MAPPER Lithography

MAPPER Lithography, a spin-off from the Delft University of Technology, was established in 2000 by Pieter Kruit and Bert Jan-Kampherbeek. The company embarked on a mission to develop a maskless lithography system for the semiconductor industry, a technology with the potential to significantly alter the chip manufacturing landscape. Its core technology centered around a multiple e-beam approach, designed to offer high-resolution chip patterning without the need for expensive and complex photomasks. This process aimed to provide a more cost-effective and flexible method for producing next-generation semiconductors, particularly for smaller production runs and research and development phases.

The company's journey was marked by substantial fundraising efforts, attracting over 300 million euros in investments from notable backers such as Russian sovereign wealth fund Rusnano and various venture capital firms. MAPPER's business model focused on the sale of these advanced lithography machines, targeting major players in the semiconductor manufacturing sector. Its key product, the FLX-1200, was a testament to its technological pursuits, utilizing 1,300 parallel electron beams to draw circuits directly onto silicon wafers. Despite its advanced technology and the significant capital raised, MAPPER faced considerable challenges in commercializing its systems and achieving the required throughput and reliability to compete with established industry giants like ASML. These operational hurdles ultimately led the company to file for bankruptcy in late 2018. Following the bankruptcy, key assets and a significant portion of the staff were acquired by ASML, a dominant force in the lithography market, in early 2019.

Keywords: semiconductor equipment, e-beam lithography, maskless lithography, deep-tech, capital equipment, chip manufacturing, Delft University of Technology, high-tech manufacturing, semiconductor industry, venture capital