In the race to build faster, more powerful chips, semiconductor manufacturers face an ongoing challenge: how to pack more processing power into smaller spaces. LQDX (“lik-WID-ix”), a local developer of high-performance materials, is taking a different approach — trading traditional vacuum-based deposition for a liquid alternative.
LQDX’s Liquid Metal Ink (LMIx®) technology replaces Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) with a PVD-in-a-Bottle™ solution, enabling ultra-high-density interconnects (UHDI) at a fraction of the cost. This method could redefine chip interconnects, making advanced packaging more scalable, cost-effective and adaptable. The technology enables circuits up to 250 times denser than traditional Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), opening new possibilities for IC-substrates, Fan-Out Wafer-Level Packaging (FOWLP) and next-generation chiplet architectures.
LQDX is advancing its technology through a formal partnership with Arizona State University. As part of ASU’s Advanced Packaging Piloting Facility, funded by CHIPS for America, LQDX will work with researchers and industry partners to test, refine and scale U.S.-centric semiconductor packaging solutions.
“ASU is the new center of gravity of U.S. semiconductor and packaging innovation,” says Simon McElrea, CEO of LQDX. “Coupled with the recent CHIPS investments and large-scale manufacturing builds from TSMC and Amkor, there is no better development partner for LQDX.”
Building on research initiated in 2024, LQDX’s Liquid Metal Ink technology will be tested and refined at ASU’s Advanced Packaging Piloting Facility, a key project within the CHIPS for America National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program. Beyond research, the collaboration will focus on commercializing LQDX’s technology, working alongside industry leaders to develop packaging solutions tailored to the growing demand for AI and high-performance computing.
By working with ASU, LQDX is not only refining its technology but also helping shape the future of semiconductor packaging — advancing U.S. capabilities in a field critical to AI and next-generation computing.
Photo courtesy of LQDX: LQDX signs formal agreement with Arizona State University focused on advanced IC-substrates and next generation Wafer-Level Packaging
