The picturesque town of Spiez on the shores of Lake Thun offers an alpine idyll. Under one of its gabled roofs, there is an aspect of 'Swissness' rarely seen on postcards, yet as much a part of Switzerland as the Alps: high-tech innovation. This is where 'Swiss Cluster' is based, a spin-off from Empa specializing in novel systems for producing thin films. 'Swiss Cluster' was founded at the end of 2020 by a team from Empa's 'Mechanics of Materials and Nanostructures' lab, led by material scientist Carlos Guerra and electronics engineer Kevin Lücke. The two co-founders were researching how to make thin films more robust and resilient at Empa.
The concern is central to many industries: thin films have numerous applications. They protect sensitive components against wear and corrosion. In optics, they anti-reflect lenses and enable special filters. Decorative thin films give watch components a special play of colors. Coated medical implants are better accepted by the body. And in microelectronics, thin-film technologies are crucial: transistors, computer chips, and displays consist of precise sequences of micro- and nanometer-thick material layers.
Two methods in tandem
A common method for producing thin films is physical vapor deposition (PVD). In this process, the source material, usually a metal or metal oxide, is evaporated in a vacuum chamber and condenses on the component to be coated, the substrate. 'Swiss Cluster' combines this established technique with a much newer vacuum-based process called atomic layer deposition (ALD). Unlike PVD, gaseous precursors are alternately added to the vacuum chamber in the ALD process. The coating material forms in situ on the substrate in a chemical reaction – with atomic precision in the thickness of the layer.
'ALD allows for very thin, homogeneous layers that offer excellent protection against corrosion and oxidation. PVD, on the other hand, delivers very hard layers,' explains Carlos Guerra, CEO of 'Swiss Cluster'. 'By combining the two methods, we can produce thin films that are extraordinarily durable: hard and ductile simultaneously, thermally robust, and resistant to corrosion.'
The combination of the two thin-film techniques is complex. Simply taking the substrate out of one device and putting it into the next does not give the desired result: in the air, the surface oxidizes and gets contaminated, worsening the adhesion of subsequent layers. 'For lab experiments at Empa, an early system consisted of one vacuum chamber each for ALD and PVD. A doctoral student had to manually move the substrate between the chambers for each individual layer without breaking the vacuum,' Guerra recalls.
To improve this process, partly driven by entrepreneurial spirit and partly by necessity, the first machine from 'Swiss Cluster' was developed. It combines the equipment for ALD and PVD in a single vacuum chamber. Nanocoated structures, which took a researcher a week to create in the lab, now form in just a few hours. 'When we built the prototype in the lab, we realized it could become a product,' says Guerra. Thus, 'Swiss Cluster' was born.
Making innovation more accessible
'Swiss Cluster' is not the first company to combine PVD and ALD. The 'power duo' has already made inroads in the semiconductor industry. 'Semiconductor manufacturers use the combined process in a very specific way that is not easily transferable to other industries,' says Guerra. 'Instead, we want to focus on the rest of the market.'
Thin, robust, and functional coatings are in demand everywhere, from the watch industry to the production of optical components, batteries, implants, and microelectronics. And for customers interested in the emerging ALD process alone, 'Swiss Cluster' offers another device. This allows for so-called 'Batch ALD': a variant of atomic layer deposition that is faster and allows simultaneous coating of multiple components or large and complex parts.
'ALD is a relatively new process and has only been used in the industry for around 20 years,' says Guerra. 'We are convinced that it will continue to gain importance and conquer additional sectors.' Although vacuum- based processes are often expensive, they provide high-precision results, giving them an advantage for many applications.
Unlike the equipment typically used in the semiconductor industry, 'Swiss Cluster' machines are compact and relatively easy to install and operate. 'We make these high-tech processes more accessible,' the founder elaborates. In its own lab in Spiez, the start-up also offers coatings as a service. 'We work together with our customers to find suitable coatings for their applications. This helps us improve our devices further – and the customer can evaluate the process without having to immediately purchase a new machine,' says Guerra.
What began in a lab at Empa in Thun with two tinkerers and a prototype has now become a successful young company. Fifteen employees work for 'Swiss Cluster' in Spiez, supported by a partner network around the world. 'Swiss Cluster' machines are located in research institutions and with companies in Switzerland, the USA, and the UK. Deliveries to France, Brazil, Italy, and China are imminent.
In this regard, 'Swiss Cluster' sets itself apart from many other high-tech start-ups: the young company started day one with a client onboard and has grown mainly organically up to now, through the sale of devices and services. 'We only had our first investment in 2025,' says Guerra. A success, but also a challenge: 'We had to get it right from the start,' the co-founder smiles. 'That's also why we are very grateful for the initial support we received as a spin-off from Empa.' Now, 'Swiss Cluster' has been honored with the coveted 'Swiss Economic Award' in the 'Production/Commerce' category by the Swiss Economic Forum. The jury praised the combination of scientific excellence, industry understanding, and entrepreneurial implementation that the spin-off exhibits.
Contact:
Dr. Carlos Guerra
Swiss Cluster AG
carlos.guerra@swisscluster.com
Address for inquiries:
Empa Communication
redaktion@empa.ch