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YOU CAN BUILD THE MACHINE THAT PRINTS COMPUTER CHIPS

A lithography stepper that patterns real chips for about 3,015 dollars in parts, plus open documentation for the rest of a semiconductor line.

by Hacker Fab project, started at Carnegie Mellon University

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

Open-hardwareScience

Built with3D printing

difficulty
●●●●●
time
months, for a working process
license
license not specified
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repo ACTIVE0 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Videos
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COMPAREE VERDICT

Hacker Fab is an open documentation project for building a semiconductor fabrication line: a lithography stepper that patterns circuits, a spin coater, a tube furnace, a sputtering chamber, a thermal evaporator and more, with build guides, parts lists and standard operating procedures - though several pages are still work in progress and some tools (plasma etcher, probe station, vacuum pumping) are bought rather than built. The flagship is the Lithography Stepper V2: about 3,015 dollars in parts, 2 µm resolution, built around a Texas Instruments DLP evaluation board with a UV LED, Thorlabs optics and a motorised micrometer stage, based on earlier tools by Sam Zeloof and Huygens Optics. As of August 2026 the docs count ten established Hacker Fabs, from Carnegie Mellon to IIT Bombay. The stepper itself is documented as roughly a six-hour build, but turning it into working chips means learning cleanroom process, and the chemistry is the real hurdle: photoresists, developers and an HF-based oxide etch need a proper lab, fume hood and waste handling. If you have lab space and the will to learn the process, this is the project; it is not a garage build.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —Build guides, parts lists with vendor links and standard operating procedures for the fab tools, led by the lithography stepper; several pages (thermal evaporator, tube furnace, spin coater) are still work in progress, and some equipment is listed as bought rather than built.
  • —Lithography Stepper V2 build cost documented at about 3,015 dollars; 2 µm optical and developed resolution on chips up to 2 cm x 2 cm, with an approximate build time of 6 hours.
  • —The stepper uses a Texas Instruments DLP evaluation board fitted with a 410 nm UV LED, Thorlabs and Edmund Optics parts, a micrometer XYZ stage driven by stepper motors through 3D-printed mounts, and GRBL firmware on an Arduino.
  • —Documentation lives at docs.hackerfab.org (sources on github.com/hacker-fab); by default hardware is CERN-OHL-W and software MPL-2.0.
  • —As of August 2026 the docs count ten established Hacker Fabs, with others underway.
  • —Anyone can contribute and no prior nanofabrication experience is required, but lab space, ventilation and chemical handling are assumed.

Parts to buy

8 items

From our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.

  • TI DLP evaluation boardFind
  • Thorlabs and Edmund Optics opticsFind
  • CameraFind
  • Micrometer XYZ stage and stepper motors for the stepperFind
  • Vacuum pumps and gas supplies for depositionFind
  • PhotoresistsFind
  • DevelopersFind
  • Etchants and silicon wafersFind

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Can I build this?

PrintStepper motor mounts, shaft couplers, a bracket and the vacuum chuck for the stepper's micrometer stage, plus fixtures documented per tool
BuyTI DLP evaluation board, Thorlabs and Edmund Optics optics, a camera, a micrometer XYZ stage and stepper motors for the stepper; vacuum pumps and gas supplies for deposition; photoresists, developers, etchants and silicon wafers. Parts lists with vendor links are provided for the documented builds.
ToolsLab space with fume hood and ventilation, vacuum systems, high-temperature furnace capability, optical alignment tools, multimeter, microscope, access to chemistry suppliers
SkillsAdvanced: optical alignment, vacuum system operation, high-temperature processes, photoresist spin coating and development, chemical handling. University lab or serious maker space infrastructure required.
TimeThe stepper is documented as roughly a six-hour build once parts are in hand; the real time goes into sourcing optics, final alignment, learning cleanroom technique and iterating on process parameters - plan on months before you make working devices.
Cost$$$, stepper documented at 3,015 dollars, full fab will reach five figures — optical components and vacuum hardware dominate
SafetyPhotoresist chemistry and etchants require a fume hood and proper PPE. The documented oxide etch uses buffered oxide etch (BOE), which contains hydrofluoric acid - HF burns can be fatal and need HF-specific training, calcium gluconate on hand and proper waste disposal (the docs include a BOE disposal SOP). Dopant diffusion runs at 1100 C in the tube furnace, a serious burn hazard. Sputtering and evaporation run under high vacuum. The stepper's 410 nm UV LEDs require UV-blocking glasses.

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

Videos

I Visited IIT Bombay's Secret Student-Run Semiconductor Fab (RuntimeBRT)

Walkthrough of a student-built fab, shows the stepper and other tools in operation

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Gallery

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Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Read the documentation site (Start with the overview, then pick one tool and read its build guide end to end before ordering anything)
  2. 2.Join the community (Join the Hacker Fab Discord (linked from the docs homepage) — it is where the labs coordinate and post the latest status.)
  3. 3.Source the optics first(Thorlabs and Edmund Optics parts have lead times and the stepper will not align without them — order early)
  4. 4.Secure lab space and ventilation(Photoresist, developers, and etchants cannot be used safely without a fume hood)

Resources

Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.

KNOWN ISSUES

  • Hardware is CERN-OHL-W and software MPL-2.0 by default, but individual contributions can carry an extra NOTICE file — check the specific tool before reusing it commercially.
  • The 3,015-dollar figure is for the stepper alone; a complete fab (furnace, sputter, evaporator, coater) will push well into five figures.
  • Optical alignment of the stepper is the single biggest time sink — expect iteration, and the 2 µm spec assumes you get it right.
  • Some chemical suppliers will not sell photoresists and etchants to individuals, so check sourcing (and waste disposal) before you build anything.
  • The sputtering system and thermal evaporator need high-vacuum pumping and gauges (bought, not built), and the tube furnace runs at 1100 C - infrastructure most maker spaces do not have.

Can I build just the stepper without the rest of the fab?

Yes - the Stepper V2 has its own build guide and SOP. To actually pattern something you also need to coat chips with photoresist (the docs pair it with a simple vacuum spin coater), a developer handled under a fume hood, and a microscope to check the result.

What resolution can I actually expect?

2 µm is the documented optical and developed resolution of the Stepper V2; the newer V2.1 design lists 1 µm optical resolution. Your result will depend on optical alignment, photoresist and exposure discipline - expect to iterate.

Is this legal to build at home?

The project is aimed at university labs and makerspaces. Building the tools is not the issue; the chemistry is - some suppliers sell photoresists and etchants only to businesses or institutions, and hazardous-waste disposal rules apply. Check your local regulations before buying.

How does this compare to commercial steppers?

It is a research and education tool, not production equipment: 2 µm resolution, 5 µm overlay alignment, a tiny 1.04 x 0.58 mm exposure field stepped across chips up to 2 x 2 cm, with operator-driven alignment through a camera view.

Community builds

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Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

As of August 2026 the docs count ten established Hacker Fabs, from Carnegie Mellon to IIT Bombay. If you had the lab space, which tool would you build first — the stepper, the furnace, or the sputter system?

CompareeTEAM1mo agoedited

Practical notes from our verification: the documentation lives at docs.hackerfab.org, and it is mirrored on GitHub under the hacker-fab organisation, where the docs source and individual tool repositories (stepper, spin coater, thermal evaporator and more) are actively updated. The default licence stack is stated on the docs homepage: CERN-OHL-W for hardware and MPL-2.0 for software, with some contributions carrying an extra NOTICE. The community talks on Discord, linked from the docs. The lithography stepper is listed at roughly 3,000 dollars to build, but that is one tool — a complete fab with furnace, sputtering, evaporator and etching costs far more, and several of those tools are listed as bought rather than built. Chemistry is the other big hurdle: plan for proper handling, ventilation and waste disposal before anything else. The RuntimeBRT video shows the student-run fab at IIT Bombay in operation, good proof that this works outside Carnegie Mellon. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.

Hacker Fab project, started at Carnegie Mellon University

Hacker Fab was started at Carnegie Mellon University by Elio Bourcart, Alexander Hakim and Sam Zeloof, and has grown into a network of ten established fabs at universities including Waterloo, Ohio State, UIUC, Georgia Tech and IIT Bombay. The stepper design builds on earlier tools by Sam Zeloof and Huygens Optics, and anyone can contribute - no prior nanofabrication experience required.

Web

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DISCLAIMER

  • Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
  • Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
  • Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
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