Helium is not optional in semiconductor manufacturing. It is used in every major process step at advanced nodes: as a carrier gas in chemical vapor deposition, as a coolant for MRI machines used in fab quality control, to purge reaction chambers between deposition cycles, and to detect leaks in vacuum systems with precision that no other gas can match. At 2nm and below, the physical properties of helium — specifically its thermal conductivity, non-reactivity, and small atomic radius — are not engineering preferences. They are manufacturing requirements.
The New York Times reported on March 27,