-generation semiconductor technologies.
The patented innovation provides semiconductor manufacturers with greater flexibility, offering a new way to fine-tune the APS™ process to meet the needs to cut capital and operational expenditure (CapEx and OpEx) as well as emissions for customers at advanced technology nodes, while allowing for broader compatibility with different materials. This new method further strengthens AlixLabs’ core APS™ patent portfolio, positioning the company as a leading enabler of next-generation semiconductor manufacturing.
Moreover, this invention not only supports the development of leading-edge logic, memory, and photonics but also simplifies the semiconductor manufacturing process by reducing CapEx and OpEx for semiconductor fabs.
“We remain committed to advancing semiconductor manufacturing with innovations that significantly enhance the precision, flexibility, and efficiency of our technologies,” commented Dmitry Suyatin, co-founder and CTO of AlixLabs. “This patent represents a critical step forward in our mission to drive the next generation of semiconductor processes and further solidify our position as a leader in the field.”
