LAM RESEARCH BELGIUM

Their core work

Lam Research Belgium is the European arm of Lam Research Corporation, a global leader in semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment. Based in Leuven — at the heart of Europe's semiconductor R&D ecosystem near IMEC — they provide advanced process equipment for etching, deposition, and cleaning used in manufacturing chips at the most advanced technology nodes. Their H2020 involvement tracks the entire roadmap from 7nm down to 2nm, supplying and co-developing the equipment and process know-how needed to push Moore's Law forward.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 phase (2015–2017), Lam Research Belgium focused on specialized metrology — 3D measurement techniques like TOFSIMS, Micro-Hall probes, and GHz scanning acoustic microscopy — alongside initial 7nm process work. From 2018 onward, their involvement broadened significantly to encompass full semiconductor process equipment and materials for progressively smaller nodes (3nm, 2nm), with their latest project IT2 adding heterogeneous integration, photonics, and design-technology co-optimization (DTCO/STCO) to the mix. The trajectory mirrors the industry's shift from pure dimensional scaling toward system-level integration approaches.

Moving toward 2nm and beyond-CMOS technologies including heterogeneous integration, making them a key equipment partner for Europe's next-generation chip manufacturing ambitions.

How they like to work

Lam Research Belgium never coordinates — they join as a participant or third party, consistent with their role as an equipment supplier contributing specialized capabilities to large pilot-line consortia. Their projects are large ECSEL/IA initiatives with 100 unique partners across 15 countries, meaning they operate in the biggest European semiconductor consortia. Their shift from direct participant to third-party status in later projects suggests they contribute equipment and process expertise on-demand rather than driving project agendas.

Connected to 100 unique partners across 15 countries through large ECSEL semiconductor consortia, placing them at the center of Europe's chip manufacturing R&D network centered on the Leuven/IMEC ecosystem.

What sets them apart

As a subsidiary of one of the world's top three semiconductor equipment makers, Lam Research Belgium brings industrial-scale process equipment expertise that few European partners can match. Their Leuven location provides direct integration with IMEC's pilot lines, making them a bridge between global equipment capabilities and Europe's advanced semiconductor R&D. For consortium builders, they offer credibility and equipment access that signals serious manufacturing intent.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SeNaTe
  Largest EC contribution (EUR 445,140) and Lam's entry point into Europe's advanced node roadmap at 7nm.
• IT2
  Most ambitious scope — targeting the 2nm node with keywords spanning lithography, metrology, photonics, and heterogeneous integration, representing the frontier of semiconductor manufacturing.
• METRO4-3D
  Reveals Lam's metrology depth — TOFSIMS, Micro-Hall, and GHz scanning acoustic microscopy are highly specialized characterization techniques not typically associated with an equipment vendor.