// TECHCRUNCH — MODA & SOCIETÀ
Singapore’s Nexstrom wants to bring 2D semiconductors to chip fabs
For decades, chipmakers have sought to make semiconductors faster by shrinking down silicon transistors and packing more of them on each chip. But shrinking transistors comes with its own problems: controlling electron flow becomes harder, which exacerbates problems such as leakage, power loss and heat.
Nexstrom, a semiconductor startup incubated by Xora Innovation, thinks using two-dimensional (2D) materials instead of silicon is one viable way to solve that problem, especially as the global component shortage driven by demand for data centers shows no signs of letting up.
The Singapore-based company is building equipment and processes that would let foundries manufacture extremely thin semiconductors, known as transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), directly on chip wafers.
Now, TMDs aren’t really two-dimensional; they’re just so slim that they’re bunched together with a large family of materials that are called “2D materials” to illustrate their thinness. TMDs are just a few atomic layers thick, a feature that has drawn attention from chipmakers seeking ways to further shrink chip sizes.
The startup says its product, called North Star, is designed to grow TMDs directly on 300mm (12-inch) wafers used in commercial chipmaking.
The startup isn’t alone in recognizing the potential of using 2D semiconductors to shrink chips further. TSMC, Intel and Belgium’s IMEC are all developing ways to integrate 2D materials into transistors, and equipment and materials companies such as AIXTRON, CDimension and several startups are tackling other parts of the manufacturing chain.
TSMC, ASML and IMEC recently even showed how 2D-material transistors could be used in a 300mm integration process.
Nexstrom, however, is betting that it can make strides in a particularly difficult area: producing these materials for semiconductor production at scale. The company’s technology is based in part on research by its co-founder and chief scientist Lance Li, who previously led research on post-silicon electronics at TSMC. Li has worked on 2D materials since 2012.
“In the lab, people can get very small, high-quality materials, but only on a very small scale,” Li told TechCrunch. “This is exactly the gap Nexstrom is addressing.”
To do that, the Singapore-based company on Tuesday said it has raised a $12 million seed round from investors including Xora, Foothill Ventures and SEEDS. The company has so far raised $15 million in total.