SAL and SHIN­CRON join forces to esta­blish first-of-its-kind Euro­pean plat­form for lithium-niobate-based thin films

Silicon Austria Labs (SAL) and SHIN­CRON are joining forces to bring the first SHIN­CRON INACO sputter depo­si­tion plat­form of its kind in Europe to the SAL MicroFab in Villach. The plat­form adds a critical mate­rial-depo­si­tion capa­bi­lity to Euro­pe’s emer­ging 200 mm thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) value chain: the in-house deve­lop­ment and control of lithium-niobate-based thin-film mate­rial stacks. This step streng­t­hens Euro­pean access to advanced lithium-niobate mate­rial capa­bi­li­ties and supports the scaling of next-gene­ra­tion tech­no­lo­gies in inte­grated photo­nics, RF, sensing, quantum tech­no­lo­gies and future micro­sys­tems appli­ca­tions.

Thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) is emer­ging as a stra­tegic mate­rial plat­form for next-gene­ra­tion high-perfor­mance tech­no­lo­gies. Its strong electro-optic, nonlinear optical and func­tional proper­ties make it highly rele­vant for high-speed optical commu­ni­ca­tion, RF photo­nics, sensing, quantum tech­no­lo­gies, co-packaged optics and advanced micro­sys­tems. However, brin­ging these tech­no­lo­gies closer to indus­trial use requires more than isolated process steps. It requires a controlled and inte­grated process chain — from mate­rial depo­si­tion and stack opti­miza­tion to device fabri­ca­tion, inte­gra­tion, testing and future transfer into indus­trial envi­ron­ments.

Reliable access to high-quality, appli­ca­tion-specific lithium-niobate-based mate­rial stacks remains a major bott­leneck for scaling TFLN tech­no­lo­gies beyond labo­ra­tory demons­tra­tions. By brin­ging advanced sputter depo­si­tion capa­bi­lity in-house, SAL will gain deeper control over mate­rial-stack forma­tion, inclu­ding crys­tall­inity, refrac­tive index, stress, surface rough­ness, adhe­sion and wafer-level unifor­mity. This capa­bi­lity streng­t­hens Euro­pe’s emer­ging 200 mm TFLN value chain by redu­cing depen­dency on limited mate­rial sources, impro­ving trace­a­bi­lity and enab­ling repro­du­cible thin-film stacks tailored to future appli­ca­tions.

The SHIN­CRON INACO system is desi­gned as a flexible deve­lop­ment plat­form for advanced sputter depo­si­tion of lithium niobate and related func­tional mate­rials. Its confi­gu­ra­tion supports the explo­ra­tion of new mate­rial systems and process windows across diffe­rent substrates and appli­ca­tion requi­re­ments. For SAL, this flexi­bi­lity is essen­tial: before advanced thin-film tech­no­lo­gies can move toward indus­trial use, the rela­ti­onship between depo­si­tion condi­tions, mate­rial quality and wafer-level repro­du­ci­bi­lity must be unders­tood and controlled.

“SHIN­CRON is proud to cont­ri­bute to SAL’s vision of esta­blis­hing a 200 mm-compa­tible TFLN process line in Europe. As photonic tech­no­lo­gies move closer to indus­trial appli­ca­tion, success depends on the ability to under­stand, opti­mize, and repro­duce the entire process chain — from mate­rial forma­tion to wafer-level manu­fac­tu­ring. The INACO plat­form was deve­l­oped with this philo­sophy in mind. It provides a flexible envi­ron­ment for process explo­ra­tion, mate­rial-stack opti­miza­tion, and tech­no­logy matu­ra­tion, while main­tai­ning a clear pathway toward indus­trial manu­fac­tu­ring.

SHIN­CRON’s commit­ment to SAL and its part­ners is to help ensure that the processes deve­l­oped on INACO can be trans­ferred with confi­dence into robust, repro­du­cible, and scalable manu­fac­tu­ring,” said Mr. Kaz Asano, Corpo­rate Officer and Member of the Board at SHIN­CRON.

The colla­bo­ra­tion combines SHIN­CRON’s exper­tise in advanced thin-film depo­si­tion equip­ment with SAL’s clean­room infra­struc­ture, process know-how and appli­ca­tion-driven re­search envi­ron­ment. By connec­ting mate­rial deve­lop­ment with wafer-level process­ing, device inte­gra­tion and future indus­trial transfer, the part­ners aim to acce­le­rate the matu­ra­tion of lithium-niobate-based thin-film tech­no­lo­gies in Europe.

“This colla­bo­ra­tion with SHIN­CRON is an important step in buil­ding a diffe­ren­tiated Euro­pean capa­bi­lity for lithium-niobate-based thin-film tech­no­lo­gies,” said Dr. Mohssen Moridi, Senior Director at Silicon Austria Labs. “With the first SHIN­CRON INACO plat­form of its kind in Europe, SAL is addres­sing a critical bott­leneck in the TFLN value chain: reliable access to high-quality, appli­ca­tion-specific mate­rial stacks. This is essen­tial for Euro­pe’s ability to move beyond isolated process steps and build deeper control over advanced thin-film mate­rials, from depo­si­tion and process deve­lop­ment to future inte­gra­tion and indus­trial transfer.”

With this step, SAL is moving toward a first-of-its-kind Euro­pean 200 mm TFLN plat­form that combines mate­rial-stack deve­lop­ment, wafer-level process­ing, inte­gra­tion, testing and future indus­trial transfer. By closing the gap between lithium-niobate-based thin-film depo­si­tion and down­stream device fabri­ca­tion, SAL can support industry part­ners in moving from early-stage process deve­lop­ment toward repro­du­cible, scalable and appli­ca­tion-oriented thin-film tech­no­lo­gies.

The instal­la­tion will further streng­then the SAL MicroFab in Villach as a Euro­pean clean­room infra­struc­ture for advanced thin-film process­ing, inte­grated photo­nics, quantum-enab­ling tech­no­lo­gies, RF appli­ca­tions, sensing and indus­tri­ally rele­vant micro­sys­tems. By deve­lo­ping mate­rial-stack exper­tise and process know-how directly in Europe, SAL is buil­ding the infra­struc­ture, compe­tence and partner network needed to move next-gene­ra­tion func­tional thin-film mate­rials — inclu­ding lithium niobate, lithium tantalate and related mate­rial systems — from mate­rial deve­lop­ment toward scalable appli­ca­tions and future indus­trial transfer. With its 200 mm process focus and 300 mm-compa­tible plat­form concept, the system also opens a pathway toward future inte­gra­tion with broader wafer-level tech­no­logy plat­forms, inclu­ding CMOS-related ecosys­tems.