A facility using cutting-edge electron beam (E-beam) technology to build the next generation of semiconductor chips has opened at the University of Southampton.

The opening of the facility was announced by the UK government as part of its plans to invest £5 million in the semiconductor industry to bridge the skills gap and boost the talent pipeline.

The facility, the first of its kind in Europe and the second in the world, creates small patterns onto chips to enable breakthroughs in AI and medical technology.

The E-beam lithography facility provides accuracy that is critical to designing the tiny components that power technologies of the future, from medical diagnostics to defence systems.

E-beam lithography uses a focused beam of tiny particles called electrons to create patterns in materials with high resolution, which allows researchers to create features thousands of times smaller than a human hair.

Semiconductors, small chips which power a range of devices from smartphones to satellites, contribute an estimated £10 billion to the UK economy each year, with the government predicting the sector will grow to £17 billion by 2030.

The government said that a single semiconductor worker contributes an average of £460,000 to the economy annually.

The package of financial support will boost research and development capacity at universities such as Southampton, which the government said are central to UK semiconductor innovation and talent development.

Around £3 million is earmarked for undergraduate bursaries and the government will offer £5,000 each to 300 students starting electronics and electrical engineering degrees this year.
The government added that it will spend £1.2 million on chip design training, with new chip design courses to teach practical chip design skills to undergraduates, postgraduates and lecturers.

“Britain is home to some of the most exciting semiconductor research anywhere in the world – and Southampton’s new E-beam facility is a major boost to our national capabilities,” said science minister Lord Vallance. “By investing in both infrastructure and talent, we’re giving our researchers and innovators the support they need to develop next-generation chips right here in the UK.”

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