- As Xcimer accelerates hiring overall, Denver-based fusion company welcomes Dr. Silvia De Dea, who helped build the most complex machines humans have ever built
- De Dea’s expertise includes scaling complex hardware systems for Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, analytical instrumentation and advanced materials R&D.
- Xcimer also creates science and technology advisory board of scientists and engineers with expertise in fusion and the supporting science that the Xcimer approach is developing
- The new board will provide feedback and recommendations to advance Xcimer’s strategy to develop a commercially attractive fusion energy system and to explore adjacent markets for the company’s science and technology.
Xcimer Energy Inc. announced today that semiconductor scale-up pioneer Dr. Silvia De Dea has joined in an all-new role of Head of Materials and Process Engineering. The company also launched an industry-leading advisory board of fusion industry veterans.
De Dea played a crucial role at Cymer/ASML, one of the most pivotal semiconductor companies globally, in developing the core technology for next-generation EUV lithography systems, now used to manufacture the most advanced microchips. These systems, recognized as of the most complex machines humans have built, are instrumental in advancing fields such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, self-driving cars, and the Internet of Things.
De Dea holds several patents and has authored numerous publications across diverse fields: EUV laser produced plasma lithography sources, liquid metals, hydrogen etching and materials for EUV sources, mass spectrometry, fluid dynamics, etching, coatings, optics lifetime, and supercritical fluids. As Director of Program Management at Singular Genomics, she led the launch of a novel Next Generation Sequencing machine.
“Humanity can’t continue to increase its quality of life without a new source of robust, zero-emission energy – and Xcimer’s approach is the best and most derisked path to fusion energy on the grid,” De Dea said. “I look forward to accelerating Xcimer’s roadmap to commercial viability, which I consider the greatest challenge and honor of my career so far.”
De Dea, a member of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering MAE Industry Advisory Board, holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from UC San Diego, where she developed novel analytical instrumentation solving fundamental challenges in mass spectrometry high-pressure sources. She earned her BS and MS in industrial chemistry at the University of Bologna, Italy in 2001.
10-person Science and Technology Advisory Board to review technical progress
Xcimer also announced today the formation of its Science and Technology Advisory Board to review and advise on the company’s technical progress, technology, and roadmap for deployment of inertial fusion power plants.
The board includes 10 experts with domain expertise in fields including fusion, engineering, pulsed power, laser physics, nuclear technologies and adjacent fields. Mike Campbell, former Associate Director for Lasers at LLNL and key originator for the National Ignition Facility and Director of the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics, will serve as Chairman.
Xcimer is a leading inertial fusion company combining novel laser technology with proven science to achieve commercial deployment of fusion energy. The company has developed an approach to fusion energy that experts recognize as having among the most attractive commercialization prospects and best long-term economics of any fusion approach. The Science and Technology Advisory Board will provide feedback and recommendations for executing the company’s strategy and help Xcimer optimize its roadmap for rapid achievement of electrical power generation while identifying and retiring risks.
“We founded Xcimer on the principle of taking every step possible to build and preserve scientific integrity. The hiring of Dr. De Dea, and the formation of our Science and Technology Advisory Board, underscores our commitment to the science and the relentless pursuit of fusion energy,” said Conner Galloway, CEO and Chief Science Officer of Xcimer. “Fusion is hard, and serious fusion companies should seek out hard criticism. We wanted an advisory board comprised of recognized experts, and a mix of both optimists and skeptics. The board’s critical feedback will be invaluable as we develop and validate new technology and systems, and scale towards commercial operation.”
Xcimer’s roadmap includes completion of its prototype laser system, called Phoenix, in 2026, and the construction of Vulcan, its next-generation facility which is planned to be the highest-energy laser in the world devoted to fusion and high energy density physics research. The company recently completed the first key component of Phoenix, its Long Pulse Kinetics platform, an electron-beam pumped excimer laser created to validate Xcimer’s modeling and design of such systems.
“It’s an exciting time for the fusion energy industry as promising startups are revealing roadmaps to commercialization. By building on decades of work by government and academic communities, Xcimer stands out as advancing one of the most scientifically compelling approaches in the industry,” said Campbell. “As Chairman of the Science and Technology Advisory Board, I look forward to working with the committee members and Xcimer’s leadership to ensure that Xcimer is best positioned to execute on its groundbreaking plans. I am pleased that Xcimer’s leadership has recognized the need for and value of the committee.”
For a complete list of the founding members of the Science and Technology Advisory Board, visit https://xcimer.energy/company/.
About Xcimer Energy Inc.
Xcimer is an inertial fusion company combining novel laser technology with proven science to achieve commercial deployment of fusion energy. Its approach to inertial fusion holds the best prospect for long-term economic viability. Founded in 2022 and based in Denver, Colorado, Xcimer is backed by the world’s leading climate tech investors and has been selected for funding by the U.S. Department of Energy. Its mission is to develop a source of unlimited, clean, safe and reliable energy to power the future. To learn more, visit https://xcimer.energy/.
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Humanity can’t continue to increase its quality of life without a new source of robust, zero-emission energy – and Xcimer’s approach is the best and most derisked path to fusion energy on the grid
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