The great potential of the smallest materials
The great potential of the smallest materials
With ETH spin-off Chiral, Natanael Lanz and his co-founders are looking to set new standards in nanomaterial processing. Their goal: a new generation of computer chips.
A year ago, you teamed up with Seoho Jung and André Butzerin to found Chiral. What challenges does the spin-off address?
NATANAEL LANZ – In 1965, Gordon E. Moore, the co-founder of Intel, established Moore’s law, which states that the number of transistors on computer chips will double approximately every two years thanks to more efficient processes and more powerful components, making computer chips faster and smaller. Over the last few decades, his prediction has proven true. But now this development is approaching its physical limits, as conventional silicon-based computer chips will soon be reaching their maximum performance capacity at minimum size. This is where new kinds of materials, known as nanomaterials, are creating new opportunities, both in terms of the further development of computer chips – more Moore – and for new kinds of transistor applications in the quantum and sensor sector: more than Moore. Our technology supports these developments.
What does that mean in concrete terms?
We produce transistors from carbon nanotubes – a nanomaterial called CNT for short – that consists of a rolled-up layer of carbon atoms. The material has excellent electrical conductivity and holds great potential for new kinds of applications in computer and sensor technology, as it allows for much more powerful and economical transistors than silicon. Until now, it’s been difficult to manufacture these; the greatest challenges for the industry lie in accurately placing the extremely small materials and in avoiding potential contamination in the manufacturing process. We produce the tubes ourselves, use artificial intelligence to select the best specimens and have developed our own robotic assembly system to integrate them quickly and automatically into the transistors.
© ETH Foundation / Daniel Winkler
“Our technology has the potential to rapidly advance the use of nanomaterials in the semiconductor industry.”
Who are Chiral’s customers?
At the moment, our technology is primarily of interest to a niche market, i.e. labs and corporate research centres involved in quantum technology research. Our next step is to further develop our robot so that we can supply it to customers for their own production needs. Besides targeting the quantum and sensor technology markets, our long-term goal is to collaborate with key players in the computer chip industry. We want to help enable future chips based on nanomaterials to be produced for commercial use.
When were the foundations for the spin-off laid?
Chiral originated from a research project run by EMPA, EPFL and ETH. In collaboration with 15 other persons, we spent three years as doctoral students scaling up the existing nanotransistor manufacturing process. When the research project ended, my co-founders and I knew that we couldn’t allow the work to simply be shelved. Following a period of intensive market research analyses and consultations with our professors, we decided to further develop our technology to the level of market maturity.
How big was the step from research to product?
Bigger than we thought: from legal questions around founding the company to technical procedures, there were many hurdles to overcome. I quickly realised how important it was to have a solid team, the support of our professors and external experts and, of course, the Pioneer Fellowship programme. The programme allowed us to put all our time and energy into evolving the technology for first customers.
Do your strengths lie in research or entrepreneurship?
I like the way that research, technology and product interweave. As a researcher, you often operate within a thematic bubble, but my daily routine is very varied these days: in the morning I may be working on the ultraprecise movements of our robot, in the afternoon attending an investor meeting and the next day scanning applications for a new team member.
Are there any role models in your field?
Sensirion is one example, a spin-off that originated from the institute preceding the Micro and Nanosystems lab, from which Chiral was also born. Moritz Lechner and Felix Mayer showed that it was possible to successfully commercialise a technology after graduating. We were able to connect with them through the ETH Foundation and gained valuable insights. Their success also made us realise how far the start-up scene at ETH and in Switzerland has come. In the past, securing investors for spin-offs was highly challenging, but today opportunities are there if you have a compelling vision and can get people excited about your product.
Pioneer Fellowship programme
The programme funds outstanding researchers with entrepreneurial ambitions along the road to a market-ready product. Judged by a panel of experts, ten to fifteen Pioneer Fellowships are awarded every year from funding donated by foundations, companies and over 200 private individuals. ETH Zurich wants to expand the programme so that even more young researchers have access to seed capital, coaching opportunities, and the chance to further develop their research results to the point of commercial application.
