Leuven, Belgium. Europe’s leading nanoelectronics institutes Tyndall National Institute in Ireland, CEA-Leti in France, and imec in Belgium have entered a €4.7 million collaborative open-access project called ASCENT. The project will mobilize European research capabilities and create a unique research infrastructure that will elevate Europe’s nanoelectronics R&D and manufacturing community.
The project will make the unique research infrastructure of three of Europe’s research centers available to the nanoelectronics modelling-and-characterisation research community.
ASCENT will share best scientific and technological practices, form a knowledge-innovation hub, train new researchers in advanced methodologies, and establish a first-class research network of advanced technology designers, modelers, and manufacturers in Europe. All this will strengthen Europe’s knowledge in the integral area of nanoelectronics research.
The three partners will provide researchers access to advanced device data, test chips, and characterization equipment. This access program will enable the research community to explore exciting new developments in industry and meet the challenges created in an ever-evolving and demanding digital world.
The partners’ respective facilities represent over €2 billion of combined research infrastructure with unique credentials in advanced semiconductor processing, nanofabrication, heterogeneous and 3D integration, electrical characterization, and atomistic and TCAD modeling. This is the first time that access to these state-of-the-art devices and test structures will become available anywhere in the world.
The project will engage industry directly through an “Industry Innovation Committee” and will feed back the results of the open research to device manufacturers, giving them crucial information to improve the next generation of electronic devices.
Speaking on behalf of project coordinator, Tyndall National Institute, CEO Dr. Kieran Drain said, “We are delighted to coordinate the ASCENT program and to be partners with world-leading institutes CEA-Leti and imec. Tyndall has a great track record in running successful collaborative open-access programs, delivering real economic and societal impact. ASCENT has the capacity to change the paradigm of European research through unprecedented access to cutting-edge technologies. We are confident that ASCENT will ensure that Europe remains at the forefront of global nanoelectronics development.”
“The ASCENT project is an efficient, strategic way to open the complementary infrastructure and expertise of Tyndall, Leti, and imec to a broad range of researchers from Europe’s nanoelectronics modeling-and-characterization sectors,” said Leti CEO Marie-Noëlle Semeria. “Collaborative projects like this, that bring together diverse, dedicated, and talented people, have synergistic affects that benefit everyone involved, while addressing pressing technological challenges.”
“In the frame of the ASCENT project, three of Europe’s leading research institutes–Tyndall, imec, and Leti–join forces in supporting the EU research and academic community, SMEs, and industry by providing access to test structures and electrical data of state-of-the-art semiconductor technologies,” stated Luc Van den hove, CEO of imec. “This will enable them to explore exciting new opportunities in the ‘More Moore’ as well as the ‘More than Moore’ domains, and will allow them to participate and compete effectively on the global stage for the development of advanced nano-electronics.”
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 65384
Tyndall National Institute is a leading research center in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) hardware and systems integration. Specializing in both electronics and photonics (materials, devices, circuits, and systems) Tyndall supports industry and academia in driving research to market in its core areas of ICT, communications, energy, health, and agriculture, food, and the environment. Tyndall is based in Cork, Ireland, and employs over 460 researchers, engineers and support staff, with a full-time graduate cohort of 125 students. The institute generates over 200 peer-reviewed publications each year.
As one of three advanced-research institutes within the CEA Technological Research Division, CEA-Leti serves as a bridge between basic research and production of micro- and nanotechnologies that improve the lives of people around the world. It is committed to creating innovation and transferring it to industry. Backed by its portfolio of 2,800 patents, Leti partners with large industrials, SMEs, and startups to tailor advanced solutions that strengthen their competitive positions. It has launched 54 startups. Its 8,500 m² of new-generation cleanroom space feature 200-mm and 300-mm wafer processing of micro and nano solutions for applications ranging from space to smart devices. With a staff of more than 1,800, Leti is based in Grenoble, France, and has offices in Silicon Valley and Tokyo.
imec performs world-leading research in nanoelectronics. Imec leverages its scientific knowledge with the innovative power of its global partnerships in ICT, healthcare, and energy. Imec delivers industry-relevant technology solutions. In a unique high-tech environment, its international top talent is committed to providing the building blocks for a better life in a sustainable society. Imec is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and has offices in Belgium, the Netherlands, Taiwan, U.S., China, India, and Japan. Its staff of about 2,200 people includes almost 700 industrial residents and guest researchers. In 2014, imec’s revenue (P&L) totaled 363 million euro.
