LANTERN · LAser-induced on demand NanomaTERials for unconventional computiNg

The continued progress of information and communication technologies depends on new approaches to device fabrication that can overcome the limitations of conventional nanolithography. Future paradigms such as magnonics, spintronics and integrated photonics require high-quality, three-dimensional patterning of functional properties in complex oxides, capabilities that are extremely difficult to achieve with current cleanroom-based methods. These constraints represent a major bottleneck for the development of energy-efficient computing and signal processing technologies beyond CMOS.LANTERN will demonstrate a radically new nanofabrication methodology based on direct laser-induced phase nanoengineering, in which the functional properties of materials are locally and reversibly modified with sub-micron precision under ambient conditions. LANTERN will validate this approach through the realization of a prototype tunable magnonic RF filter, fabricated entirely without lithography, as a high-impact demonstrator of the method’s capabilities. The project will also extend validation to other technologically relevant magnetic garnets, such as TmIG and Bi:YIG, broadening its potential toward magnetic memory and magneto-optic applications.Beyond technical validation, LANTERN will systematically explore the innovation potential of the technology. Dedicated activities will include market analysis, business and exploitation strategy development and an IP strategy with freedom-to-operate analysis. Multiple exploitation pathways will be evaluated, from licensing to spin-off creation, with go/no-go milestones guiding the selection of the most promising route.The project will provide the foundation for industrial adoption and follow-on development, including future scaling through programmes such as the EIC Transition.