Nabu Optical Systems

Dr. Imad Agha, Founder and CEO, Nabu Optical Systems

Imad is a professor of Photonics at the University of Dayton with 10+ years of experience in leading research projects. At Nabu, he is responsible for charting the overall company path, meeting clients and partners, as well as actively engaging in product conception and development. Imad Holds a PhD in Applied Physics from Cornell University with focus on nanophotonics, in addition to postdoctoral appointments in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Institut d'Optique in Paris. He is currently an associate professor of Physics at the University of Dayton.

 

 

 

Topic:

High speed direct-write thermal lithography

 

Abstract:

Nabu Optical Systems is a University of Dayton spinout building maskless direct-write optical lithography tools aimed at removing the largest barrier to chip manufacturing: the non-recurring cost of photomasks. Conventional step-and-scan lithography forces companies to prototype on the same expensive tooling used for volume production, incurring mask costs in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars and lead times of 6–9 months in a market where ASML holds roughly 90% share. Nabu's first tool, ANU-1, was completed in Q1 2026 and delivers 180 nm resolution at 10 wafers/hour with zero per-run NRC — positioning it uniquely between high-throughput/high-cost step-scan systems and low-throughput direct-write tools from Heidelberg, Raith, and Kloe. A resist-cycling technique underpins a resolution roadmap from 180 nm to 90 nm (ANU-2, 2027) and 50 nm (ANU-3, 2028), with throughput scaling to 100 wafers/hour, and eventually extends to nanometric-resolution additive manufacturing (ANU-3D, 2029+). On a modeled 100-wafer, 20-layer run, the approach cuts lithography cost from $1.05M to $225K and cycle time from 197 days to 50 days. Go-to-market proceeds in three tiers — academic labs, R&D facilities, and wider industry — against a projected $11B market by 2029.

 

Key Technologies Covered:

  • Maskless direct-write optical lithography — eliminates the mask/reticle step entirely, driving per-run NRC to zero and collapsing mask fabrication from ~90 days to ~3 days.
  • ANU-1 platform (Q1 2026) — 180 nm resolution at 10 wafers/hour; claimed ~100× throughput and ~4× resolution advantage over competing direct-write tools, sized for R&D and low-volume manufacturing.
  • Resist cycling technology — the core resolution-scaling mechanism, taking patterning from 180 nm through 90 nm features toward 50 nm without moving to shorter-wavelength sources.
  • Resolution/throughput roadmap — ANU-1M (180 nm, 20 wph, industrial), ANU-2 (90 nm, 30 wph), ANU-3 (50 nm, 100 wph), bringing performance into ASML DUVi's competitive band at <$2M/tool vs. $20–100M.