ATLANT 3D: Shaping the Future of Atomic-Scale Manufacturing for the Semiconductor Industry
The semiconductor industry demands extreme precision—creating transistors and devices at the atomic scale. However, current manufacturing processes are rigid, expensive, and slow, leading to lengthy design cycles for prototyping chips, sensors, and integrated photonics.
ATLANT 3D is changing the game. By combining atomic layer processing, 3D printing, and nanofabrication, the company has developed proprietary technology that can construct custom designs atom by atom.
Founded in 2018 by Maksym Plakhotnyuk, Ivan Kundrata, and Julien Bachmann, ATLANT 3D was built to pioneer advanced 3D printing technology for atomic-scale manufacturing. Their solutions support next-generation devices, 2D nanoelectronics, 5G infrastructure, MEMS, sensors, and optical systems. They’ve even developed the first-ever in-space atomic layer printer, enabling on-demand manufacturing aboard the International Space Station.
In September 2022, ATLANT 3D secured a €15M Series A funding round led by West Hill Capital, with participation from existing investors, including Sony Group Corporation.
Learn more about the future of atom-scale manufacturing for the semiconductor industry from our interview with the founder and CEO, Maksym Plakhotnyuk:
Why Did You Start ATLANT 3D?
More than a decade ago, after graduating from university in Ukraine, I was eager to use my education to create meaningful impact. This desire led me to apply for a Fulbright scholarship, which took me to the United States for a research stay, and later to pursue a PhD at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). My research focused on exploring how atomic layer deposition (ALD) could be applied more broadly in semiconductor manufacturing.
During this time, I became increasingly frustrated by how slow and complex the manufacturing process for even simple semiconductor devices was. This inefficiency not only made it challenging to prototype and iterate on new designs but also hindered scaling production to larger volumes. It was clear that the industry needed a more agile, flexible approach.
Atomic layer deposition, a technology developed about 60 years ago, requires multiple processing steps, but the process hadn’t yet been fully digitized or automated. Around the same time, 3D printers were becoming more prevalent in other industries, and I began wondering: what if we could build a 3D printer capable of printing atomic layers and manufacturing electronic devices almost instantly?
I had this vision in my mind for quite some time, but I didn’t know how to turn it into reality. That changed when I presented the concept at a conference in Barcelona, where I met my co-founder, Ivan. He had an idea for how we could build a 3D printer for atomic layers. We quickly realized we shared a passion for solving this critical challenge in semiconductor manufacturing, and together, we founded ATLANT 3D to make this vision a reality.
How Do You Enable Atomically Precise 3D Printing?
Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is a process that creates ultra-thin, uniform coatings by adding material one atomic layer at a time. It uses alternating chemical reactions to build films with exceptional precision, making it ideal for coating intricate shapes and controlling thickness at the smallest scales.
At ATLANT 3D, we’ve taken this powerful method a step further by combining ALD with 3D printing technology. Traditional 3D printers extrude materials like plastics or metals through a nozzle. In our approach, we’ve developed a micronozzle that delivers reactive gases instead. These gases interact to deposit atomically precise layers, enabling the creation of 3D atomic layers on flat surfaces and 3D elements.
Our proprietary system consists of two core innovations: the micronozzle and a motion stage that moves it with exceptional control. This allows us to “print” atomic layers on virtually any geometry. Unlike conventional 3D printers that rely on heating and melting materials, we deliver and control chemical reactions through a fully digitized process.
This digitization is key. Just like with standard 3D printing, users prepare a design file, and our solution handles the rest—producing components with atomic-level precision and high-quality materials. The result is a completely new way to approach agile manufacturing and prototyping.
Our technology bridges the gap between research and production. It’s designed to seamlessly transition from R&D labs to manufacturing facilities without requiring costly infrastructure changes. For the semiconductor industry, which is constantly seeking innovative solutions, our atomically precise 3D printers offer a faster, more efficient path to innovation—from lab to fab.
What Use Cases Are You Going to Address?
We aim to enable the prototyping of micro- and nano-scale devices and scalable manufacturing for a wide range of applications in computing and beyond. These include fields like optics, photonics, MEMS/sensors, microfluidics, radiofrequency devices, and printed electronics.
One example we’re currently working on is a photon sensor that acts like an artificial eye, capable of capturing highly detailed images. Our technology is also well-suited for touch sensors and liquid electrochemical sensors used to detect substances. Additionally, we’re developing an artificial nose. While many human senses—such as hearing, touch, and taste—have been replicated by sensors, the sense of smell remains a challenge.
A nose functions as a highly sensitive gas sensor, capable of detecting thousands of different gases. To replicate this, you need a gas sensor capable of distinguishing these gases with precision. Our technology makes this possible by enabling the deposition of multiple materials with unique properties in close proximity, creating sensors that are both compact and extremely sensitive.
Beyond sensors, the compounds and oxides we use, like titanium oxide, are crucial for neuromorphic computing. For example, resistive sensing can be used to create memristors for artificial neurons, forming the basis for sophisticated edge computing systems. These systems place AI closer to where data is generated, enabling faster and more efficient processing.
We are collaborating with European and Taiwanese research partners to explore how our technology can deposit oxide layers, such as titanium oxide, with varying thicknesses for neuromorphic computing. Traditional manufacturing methods struggle to produce layers with different thicknesses efficiently and at low cost. With our 3D printing technology, we can create customized devices where each layer has a unique thickness, mimicking the adaptability of the human brain. Just as neurons in the brain are not uniform, our approach allows for highly individualized systems capable of processing complex information rapidly and spontaneously.
Another exciting area we’re advancing is photonics. Recently, we demonstrated 3D-printed waveguides that match the performance of industrially produced ones. This opens the door to directly printing single waveguides and photonic integrated circuits, giving researchers and manufacturers much greater flexibility in creating advanced photonic systems.
What Challenges Have You Encountered?
Normal 3D printing has a throughput problem because standard millimeter-sized nozzles are very difficult to scale. Photopolymerization, on the other hand, is much more scalable since a laser shines and polymerizes a layer, making it limited only by how fast the laser moves and the size of the laser spot.
If you could use multiple nozzles or increase the speed, you could scale up throughput significantly. Inkjet printing, for example, achieves high speed by using printheads with multiple nozzles. We recently demonstrated a proof of concept with three nozzles. By developing multi-nozzle printheads and a high-speed motion stage, which we’re working on now, we’ll be able to expand our capabilities to high-throughput manufacturing applications, not just R&D.
What’s the Opportunity In Front of You?
We’re now six years into our journey, focused on advancing our 3D printing technology and getting ready to capture the market opportunity ahead. Our ambition is to become one of the major players in nanotechnology and atomic-scale manufacturing.
The semiconductor industry has faced significant challenges, especially after COVID-19, with disrupted supply chains and reliance on traditional manufacturing approaches. We aim to solve these issues by introducing digital manufacturing for semiconductor devices through advanced, digital processes. While the semiconductor industry hasn’t traditionally embraced 3D printing, we describe our approach as advanced manufacturing because it’s a new paradigm for creating semiconductor devices.
Rather than navigating the lengthy and cumbersome processes that dominate the industry today, our goal is to create hubs that can produce electronics in one or two years instead of the typical five. We want to fundamentally change the way semiconductor devices are manufactured to speed up innovation and create a more agile, resilient industry.
What Advice Would You Give Fellow Deep Tech Founders?
Building the right team is one of the most critical aspects of success. Take the time to hire carefully and thoughtfully, ensuring that new team members align with your values and vision. If you find that someone isn’t the right fit, it’s important to address the situation quickly and professionally. Also, avoid tolerating toxic behavior in your team—this will undermine the team’s progress more than you think. Lastly, empower your team members with autonomy to contribute to the company’s shared goals.