DCA Instruments is proud to introduce MOSAIC, its next-generation process management and control platform designed to help users manage, optimize, and scale increasingly complex deposition processes.
Built on decades of expertise in advanced materials growth and ultra-high vacuum (UHV) technology, MOSAIC transforms process knowledge into manufacturing intelligence, helping users bridge the gap between research, pilot production, and future manufacturing environments. MOSAIC combines complete equipment control, advanced automation, process intelligence, and an AI-ready architecture in a single software platform designed for the future of thin film deposition.
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From Research to Manufacturing
As advanced materials become more sophisticated, the demands placed on deposition systems continue to grow. Whether developing cutting-edge semiconductor structures, quantum materials, photonic devices, or complex oxide heterostructures, users need more than reliable hardware. They need software capable of capturing process knowledge, improving reproducibility, and enabling continuous optimization.
MOSAIC has been developed to support the entire technology lifecycle.
For research teams, the platform provides a highly flexible environment for process development and experimentation. Its configurable user interface allows users to create personalized workflows, visualize live and historical process data, and rapidly adapt recipes as processes evolve. Continuous data logging ensures valuable process knowledge is captured and available for future analysis.
For pilot production and manufacturing environments, MOSAIC delivers the automation, consistency, and traceability required for scale-up. Automated workflow management, comprehensive reporting, and optimized growth-campaign execution help reduce operator workload while increasing throughput and process reproducibility. Campaign optimization can improve operational efficiency by up to 30%, helping users maximize utilization of critical deposition resources.
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Enabling Advanced Materials and Device Applications
MOSAIC is designed to support the demanding applications enabled by DCA’s MBE, UHV sputtering, PVD, and integrated multi-chamber platforms. The software provides the process control, automation, and data intelligence required for advanced material systems including III-V semiconductors, III-N materials, II-VI compounds, metal oxides, superconducting materials, and UHV-sputtered thin films.
These material platforms are the foundation of many of today’s most advanced technologies, including:
- Silicon photonics and integrated photonics
- Optoelectronics
- Quantum materials and quantum devices
- Superconducting quantum technologies
- Infrared detection and imaging
- Power electronics and RF devices
- Semiconductor nanostructures
- Advanced sensing technologies
- Magnetic and spintronic materials
- Next-generation communication systems
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Advanced Capabilities for Modern Deposition Processes
At its core, MOSAIC combines recipe management, automation, process intelligence, and traceability within a single software environment. Its architecture has been designed to simplify increasingly complex deposition workflows while providing deeper insight into process performance.
Key capabilities include:
- Layer-Based Recipe Management for flexible and reusable process development.
- Automated Growth-Campaign Management to optimize system utilization, transfers, and workflow execution.
- Automated Flux Calibration and Closed-Loop Process Control for improved stability and reproducibility.
- Anomaly Root-Cause Analysis to quickly identify the most likely source of process deviations.
- Complete Process Traceability with continuous logging of system parameters, alarms, operator actions, and recipe versions.
- Automatic End-of-Run Reporting for streamlined documentation and process review.
- SECS/GEM Compatibility for integration into advanced manufacturing and factory automation environments.
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One of MOSAIC’s most powerful features is its built-in root-cause analysis capability. Users can flag any process event and the software will automatically analyze system data to identify the most likely source of the anomaly. This enables faster troubleshooting, reduced downtime, and more efficient process optimization.
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Your Process. Your Data.
As process knowledge becomes increasingly valuable, data ownership and security have become critical considerations for both research organizations and manufacturers.
MOSAIC is designed around a simple principle: your process, your data.
The platform operates entirely within the customer’s local network, ensuring that process data, manufacturing know-how, and intellectual property remain under the user’s control. Encrypted communications and a security-focused architecture help protect valuable information without relying on cloud connectivity. MOSAIC has also been designed to align with the objectives of the EU Cyber Resilience Act.
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Open Architecture for Advanced Users
Every deposition process is unique. Recognizing this, DCA developed MOSAIC with a highly flexible and open architecture.
Through its API and dedicated Java and Python SDKs, users can integrate external equipment, automate laboratory workflows, create custom dashboards, and develop their own advanced control routines. This allows organizations to build automation strategies tailored to their specific process requirements while maintaining a consistent and scalable software platform.
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Built for the Future of Deposition
MOSAIC is more than a process control system. It is a platform built for the next generation of intelligent deposition.
Developed with an AI-ready architecture from the ground up, MOSAIC is designed to support pre-trained AI models developed and validated by DCA. Initial applications focus on assisted parameter tuning and flux-drift compensation, creating a pathway toward increasingly autonomous process optimization.
This vision ultimately leads toward self-driving deposition: systems capable of continuously learning, adapting, and optimizing processes while maintaining the precision and reliability demanded by advanced materials research and production.
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Transforming Process Knowledge into Manufacturing Intelligence
With MOSAIC, DCA is taking an important step toward the future of thin film deposition. By bringing together advanced automation, process intelligence, traceability, secure local data management, and AI-ready capabilities, MOSAIC empowers users to unlock greater value from their process expertise and deposition infrastructure.
Whether enabling breakthrough research, supporting pilot-line development, or preparing for future manufacturing, MOSAIC provides the digital foundation for smarter, more efficient, and more scalable thin film deposition.
