Nexstrom raises $12M seed round to scale 2D semiconductor manufacturing for chip fabs

Funding for 2D Semiconductor Production

Nexstrom, a semiconductor startup incubated by Xora Innovation, announced it has raised a $12 million seed funding round. Investors in this round include Xora, Foothill Ventures, and SEEDS. This latest investment brings the company's total funding to $15 million.

Addressing Chip Miniaturization Challenges

The company is developing equipment and processes to enable chip foundries to produce extremely thin semiconductors, known as transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), directly on chip wafers. This approach aims to overcome limitations in shrinking silicon transistors, such as electron flow control, leakage, power loss, and heat generation, which become more pronounced as transistors get smaller.

North Star Product and Scalability

Nexstrom's product, named North Star, is designed to grow TMDs directly on 300mm (12-inch) wafers, which are standard in commercial chipmaking. The primary challenge Nexstrom seeks to address is the scalability of 2D material production, moving beyond laboratory-scale creation to industrial manufacturing volumes. The company's technology is partly based on research by its co-founder and chief scientist, Lance Li, who previously led post-silicon electronics research at TSMC.

Industry Interest in 2D Materials

Several major industry players, including TSMC, Intel, and IMEC, are also exploring ways to integrate 2D materials into transistors. Equipment and materials companies like AIXTRON and CDimension are working on other aspects of the manufacturing chain for these advanced materials. TSMC, ASML, and IMEC have demonstrated the use of 2D-material transistors in a 300mm integration process, highlighting the industry's interest in this technology.