Engineers at The University of Texas at Austin have launched a major initiative to transform semiconductor manufacturing through a new 3D printing technique designed to speed production, increase efficiency, and reduce environmental impact.
The research team, working with leading universities and technology companies, secured a $14.5 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to accelerate development of what they call Holographic Metasurface Nano Lithography.
The technology is engineered to dramatically streamline the manufacturing process for advanced electronics by enabling the creation of multimaterial, highly complex structures in a single step. Current semiconductor fabrication relies on sequential layering methods that are slow, rigid in design parameters, and prone to significant material waste. The new approach instead uses metasurfaces, ultra-thin optical masks that generate holograms capable of patterning a hybrid metal polymer resin into detailed three-dimensional structures with resolutions smaller than a human hair.
The method creates new possibilities for consumer electronics, aerospace systems, robotics, and next-generation device packaging. It also supports unconventional form factors that allow components to fit tightly into irregular spaces, enabling the embedding of artificial intelligence hardware or other sensitive electronics in uniquely shaped environments, such as rockets, robots, or compact commercial devices.
As part of the project, the researchers created prototypes demonstrating commercial and defense applications, nonplanar packaging concepts, and active electronic structures capable of performing both mechanical and electrical functions. The team expects the technology to shorten production cycles from months to days, reduce waste, and accelerate the development of custom prototypes.
The University of Texas researchers are working with partners including the University of Utah, Applied Materials, Bright Silicon Technologies, Electroninks, Northrop Grumman, NXP Semiconductors, and Texas Microsintering. Plans are underway to commercialize the process through Texas Microsintering Inc., a startup founded by the project’s lead investigator.
KEY QUOTES:
“Our goal is to fundamentally change how electronics are packaged and manufactured. With HMNL, we can create complex, multimaterial structures in a single step, reducing production time from months to days.”
“This isn’t just about making electronics faster or cheaper; it’s about unlocking new possibilities.”
Michael Cullinan, Associate Professor, Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering
