Engineers at The University of Texas at Austin are leading a group of academic and industry partners to develop a new 3D printing technique for semiconductor chip production. This method, called Holographic Metasurface Nano-Lithography (HMNL), is designed to make electronics manufacturing faster, more efficient, and environmentally friendly.
The HMNL technology has potential uses in areas such as smartphones, robotics, and aerospace. It allows for the creation of designs that were previously not possible, including 3D printed capacitors for energy storage and electronic packages tailored to fit unusual spaces. For instance, it could enable embedding artificial intelligence into custom configurations suitable for robots or rockets.
“Our goal is to fundamentally change how electronics are packaged and manufactured,” said Michael Cullinan, an associate professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, who is leading the team. “With HMNL, we can create complex, multimaterial structures in a single step, reducing production time from months to days.”
The project involves researchers from the University of Utah, Applied Materials, Bright Silicon Technologies, Electroninks, Northrop Grumman, NXP Semiconductors and Texas Microsintering. The team has received $14.5 million in funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to support this work.
Current electronics manufacturing methods require building up layers one by one—a process that limits design options and produces considerable material waste. The HMNL approach offers a quicker and more sustainable alternative by using metasurfaces—very thin optical masks that encode large amounts of information. When exposed to light, these metasurfaces generate holograms that pattern a hybrid metal-polymer resin into detailed 3D shapes with resolutions finer than a human hair.
By removing multiple steps and cutting down on material waste, the process reduces environmental impact while speeding up prototype development.
As part of their research efforts so far, the team has produced four prototypes aimed at different applications:
– A fan-out module for consumer electronics that demonstrates faster production times and improved flexibility,
– Advanced prototypes for defense systems supporting high-frequency communication and adaptable electronics,
– Electronics packages designed for nontraditional shapes,
– Active packages combining mechanical and electrical functions such as precise beam-pointing systems for optics.
“This isn’t just about making electronics faster or cheaper; it’s about unlocking new possibilities,” said Cullinan.
The researchers intend to bring this technology to market through Texas Microsintering Inc., a startup founded by Cullinan.
