{
  "id": 709582,
  "title": "Russian startup claims it could produce silicon wafers in five minutes instead of two weeks, but trillion-dollar IMEC doesn't have to worry",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/russian-startup-claims-it-could-produce-silicon-wafers-in-five",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-12T23:20:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechRadar",
    "slug": "techradar",
    "url": "https://www.techradar.com/pro/russian-startup-claims-it-could-produce-silicon-wafers-in-five-minutes-instead-of-two-weeks-but-trillion-dollar-imec-doesnt-have-to-worry"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Russian startup has unveiled a multicathode designed to dramatically speed up the manufacturing of microchips. The innovative technology could theoretically produce silicon wafers in just five to seven minutes, compared to the current two-week process for older single-beam machines.\n\nHeaded by engineer Evgeny Givargizov, the multicathode project generates multiple electron beams at once, boasting tip radii as narrow as 1.5 to 2 nanometers. Unlike foreign multipath systems that rely on complex beam-splitting optics, the Russian design creates these independent electron sources directly on one substrate, which could lower engineering complexity and costs.\n\nThe multicathode breakthrough was first revealed at the Strong Ideas for Modern Times forum. However, developers have stressed that this is merely the electron-beam source component of a larger lithography machine. No final lithography machine currently exists, as the project is still in the research stage.\n\nMicroelectronics expert Sergey Sazonov sees promise in the technology, provided multicathode control remains reliable at scale. However, engineering specialist Sergey Varnavsky warns that significant hurdles remain. Varnavsky noted that only the multicathode component currently functions, and that ongoing funding delays could allow competing technologies abroad to surpass Russia's progress before an industrial lithograph reaches production.",
  "summary": "Russian startup claims to have developed a multicathode electron beam lithography system that could drastically reduce the time it takes to produce silicon wafers for microchips. The technology, which generates multiple electron beams simultaneously, could potentially cut exposure time from two weeks to just five minutes. However, the startup emphasizes that a complete lithography machine is still years away from being built, and a working prototype could take around three years to develop. While the Russian development team sees promise in the technology, experts caution that there is still significant work to be done, and that rival technologies abroad could potentially advance further before any industrial-scale application emerges.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}