Control systems for deep-tech tools share several common denominators, whether in a particle accelerator or a proton therapy linac: real-time operation, deterministic behavior and zero room for failure. Cosylab built this expertise over 25+ years. Now, it’s applying it in the semiconductor industry. Every new precision system, from a chip machine to a metrology system to a proton therapy accelerator, has to do something its predecessor couldn’t. That may mean measuring a smaller feature, positioning a component more precisely or controlling a process differently. Each advance creates a challenge for both the mechanics and the control system, which has to coordinate the moving parts with extremely precise accuracy and timing. That means control system engineers have to work out what the new machine demands as the design takes shape. Bits&Chips’ Dutch state of semicon 2026 This article is part of the Bits&Chips special edition on the Dutch state of semicon, published on 23 October 2026. Order your hard copy of the special at info@techwatch.nl. Those are situations that Rok Vintar and his team at Cosylab discuss with their customers. The Slovenian company develops the control system layer beneath the equipment controller, covering everything from PLCs and FPGAs to motion control, data acquisition and safety interlocks. It builds on more than 25 years of experience in fields ranging from particle accelerators to cancer treatment. Five years ago, it entered the semiconductor industry. Vintar, who began his career as an electrical engineer and now leads a multidisciplinary control systems team, has worked on multiple projects in physics research and fusion, as well as medical technology. “While the machines serve very different purposes, each depends on many components working together accurately and reliably,” he explains. “For Cosylab, that means understanding the machine as a whole before designing how it will be controlled.” Cosylab’s multidisciplinary approach also extends to specialized electronics and emerging technologies. Examples include StarQ, a modular control platform for nitrogen vacancy-based quantum sensing systems that combines real-time control, signal generation and data acquisition. Credit: Cosylab Integral parts A control system connects sensors, moving parts and other subsystems, each developed by specialists with their own priorities and constraints. It can’t be designed in isolation. Cosylab’s teams bring together expertise in software, electrical engineering, systems engineering and systems integration. This range of knowledge helps them communicate with a machine’s designers early on, rather than waiting for a finished list of software requirements. “The first task is to understand what the machine is intended to do,” Vintar says. “Which functions demand the greatest precision? How must its components interact? And where could a design choice create difficulties later?” These conversations help turn the machine’s overall purpose into concrete requirements for its control system. “Having engineers that understand the mechanical and physics side of the machine helps reveal questions that may be easy to overlook when only thinking in software.” Those questions become especially important when the machine has to do something that hasn’t been done before. A decision in one discipline can affect what’s possible in another. By involving control engineers with mechanical knowledge in early discussions, the team can identify dependencies and technical risks while there’s still time to address them. Cosylab has a rich history in particle accelerators and medical systems. In an accelerator, the control system has to coordinate the equipment that generates, steers and monitors a particle beam. In proton therapy, beam control has to work with the treatment system’s safety functions to deliver radiation exactly. These projects taught the Slovenian company to consider timing, measurement and safety as integral parts, rath