As semiconductor devices push the boundaries of scale, power, and functionality, the conversations guiding their development are expanding just as fast. The challenges that once could be tackled by narrowly focused teams now demand a broader, more interconnected perspective. At the recent SPIE lithography conference, Erik Hosler, a longtime advisor and researcher in advanced patterning, highlighted this shift, emphasizing the growing need for cross-disciplinary collaboration to navigate the complexity of next-generation semiconductor design.
These panels are no longer confined to the nuances of optics or materials science. Instead, they explore a rich convergence of domains such as quantum physics, bio-inspired computing, MEMS design, artificial intelligence, and even philosophical debates about the limits of predictability. This shift has become essential. It is not just about bringing different voices into the room. It is about generating new questions that push the industry toward unexpected and transformative answers.
When One Discipline Isn’t Enough
Modern semiconductor engineering lives at the crossroads of specialization and integration. The physical shrinking of devices to sub-5-nanometer nodes is a feat that cannot be accomplished with optics alone. It demands improvements in resist chemistry, tighter metrology, smarter patterning strategies, and advanced computational modeling. No field holds all the solutions.
Engineers today must solve problems rooted in stochastic behavior, quantum uncertainty, and nanoscale variability. These issues cannot be addressed through trial and error within a single lab. They require structured collaboration between different technical communities.
Cross-disciplinary panels are increasingly acting as the sandbox where these collaborations are sparked. They provide a space to compare models, challenge assumptions, and evaluate the boundaries of each domain’s explanatory power. As a result, they help bridge the gaps that still exist between theory, tool development, and scalable manufacturing.
Panels as Catalysts, Not Just Conversations
At conferences like SPIE Advanced Lithography and Patterning, panel discussions often serve as both thermometers and incubators. They take the temperature of the field, gauging where optimism and skepticism intersect, and incubate new lines of inquiry. In many cases, the output of these panels leads to pre-competitive research efforts, startup launches, or academic collaborations.
The success of these panels depends on more than just domain expertise. It also requires curiosity, humility, and a willingness to speak across fields. A quantum theorist might offer a perspective on electron interactions that changes how a resist chemist thinks about energy absorption. A metrology specialist may identify inspection gaps that influence how a materials team designs detectability.
This dynamic interplay creates an atmosphere where cross-pollination is not only encouraged but also becomes foundational to the future of semiconductor design.
Expanding the Agenda: From MEMS to Quantum
The increasing scope of these discussions was evident in the inclusion of MEMS and MOEMS in recent panel sessions. These micro- and nano-electromechanical systems, while not new to the industry, are now being seen through a new lens. Their utility is not confined to sensors and actuators but is expanding to include new architectures, packaging methods, and hybrid quantum-classical interfaces.
And the expansion doesn’t stop there. Quantum phenomena are being brought into the conversation not just as an exotic area of theoretical interest but as a necessary consideration for future device scaling and information processing.
During one particularly forward-looking session, Erik Hosler shares, “Last year, we included MEMS and MOEMS, and we will keep expanding to quantum to make this a place to ask questions … Lots of great things are going on, and something will emerge.” That invitation to ask rather than answer sums up the mission of these panels. They are not predicting the future with certainty. They are about creating conditions where future-enabling ideas can take root.
Asking the Right Questions
In a fast-moving technical domain, it is tempting to focus only on solutions. However, innovation can stagnate without first asking the right questions. Cross-disciplinary panels excel at reframing the problem space. They move the conversation from “How do we shrink further?” to “How do we redefine the meaning of density, power, or performance?”
These panels routinely ask questions that would seem out of place in a traditional R&D meeting:
- How can the thermodynamic limits of switching be softened through circuit redundancy?
- What can protein folding algorithms teach us about defect prediction in lithography?
- Could we use MEMS resonators not just for sensing, but for in-line process calibration?
These aren’t hypothetical musings. In many cases, the questions lead to follow-up studies, grant-funded research, and early-stage IP exploration.
Bridging the Language Gap
One challenge of bringing together chemists, physicists, data scientists, and circuit designers is that they often speak different technical languages. What “stability” means in one context might be entirely different in another. Panels that succeed over the long term are those that invest time in translation, not just for terminology, but for assumptions and priorities.
Moderators and panel organizers, who function as cross-disciplinary interpreters, are increasingly taking up this bridge-building role. They ensure that discussions are not siloed within specialty jargon and that all participants are given equal footing to contribute.
This inclusive structure makes the panels more informative and actionable. When people understand each other, they collaborate, and breakthroughs follow.
Institutionalizing the Format
What began as experimental sessions at a few conferences is now evolving into a recognized model. Some industry associations are exploring how to institutionalize cross-disciplinary panels into recurring forums, road mapping efforts, and standards of development. The goal is to make this mode of inquiry not just occasional but systemic.
To do so, the panels will need to remain open-ended and flexible. They should resist turning into mere showcases or policy roundtables. Their strength lies in curiosity, not consensus. As new paradigms like neuromorphic computing, photonic logic, and quantum error correction gain traction, the panels will be essential vehicles for integrating diverse insights into coherent development paths.
Making Space for Serendipity
At their best, cross-disciplinary panels offer more than information. They offer serendipity. They allow people to connect dots they did not know existed, to listen deeply to perspectives outside their comfort zones, and to engage in intellectual risk-taking. In a field that thrives on precision and predictability, that kind of creative space is both rare and necessary.
The vision to make the panel sessions “a place to ask questions” is not just a programming choice. It is a philosophy that recognizes that the future of semiconductors will be built not just through speed and scale, but through conversation and convergence. As the industry enters its next phase of complexity, these panels remind us that the most important breakthroughs often begin by asking better questions together.