Substrate innovation center to develop engineered solutions

It has been announced by Leti, that they have a new collaboration and five year partnership agreement to drive the research and development of advanced engineered substrates, including SOI and beyond. This agreement brings the Leti-Soitec partnership to a whole new dimension and includes the launch of a prototyping hub associating equipment partners to pioneer with new materials.

The Substrate Innovation Center will feature access to shared Leti-Soitec expertise around a focused pilot line. Key benefits for partners include access to early exploratory sampling, prototyping, collaborative analysis, and early learning at the substrate level. Eventually this aims to lead to streamlined product viability and roadmap planning at the system level.

Chip makers and foundries use Soitec to manufacture chips for applications targeting performance, connectivity, and efficiency with low energy consumption. Furthermore, applications include smartphones, data centers, automotive, imagers, and medical and industrial equipment. But this list is always growing, along with the need for flexibility to explore new applications at the substrate level.

Additionally, at the Substrate Innovation Center, located on Leti’s campus, engineers will explore and develop innovative substrate features. As they expand, they will focus on 4G/5G connectivity, artificial intelligence, sensors and display, automotive, photonics, and edge computing.

Paul Boudre, Soitec CEO, stated: “Material innovation and substrate engineering make entire new horizons possible. The Substrate Innovation Center will unleash the power of substrate research and development collaboration beyond the typical product road maps, beyond the typical constraints. The Substrate Innovation Center is a one-of-a-kind opportunity open to all industry partners within the semiconductor value chain.”

The mission of the Substrate Innovation Center is to become the preferred hub for evaluating and designing engineered substrate solutions. They hope to address the future needs of the industry, inclusive of all, from compound suppliers to product designers. They will use quality controlled clean room facilities, and the latest industry-grade equipment and materials. Leti and Soitec engineers will conduct testing and evaluation at all levels of advanced substrate in these facilities.

Emmanuel Sabonnadière, Leti CEO, explained: “Leti and Soitec’s collaboration on SOI and differentiated materials, which extends back to Soitec’s launch in 1992, has produced innovative technologies that are vital to a wide range of consumer and industrial products and components. This new common hub at Leti’s campus marks the next step in this ongoing partnership. By jointly working with foundries, fabless, and system companies, we provide our partners with a strong edge for their future products.”