Finnish SME manufacturing Atomic Layer Deposition equipment for semiconductor foundries, medical devices, and energy applications across European pilot lines.
Picosun is a Finnish SME specializing in Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) equipment and processes for semiconductor and advanced electronics manufacturing. They design and build ALD and Molecular Layer Deposition (MLD) tools used to deposit ultra-thin films with atomic-level precision — essential for chip fabrication, MEMS devices, power electronics, and medical device microfabrication. Their core business is providing deposition equipment and process know-how to foundries and pilot lines across Europe, enabling partners to integrate thin-film coatings into products ranging from smart catheters to lithium-sulphur batteries.
SALADIN (their only coordinated project) focused entirely on ALD tool development; HYCOAT covered ALD/MLD hybrid coatings; R3-PowerUP and WAYTOGO FAST involved ALD integration into semiconductor pilot lines.
Consistent participation in ECSEL pilot line projects: R2POWER300, R3-PowerUP, WAYTOGO FAST, InForMed, and Moore4Medical — all focused on manufacturing integration at 200-300mm wafer scale.
InForMed (micro-fabricated medical devices pilot line), POSITION-II (smart catheters and implants), and Moore4Medical (innovation in microfabricated medical devices).
TransFlexTeg (thin film thermoelectrics), HELIS (lithium-sulphur batteries), and R3-PowerUP (energy saving, CO2 reduction through power electronics).
ROLL-OUT (roll-to-roll manufacturing of flexible autonomous systems) and LORIX (large organic X-ray imagers) both required thin-film deposition on non-standard substrates.
Picosun's early H2020 work (2015-2017) was broad and exploratory — they contributed ALD expertise across diverse pilot lines including thermoelectrics (TransFlexTeg), flexible electronics (ROLL-OUT), X-ray imaging (LORIX), and advanced CMOS nodes (WAYTOGO FAST), acting as a thin-film deposition supplier to many different application areas. From 2017 onward, their focus sharpened significantly: they coordinated SALADIN to build a next-generation ALD tool for foundry integration, joined power electronics pilot lines (R3-PowerUP), and expanded into functional coatings via HYCOAT's molecular-layer-deposition training network. The trajectory shows a company moving from being a general equipment supplier in consortia to asserting itself as a technology leader defining the next generation of deposition tools.
Picosun is transitioning from a component supplier in large consortia to a technology leader defining next-generation ALD tools for semiconductor foundries and specialized coating applications.
Picosun overwhelmingly participates as a partner rather than leading consortia — only 1 of 12 projects was coordinated (SALADIN). They consistently join large ECSEL-type consortia (225 unique partners across 12 projects), which suggests they are sought after as a specialized equipment provider embedded in major European pilot lines. Their single coordination effort, SALADIN, was their largest-funded project (EUR 929K), indicating they step into leadership when the topic is squarely in their core ALD technology domain.
Picosun has built an extensive European network of 225 unique consortium partners across 24 countries, driven primarily by their participation in large ECSEL pilot line projects that involve dozens of partners each. Their network spans the full European semiconductor and electronics ecosystem, from major foundries to research institutes and medical device companies.
Picosun occupies a rare niche as an SME that manufactures ALD equipment — a critical enabling technology for semiconductor fabrication, MEMS, medical devices, and energy applications. While most ALD tool manufacturers are large corporations, Picosun's SME status and deep integration into European pilot lines makes them an agile partner who can customize deposition solutions for specific consortium needs. Their cross-domain track record — from batteries to catheters to power electronics — demonstrates that their core ALD/MLD technology is a genuine platform capability applicable wherever precision thin films are needed.
