Trumpf, the manufacturer of the lasers used in ASML's EUV chipmaking tools, is turning to quantum computing to explore new ways to optimize its lasers. Trumpf is teaming up with its partners from Fraunhofer ILT and the Dahlem Center at Freie Universität Berlin to explore whether modern quantum computers can indeed be used more effectively than today's classical supercomputers. If quantum computers prove to be more efficient, they could improve next-generation CO2 laser systems.
CO2-based laser units are widely deployed in semiconductor production (specifically in light sources for DUV and EUV lithography tools, such as those developed by Cymer for ASML's NXE and EXE tools), the broader non-semiconductor industry, and silicon photonics used for connectivity. Hence, the group will explore two vectors of technology: typical industrial applications of CO2 lasers and the scientific direction of microscopic explorations. The initiative is supported with roughly €1.8 million from Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
