News: Microelectronics
10 September 2024
Soitec kicks off European project Move2THz to develop future high-frequency InP-based semiconductors
A European research and industry consortium led by engineered substrate manufacturer Soitec of Bernin, near Grenoble, France has begun work to develop a future generation of high-frequency semiconductors based on indium phosphide (InP).
These technologies are set to address applications ranging from photonics for mega data centers and AI to radio frequency front-ends and integrated antennas critical for 6G mobile communication, sub-THz radar sensing and beyond.
Indium phosphide devices can operate at frequencies approaching or exceeding 1THz, offering superior speeds and increased energy-efficiency compared with silicon technologies.
The 27-member consortium Move2THz aims to lay the groundwork for a robust European supply and manufacturing ecosystem for InP semiconductors and tackle barriers to their wider adoption, including the cost and availability of InP-based advanced substrates. The three-year project is a recipient of European Union funding via the Chips Joint Undertaking and its members, including top-up funding from the governments of France, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Belgium, under Grant Agreement n° 101139842.
“This project marks a key milestone in the integration of ever more powerful and energy-efficient semiconductor technologies,” says Soitec’s general secretary Emmanuelle Bely. “Together, we are paving the way for innovation based on indium phosphide that will transform critical sectors such as 6G telecommunications, photonics and artificial intelligence. Furthermore, it fully embodies our shared ambition to create a strong and autonomous European ecosystem capable of meeting the technical and economic challenges to large-scale adoption of these cutting-edge technologies.”
Work formally began at a 9–10 July kick-off meeting at Soitec’s headquarters. The consortium members are:
- France – Soitec (project lead), French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, STMicroelectronics, National Center for Scientific Research, Institute of Electronics, Microelectronics and Nanotechnology (IEMN), InPACT, III-V Lab, Almae Technologies, The University of Bordeaux;
- Germany – Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (EMFT and IZM), Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik (FBH), Aixtron, University of Duisburg-Essen, Freiberger Compound Materials, Microwave Photonics, Advanced Modeling Solutions (AdMOS);
- Belgium – Imec, Université catholique de Louvain, Incize;
- Switzerland – Diramics, ETH Zürich, Albis Optoelectronics;
- Sweden – Chalmers University of Technology, Low Noise Factory;
- The Netherlands – Eindhoven University of Technology, Smart Photonics;
- Lithuania – Teraglobus.
