- Lam’s Enschede facility will serve as our European center for PLD technology development
- This site includes a clean room and maintains strong partnerships with universities to accelerate the development of next-gen devices
Driving the news: Lam recently celebrated two significant milestones at our Enschede, Netherlands, location: the grand opening of a newly remodeled facility and the third anniversary of a strategic acquisition with Solmates, a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technology pioneer that joined Lam in February 2022.
Why it matters: The newly remodeled facility in Enschede will serve as Lam's European center for PLD technology development.
- It will support customer demonstrations and continue the site's strong tradition of university collaboration and innovation in semiconductor applications. With its focus on enabling future devices through current design wins, the operation plays a strategic role in Lam's specialty technology portfolio, particularly as manufacturers determine their fabrication flows for next-generation devices.
By the numbers:
- 100-square-meter clean room for PLD development
- Nearly 35 current employees, expandable to 100
- 16 patents in PLD technology
- Founded in 2006, acquired by Lam in 2022
Zoom in: The Enschede operation is a crucial center for Lam's PLD technology development. The site's innovative deposition technology offers unique advantages over conventional PVD, particularly in developing aluminum scandium nitride (AlScN) films critical for MEMS and RF devices needed for 5G markets and optical films for application in photonics and optoelectronics.
- The facility maintains strong collaborative relationships with several universities, including Technology University in Delft, Netherlands (TU Delft), Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (imec), the well-known international research and development organization, CEA Leti, and a continued relationship with the University of Twente.
What we’re hearing:
- "The new facility represents our commitment to expanding our PLD capabilities in Europe and beyond," says Kristiaan Bohm, director of business operations management, CSBG. "With significant lab space and room for growth, we're well-positioned to support our customers and advance laser deposition technology."
- “We have a unique arrangement with the University of Twente that enables us to validate new materials and processes quickly,” adds Matthijn Dekkers, director of engineering, CSBG. "Having access to university facilities literally across the street allows us to accelerate our development cycles."
Catch up quick: Originally a University of Twente spin-out, Solmates grew from specialized optical coatings to industrial-scale laser deposition systems before joining Lam.
- Winning combination: In 2024, we introduced Prestis™, the world’s first production-orientated PLD tool to help enable next-generation MEMS-based microphones and radio frequency (RF) filters. Built on our 2300® platform, Prestis helps to ensure exceptional film uniformity and quality at a fraction of the cost per wafer than conventional deposition methods. It can deposit a wide range of complex, multi-element materials, and as a result, we are seeing strong demand from a variety of customers for new, enabling materials using PLD.
- Dig deeper into Prestis, the tool that is key to developing cutting-edge specialty technologies.
Bottom line: The site combines a newly remodeled facility, with deep university partnerships, positioning Lam as a leader in the development of specialty technologies in Europe.
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Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Statements made in this article that are not of historical fact are forward-looking statements and are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements relate to but are not limited to: market and industry trends; the potential benefits of and applications resulting from our products and technologies; our ability to continue to serve as an industry leader; and the strategic and long-term benefits resulting from the location of our facilities. Some factors that may affect these forward-looking statements include: trade regulations, export controls, trade disputes, and other geopolitical tensions may inhibit our ability to sell our products; business, political and/or regulatory conditions in the consumer electronics industry, the semiconductor industry and the overall economy may deteriorate or change; the actions of our customers and competitors may be inconsistent with our expectations; supply chain cost increases and other inflationary pressures have impacted and may continue to impact our profitability; supply chain disruptions or manufacturing capacity constraints may limit our ability to manufacture and sell our products; and natural and human-caused disasters, disease outbreaks, war, terrorism, political or governmental unrest or instability, or other events beyond our control may impact our operations in affected areas; as well as the other risks and uncertainties that are described in the documents filed or furnished by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including specifically the Risk Factors described in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024 and our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 29, 2024. These uncertainties and changes could materially affect the forward-looking statements and cause actual results to vary from expectations in a material way. The Company undertakes no obligation to update the information or statements made in this article.