In the U.S., the debate over how to lay the right foundations for future technology growth includes the question of whether we are doing enough pure R&D anymore. The legendary role played by Bell, Sarnoff, Xerox and other research giants in their heyday has left a void that many feel hasn’t been adequately filled by the project-oriented research funded by the government for DARPA and other agencies.
Meanwhile, technology development moves forward at an ever-increasing pace on the global stage, simultaneously becoming a more niche and more collaborative venture. A key center for independent semiconductor R&D is IMEC, a Belgian-based research center that has a global network of more than 550 partners including IC manufacturers, universities, and semiconductor equipment and material suppliers, representing over 50 nationalities. I was recently a guest of Flanders Investment & Trade commission and so had a chance to see firsthand the work going on at IMEC. Our group of international tech journalists got a chance to tour IMEC’s research facilities, and following that to meet with founders and leaders at a number of the local companies that are working collaboratively on advanced technology.
It was interesting to consider the strength of the regional—versus the national—government initiatives in light of the fact that Belgium has been without a national government for the last six months. I was a guest of the Flemish state, the Dutch-speaking region that has made technology incubation a top priority. I got to see the symbiotic relationship between the government, the research center and the regional tech economy, visiting companies working with IMEC on research as well as many that had spun-off from the center.
IMEC, whose global partner members include Intel, Texas Instruments, Philips, Infineon, Samsung, Matsushita, and ST Microelectronics, is positioned as a transformer, so to speak, between industries and universities, helping to shorten the cycle between exploratory and commercial technologies. IMEC does both affiliated research—where partners end up with shared IP—and customized programs where cost and IP rights are defined ad hoc. The “shared” research is typically pre-competitive generic work, meaning that current research is focused on processes and materials for CMOS at 32 nm and below. According to Maarten Willems, director of emerging business, IMEC is focused both on research that extends Moore’s Law (or “More Moore”) and research that goes beyond CMOS scaling, which he refers to as “More than Moore.”
In addition to a pilot-line for 300-mm CMOS that covers the entire process flow, IMEC is also working on heterogeneous integration to incorporate 3D technologies, RF-MEMS, thermal-management optical interconnect and more within CMOS fabrication. Other “More than Moore” research includes nanotechnology and post-CMOS nanoelectronics such as organic and “stretchable” electronics.
IMEC also has a strong focus on biomedical electronics, including a neuroelectronics lab working on such devices as neuron on chip. Willems explains that these are implantable devices with close interaction between the living cell and the silicon surface—devices that start capturing and interacting with the neuron—such as neuro-probes that sense electrical activity and stimulate as injected neurotransmitters from a MEMS device. Applications, he says, include implants for deep brain surgery and for pain management.
IMEC’s focus on wireless communication also ties into the biomedical realm: Body area networks use sensors powered by body movement and heat that can communicate back to PDAs. Other research includes MEMS and 3D system integration, GaN power devices and technology, solar cells, and “nomadic embedded systems” using advanced wireless communications like software defined radio (SDR) and multimedia coding.
IMEC is playing a key role in bringing together competitors from around the globe to work on solving challenges related to advanced manufacturing nodes and further scaling of semiconductors. What’s more, the collaboration between Flanders government, universities, and industries provides a model for how a pure research center benefits the local economy. Since IMEC’s founding in 1984, there has been a minimum of one spinoff each year.
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