K1 Semiconductor, a deep tech startup founded by students from the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and Booth School of Business, has joined the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE) as a corporate partner. The company is developing a semiconductor wafer-splitting technique that enables up to 20x wafer reuse for advanced wafer manufacturing.
K1 Semiconductor’s wafer-splitting process works across a range of high-performance semiconductor materials, including diamond, silicon carbide, lithium niobate, and gallium nitride, which are of interest to quantum technologists. This process is designed to improve the cost-efficiency and scalability of semiconductor manufacturing. The company is already working with CQE corporate partner Great Lakes Crystal Technologies, which manufactures diamond substrates for quantum sensing and other applications.
The partnership aims to help bridge semiconductor materials research with scalable, U.S.-based manufacturing, contributing to a domestic quantum supply chain. K1 Semiconductor will engage with the CQE via the Founder Platform to identify lab facilities, hire talent, and explore commercial collaborations with other CQE partners. CQE Director David Awschalom commented that K1 Semiconductor’s work highlights the role of regional startups in developing key components of a domestic quantum supply chain and the role of academia in driving the commercialization of the quantum technology sector.
Read the full announcement here.
August 13, 2025
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