IMB-CNM, a key player in the European chips competence centers ecosystem

_{Integrated photonic circuit fabricated in the IMB-CNM Clean Room.}

Spain will have two chips competence centers, MicroNanoSpain CC and PIXSpain CC, and the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM-CSIC) is the only entity participating in both, offering its expertise and advanced infrastructure. These entities, driven by the European Chips JU (Chips Joint Undertaking) initiative, bring together strategic players to strengthen technological sovereignty.

The competence centers are national consortia to foster European design and manufacturing capabilities and generate a strong and resilient European ecosystem. There are 30 in Europe and all are integrated into the European Network of Chip Competence Centers. Their aim is to accelerate semiconductor development by providing national and European capabilities to small and medium-sized companies in circuit design; tailored training for the specialization of new personnel; and access to advanced technology and infrastructure. Due to this cross-sectoral nature, they are composed of research centers, companies and universities.

IMB-CNM is a key player, with the largest Micro and Nanofabrication Clean Room for research in Spain and a 40-year track record in chip design and manufacturing. It also collaborates through the distributed network of manufacturing clean rooms, Micronanofabs, with access to its three nodes: the IMB-CNM itself, the Institute for Optoelectronic Systems and Microtechnology (ISOM-UPM) and the Nanophotonics Technology Center (NTC-UPV). This network is considered a Unique Science and Technology Infrastructure (ICTS) by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

“Our past, present and future work calls us to be a privileged participant in the concerted European effort to achieve greater strategic autonomy in the field of chips,” indicates Luis Fonseca, director of IMB-CNM.

The activity of the competence centers will last for four years, until 2029, and have eight (MicroNanoSpain) and four million (PIXSpain) of equal European and national funding. It is all part of the ecosystem of pilot lines and platforms that are also being deployed in different European initiatives.

PIXSpain: experience in integrated photonic circuits

The network, which had its inaugural meeting on July 10 in Valencia, is coordinated by the Universitat Politècnica de Valencia (UPV) and with the participation of IMB-CNM, the University of Vigo, University of Malaga, University Carlos III of Madrid and ICFO. It aims to secure the value chain and improve autonomy in the design and manufacture of integrated photonic circuits.

The role of IMB-CNM is to offer technological consultancy to start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises to promote technology transfer. “It is a way of interconnecting all the agents involved in the development of integrated photonic systems; we want to make available to the local ecosystem the technological capabilities that will enable progress in the use of integrated photonics and incorporate new players,” says Carlos Domínguez, CSIC research professor and coordinator of the IMB-CNM contribution.

MicroNanoSpain: strengthening the chip ecosystem

MicroNanoSpain CC will facilitate access to the European Union Design Platform (EuroCDP), currently under development, as well as to the new European pilot lines of microelectronic technology. It will also analyze the situation of similar competences in Spain in order to harmonize access to them.

MicroNanoSpain, still in the process of closing the funding agreement in Spain, is coordinated by the industrial association AESEMI, and its hard core includes the main players in the design and manufacture of micronanodevices (the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, BSC-CNS, or the ICTS Micronanofabs), supported by a score of associated entities with geographical capillarity, including the other two nodes of the National Microelectronics Center: the Institute of Micro and Nanotechnology (IMN-CNM) and the Institute of Microelectronics of Sevilla (IMSE-CNM).

We will bring to MicroNanoSpain the knowledge and experience, both in design and manufacturing, of IMB-CNM as a national reference; thanks also to our participation in the European design platform and in the semiconductor pilot lines of the Chips JU", says Fonseca, also coordinator of IMB-CNM's contribution to MicroNanoSpain.

The only Spanish institution with such a strong presence in Chips JU

The aim of Chips Joint Undertaking is to enhance Europe's technological resilience, secure supply and value chains and drive innovation in emerging fields such as energy-efficient artificial intelligence, manufacturing, mobility, information and communications, neuromorphic and quantum computing, as well as reliable and sustainable electronics.

IMB-CNM is the only Spanish institution so involved in the initiative: it is within two pilot lines, APECS for heterogeneous integration and PIXEurope for integrated photonic circuits; and the Chip Design Platform (EuroCDP), the bet on design capabilities; and of the chip competence centers.

Chips JU supports research, development, innovation and future manufacturing capabilities in the European semiconductor ecosystem. It is funded by the European Union, the states participating in the initiatives and private members. It was launched by EU Council Regulation No. 2021/1085 and amended in September 2023 as part of the Chips for Europe initiative. To address the semiconductor shortage and strengthen Europe's digital autonomy, it has significant EU, national/regional and private industry funding of nearly €11 billion.

Gallery

• Integrated photonic circuit fabricated in the IMB-CNM Clean Room.
• Wafer processed under a microscope.
• PIXSpain kick-off meeting in Valencia.
• Group photo at the PIXSpain kick-off meeting in Valencia.