Advancing Next-Generation Lithography
A central focus of the partnership is advancing extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, one of the most important technologies used in manufacturing leading-edge semiconductor chips.
Lithography enables manufacturers to create extraordinarily small and precise circuit patterns on silicon wafers. As semiconductor devices become increasingly complex, manufacturers must develop processes capable of producing smaller features while maintaining performance, reliability, and energy efficiency.
High numerical aperture (High-NA) EUV lithography offers the potential to achieve finer patterning resolution, supporting continued improvements in chip density and performance.
However, these advances also introduce significant scientific and engineering challenges.
Manufacturers must better understand how new materials respond to EUV exposure, how microscopic structures behave during fabrication, and how to identify defects that can affect chip performance.
The partnership will bring together complementary research capabilities to address these challenges.
Berkeley Lab contributes specialized EUV patterning, materials science, and nanoscale research capabilities through facilities including the Advanced Light Source and Molecular Foundry.
Brookhaven contributes advanced X-ray imaging, spectroscopy, and materials characterization capabilities through its National Synchrotron Light Source II and Center for Functional Nanomaterials.
Together, these resources will help researchers examine semiconductor materials and structures at extraordinarily small scales, generating insights that can improve manufacturing processes.
New York’s Growing Role in Semiconductor Innovation
The collaboration also highlights New York State’s increasingly important position in the national semiconductor research and manufacturing ecosystem.
At the center of this effort is the Albany NanoTech Complex, operated by NY CREATES, which has emerged as a major hub for advanced semiconductor research, technology development, and industry collaboration.
NY CREATES provides an essential bridge between laboratory research and commercial manufacturing by bringing together semiconductor companies, equipment suppliers, academic researchers, and government partners.
Its High-NA EUV Lithography Center will provide an important platform for advancing the next generation of semiconductor manufacturing technologies.
By connecting the Albany NanoTech Complex with national laboratory capabilities, the new pilot program expands the scientific and technological resources available to industry while reinforcing New York’s position as a center for semiconductor innovation.
The partnership also demonstrates the value of sustained public investment in research infrastructure.
New York’s semiconductor ecosystem has benefited from a combination of state investments, federal research programs, university partnerships, and private-sector participation. The new collaboration offers another mechanism for leveraging those investments to advance technologies with national economic and strategic importance.
Strengthening America’s Semiconductor Competitiveness
Semiconductors are foundational to virtually every advanced technology sector, including artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, telecommunications, aerospace, defense, and emerging quantum technologies.
Maintaining leadership in these fields requires more than expanding domestic manufacturing capacity. It also requires sustained investment in the scientific discoveries and manufacturing innovations that will define future generations of chips.
The partnership among NY CREATES, Brookhaven, and Berkeley Lab illustrates how federal research institutions and regional innovation ecosystems can work together to address national technology priorities.
Three aspects of this approach are particularly important:
- Industry-driven research: Identifying manufacturing challenges early and directing scientific expertise toward practical solutions.
- Shared research infrastructure: Providing semiconductor companies with access to specialized facilities that would be difficult or costly to duplicate.
- Accelerated commercialization: Creating stronger connections between fundamental research, process development, and industrial adoption.
The pilot program will also explore more effective ways for companies to access DOE scientific user facilities, potentially creating models for future collaborations across the semiconductor industry.
Building an Innovation Ecosystem for the Future
The broader significance of this initiative extends beyond the specific technologies being developed.
It offers a model for strengthening regional innovation ecosystems through partnerships among federal laboratories, state-supported research institutions, universities, and industry.
For New York, the opportunity is especially significant.
The Albany Capital Region already possesses substantial assets in semiconductor research, nanotechnology, materials science, and advanced manufacturing. Connecting these capabilities to national laboratory resources can help attract additional industry investment, create opportunities for research commercialization, and strengthen the state’s position in the global semiconductor supply chain.
The initiative also underscores the importance of developing a skilled workforce capable of supporting increasingly sophisticated semiconductor manufacturing processes. Expanding research partnerships creates opportunities for universities, community colleges, and workforce development organizations to align education and training programs with emerging industry needs.
Over time, these relationships can help build a pipeline of scientists, engineers, technicians, and manufacturing specialists essential to sustaining American semiconductor leadership.
From Scientific Discovery to Industrial Leadership
The United States has long been a global leader in semiconductor research and innovation. The challenge now is ensuring that scientific leadership translates into manufacturing capabilities, economic growth, and technological advantage.
The new DOE–NY CREATES partnership represents a promising approach to meeting that challenge.
By combining national laboratory expertise, advanced research infrastructure, and direct industry engagement, the collaboration seeks to accelerate the development of technologies that will shape the future of semiconductor manufacturing.
It also reinforces an important lesson for federal and state technology policy: the most effective innovation strategies connect scientific discovery with the industrial capabilities necessary to bring new technologies to market.
For New York and the nation, building these connections will be essential to advancing semiconductor manufacturing, strengthening domestic supply chains, and maintaining technological competitiveness in the decades ahead.