Transformative semiconductor technologies rarely move directly from the laboratory into high-volume manufacturing. They begin as difficult research questions, progress through years of experimentation and equipment development, and become commercially essential when the industry encounters problems that established processes can no longer solve. Atomic Layer Deposition, or ALD, followed this path. Its evolution from a specialized thin-film technique into an enabling technology for modern semiconductor manufacturing provides a useful—although not exact—parallel for SisuSemi’s Atomic-Level Purification, or ALP, technology.

The comparison is particularly compelling because both technologies have strong roots in Finnish research.

The Finnish ALD story began in the 1970s, when Dr. Tuomo Suntola and his colleagues developed Atomic Layer Epitaxy, initially for manufacturing high-quality zinc sulphide films for electroluminescent displays. The first patent application was filed in 1974. Historical research has also established that related concepts had been studied earlier in the Soviet Union under the name “molecular layering.” ALD therefore has more than one scientific origin, but Suntola’s Finnish work was decisive in developing production-capable reactors, industrial applications and the commercialization path associated with modern ALD.

ALD did not become indispensable overnight. Its first applications were narrow, the available material combinations were limited, and production equipment had to become faster and more reliable. The technology nevertheless offered a distinctive capability: thin films could be grown through repeated, self-limiting surface reactions, providing exceptional control over thickness and conformality. As researchers expanded the range of materials and applications, ALD moved from displays into photovoltaics, catalysis and semiconductor devices.

Its commercial relevance increased as semiconductor structures became smaller, more three-dimensional and less tolerant of variation. In the early 2000s, semiconductor adoption accelerated and both research and business activity expanded rapidly. A visible industry milestone came in 2007, when Intel introduced 45-nanometre processors using hafnium-based high-k gate dielectrics and metal gates. Intel described the change as its biggest transistor-material advance in around 40 years. The new gate stack reduced gate leakage by more than tenfold compared with the silicon-dioxide approach it replaced. In 2025, global ALD systems market size was 3.18 B$, and it is projected to grow to 10.71 B$ by 2035.

The lesson is not simply that one Finnish technology became globally successful. ALD shows how the value of a deep-tech process platform can increase as semiconductor manufacturing approaches physical limits. Its ability to produce controlled, conformal films became increasingly important because device architectures evolved in a direction that required precisely those characteristics.

SisuSemi’s ALP technology is at a much earlier commercial stage, but it addresses another increasingly important challenge: the atomic condition of semiconductor surfaces and interfaces before and between critical process steps.

ALP originates from materials research at the University of Turku. SisuSemi states that its first underlying patents date from 2015 and that university-developed intellectual property has been transferred to the company for commercialization. University researchers have reported work on ultra-high-vacuum and chemical treatments intended to reduce semiconductor surface defects, electrical leakage and optical losses. A 2025 doctoral study connected with this research demonstrated that UHV pre- or post-treatment could reduce defect density and leakage current in silicon devices.

SisuSemi’s ALP process combines ultra-high vacuum, controlled oxidation and temperatures below 450 °C. According to the company, it removes atomic-scale contaminants, restores order at the silicon surface and forms a very thin crystalline silicon-dioxide layer that protects the treated surface and supports subsequent processing. This matters because conventional cleaning can remove particles and residues while still leaving hydrogen, carbon, disordered oxide structures or electrically active defects at critical interfaces.

The parallel with ALD is not that the technologies perform the same function. ALD deposits controlled material layers. ALP prepares, purifies and restructures the surface on which semiconductor structures are formed. Utilized in tandem, ALP will enhance the results achieved with the ALD. The parallel lies in their development logic. Both rely on atomic-scale control. Both require specialized equipment, repeatable recipes, extensive characterization and evidence of device-level value. Both must ultimately prove compatibility with demanding fab environments.

SisuSemi has also begun moving from research equipment toward industrial compatibility. In March 2026, the company announced an ALP platform supporting wafers up to 300 millimetres, using laser-based heating in an ultra-high-vacuum system. Its stated roadmap includes integration into existing production lines and development toward high-volume manufacturing tools. These are the kinds of equipment and scalability steps that were essential to ALD’s transition from scientific principle to industrial process.

For strategic semiconductor partners, ALP creates an opportunity to identify where atomic-level purification produces the greatest measurable value. Collaboration could examine treatment before deposition, bonding, passivation or other interface-sensitive operations. Joint work with IDMs, foundries, equipment manufacturers and research institutions can validate benefits while addressing throughput, automation, contamination control, process monitoring and factory integration.

For venture investors, the ALD precedent highlights both the patience required by semiconductor deep tech and its potential defensibility. A new process platform needs capital for equipment engineering, application development, intellectual property, customer trials and qualification. Once integrated into a qualified manufacturing flow, however, it can become difficult to replace. Long qualification cycles, process know-how and customer-specific recipes can create durable competitive advantages and long commercial relationships.

ALD’s success does not guarantee that ALP will follow the same path. ALP must still demonstrate repeatable customer results, attractive economics, scalable throughput and compatibility with established semiconductor processes. Nevertheless, the strategic pattern is familiar. Semiconductor scaling is creating a growing need to control not only deposited layers, but also the atomic quality of the surfaces beneath them.

ALD gave manufacturers the ability to build critical films with atomic-scale precision. ALP aims to ensure that those films and devices begin from a cleaner, more ordered and more reliable atomic foundation. Finland’s ALD experience shows that a specialized research breakthrough can become globally important when its unique capability aligns with an emerging industrial necessity. For investors and semiconductor partners, the opportunity is to see whether ALP can become the next Finnish atomic-level technology to make that transition.