Research foundry to stay two steps ahead

IMEC is setting up a 300mm silicon research platform initiative to perform advanced process research at least two generations ahead of manufacturing.

IMEC is setting up a 300mm silicon research platform initiative to perform advanced process research at least two generations ahead of manufacturing.

The initiative will serve several development organisations worldwide.

A first important step has been achieved with the decision of the local government to grant funding of Eur 37.18 million for the construction of the clean room.

Market demands are driving a continuous acceleration of research and with the introduction of 300mm, both the complexity and cost of process research is increasing rapidly.

Only very few companies will be able to afford a full process research facility.

Moreover, industry has to move ever faster from one technology node to another, resulting in a serious risk that progress will slow because of a lack of fundamental understanding of all aspects of the technology.

To address the huge challenges resulting from the changing research environment, IMEC plans to set up a centralised 300mm silicon research platform.

The initiative is based on IMEC's expertise and track record and will serve several development organisations worldwide.

The goal of the research platform is to demonstrate novel device architectures and to perform research on process steps and modules.

The advanced process research will run two to three technology nodes ahead of manufacturing.

The research fab will be very flexible and will operate at ultra-short cycle time.

It will be built around the world's most advanced lithography clusters such as 157nm and EUV.

To share common facilities, infrastructure and metrology tools and to use available human resources, the new fab will be located adjacent to current IMEC facilities.

Within this research platform, IMEC will continue its current successful business model, based on a sharing of cost, risk, talent and IP.

Strategic long-term partnerships with a core set of equipment suppliers and major IC manufacturers will be set up to carry the investments.

A first important step has been achieved with the investment of Eur 37.18 million by the local government.

"This funding is a strong signal from the Flemish Government to stimulate further investment by international industrial partners and the European Commission in this new initiative", said Prof Gilbert Declerck, President and CEO of IMEC.

"With a state-of-the-art 300mm research platform we and our partners will be ready to tackle the challenges of the next decade".

This new lab will also allow IMEC to free space in the current 200mm clean room to perform research in a broad range of nanotechnology domains.

This nano-research is important in preparation of the post-silicon era and will have numerous different applications in new industries and spinoffs.

Back to top