“Precision isn’t just a requirement in semiconductors—it’s the currency of survival,” said a veteran of the sector recently, and it would appear that Titomic is about to make a move with said currency. The Aussie OEM has landed its first low-rate initial production contract relating to components for semiconductor capital equipment (SCE), indicating that cold spray additive manufacturing (CSAM) will soon enter a market that’s long been dominated by either powder bed fusion (PBF) or directed energy deposition (DED).
The LRIP order will be supplied by the end of Q1 2026 and will be manufactured at Titomic’s state-of-the-art facility at Heerenveen in the Netherlands. Commenting on the deal, Jim Simpson, Titomic’s CEO and Managing Director, said: “an important milestone for Titomic as we advance our position within the semiconductor sector. The successful validation of our TKF process underscores the capability and reliability of our technology, particularly in industries where precision and performance are essential.” LRIP will enable the fulfillment of a customer’s needs for components verification before mass production commences in 2026.
The semiconductor capital equipment market presents a high-value, high-complexity growth area for the additive manufacturing industry. Within the semiconductor market, Additive Manufacturing Research made an estimate for the semicap market involving additive manufacturing and pointed to nearly 10 times growth over a period of a decade. PBF has traditionally been the preferred process for making critical components like carrier trays for EUV lithography tools, and these tools are manufactured solely by ASML, a Dutch giant with its supply chain tightly controlled.
These bottlenecks have larger-than-ideal implications. ASML’s de facto market domination within the area of EUV lithography leads directly to ramifications within the global semiconductor industry as a whole due to semiconductor lead-time constraints, as a consequence of delay knock-on effects triggered from ASML production delay scenarios. It is under these very specific conditions that advanced AM processes can offer a competitive edge.
The presence of CSAM in these regards is noteworthy. Cold spray process deposits materials at supersonic speed without melting them and thus can produce a high-packed structure with no oxidation and low thermal distortion. This would be very useful for components that require tight dimensional control and optimal surface qualities. Within today’s semiconductor tools, with micron tolerances and demanding contamination control, low heat input would be very beneficial. It would help reduce subsequent processing steps.
Potential uses are diverse. Within wafer handling equipment, for instance, there have already been successful uses of AM for making wafer chucks with conformal cooling channels, thus enhancing cooling and preventing deformation. Also, lattice-structured coolers for thermal management can be made using additive manufacturing with better surface area and volume ratios. Fluid handling, which is yet another essential piece within an SCE system, benefits from the smooth paths made possible by AM with less turbulence and pressure drop. None of these would have been limited by build envelope constraints as with current powder bed-based printers.
Nevertheless, PBF suppliers have had to overcome these same challenges. A recent drive by ASML to qualify a complete supply chain for class 3 critical components in a fully qualified AM supply chain will attest to this. Their main criteria involved comprehensive audits based on ISO/ASTM 52920 and its own standards GSA-02-0001. Their focus rested on efforts geared at ensuring reproduction and risk reduction. Nonetheless, it highlighted a fundamental issue lying at the core of all AM processes and production. Variations exist based on differing machines, materials, and sets. These will be fundamental within CSAM.
Material properties are also an issue. As pointed out by Prof. Alaa Elwany at Texas A&M University, “Copper’s low energy absorption capacity makes it difficult to be processed with AM, and yet it’s widely seen in semiconductor equipment because of its thermal and electrical conductivities.” Although there are fewer melting problems with metal-CRAM compared with laser-based machines, stability and cleanliness within a semiconductor setting may be a challenge. Market timing might work in favor of Titomic. The CHIPS and Science Act and Europe’s production strategy might encourage more investment in local semiconductor fabrication.
The market drivers and demands for a reliable supply chain could be an excellent market for AM adoption within SCE. Public-private partnerships, as suggested by Veeco Instruments’ own Dr. Ahmed El-Desouky, would be an excellent method for promoting the adoption and qualification of CSAM within semiconductor components. Although Titomic REFUSED TO NAME ITS CUSTOMER, it does raise eyebrows with regards to ASML and its NL facility. Whether or not it has anything to do with the market leader for EUVs, it’s patently clear that the message here is that Cold Spray is no longer an aerospace or military-only business but poised instead within perhaps the most challenging production sector on the planet. And within a market with precision as its lifeblood, it might prove an expensive new player.