XLight secures $40M to develop EUV light source

US startup XLight has raised 40 million dollars in Series B funding to support the development and prototyping of an EUV light source based on a free-electron laser (FEL). The firm aims to have an operational prototype ready by 2028.

ASML’s EUV sources generate laser‑produced plasma (LPP) using high‑power CO₂ lasers to excite tin droplets. Development of this technology was initiated by US firm Cymer, which was acquired by ASML in 2012 to speed up industrialization. The current roadmap takes source power to 1000+ watts.

The proposed FEL system uses a particle accelerator to generate electron bunches that pass through magnetic undulators, producing coherent EUV radiation. The company claims its FEL can deliver roughly four times the EUV output of conventional LPP systems and support multiple wafer lithography tools from a single source unit, as opposed to one dedicated source per ASML system. The FEL approach also promises wavelength tunability below the current 13.5 nm standard.

XLight is keen to present its efforts as a way to decrease US dependence in key technologies. “XLight represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore American leadership in one of the most critical technologies underpinning the semiconductor industry,” said Pat Gelsinger, Executive Chairman of the Board at XLight and former CEO of Intel, in a statement. “There was a terrible mistake made giving Cymer the ability to become a European-owned and controlled company,” he told Reuters.