Imec’s research into photovoltaics aims at finding techniques to fabricate cheaper and more efficient solar cells. Imec has built up a strong expertise of more than 25 years in silicon solar cell research. Imec leverages this knowhow on a whole range of technologies, going from silicon solar cells (the bulk of today’s commercially available cells), over organic solar cells, to advanced stacks of super-efficient solar cells based on germanium ...

Imec today reported promising results in its Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUV) mask cleaning program for defect-free EUV masks which are crucial in achieving high chip manufacturing yield. The research program was initiated in collaboration with mask cleaning experts of HamaTech APE GmbH & Co. KG., a fully owned subsidiary of Süss MicroTec AG, and some of imec’s core partners.

Imec and ASML collaborated to qualify ASML’s Tachyon Source Mask Optimization and programmable illuminator system FlexRay™, proving its potential with the demonstration of a 22nm SRAM memory cell. In October 2010, the ASML XT:1900i lithography scanner at imec will be equipped with FlexRay™, enabling imec to step ahead and further explore the ultimate frontiers of immersion lithography.

Micron Technology, Applied Materials, and Ultratech have joined the imec industrial affiliation program (IIAP) on GaN-on-Si technology. This multi-partner R&D program focuses on the development of GaN-on-Si (gallium nitride-on-silicon) process and equipment technologies for manufacturing solid state lighting (e.g. LEDs) and next-generation power electronics components on 8-inch Si wafers.

Imec demonstrates the value of its SiGe above-IC MEMS technology platform for improving performance of state-of-the-art MEMS with the development of new MEMS devices. The new devices are a 15µm SiGe micromirror and a grating light valve for high-resolution displays. The devices were realized with imec’s generic CMOS-compatible MEMS process for the monolithic integration of MEMS devices directly on top of CMOS metallization.

Imec sets major step towards 20nm half pitch interconnects with the realization of electrically functional copper lines embedded into silicon oxide using a spacer-defined double patterning approach.

Imec realized large-area (70cm2) epitaxial solar cells with efficiencies of up to 16.3% on high-quality substrates. And efficiencies of up to 14.7% were achieved on large-area low-quality substrates, showing the potential of thin-film epitaxial solar cells for industrial manufacturing. The results were achieved within imec’s silicon solar cell industrial affiliation program (IIAP) that explores and develops advanced process technologies aiming ...

Today, Intel Corporation, imec and 5 Flemish universities officially opened the Flanders ExaScience Lab at the imec research facilities in Leuven, Belgium. The lab will develop software to run on Intel-based future exascale computer systems delivering 1,000 times the performance of today’s fastest supercomputers, using up to 1 million cores and 1 billion processes to do so.

Imec today officially opens the extension of its state-of-the-art cleanroom at its campus in Leuven, Belgium. Moreover, imec also kicks off the construction of a new office building fitting in its plan for further expanding its high-tech ecosystem. With these extra 18,000m2 cleanroom, lab and office space, imec will have a research campus of 80,000m2 that can stand the comparison with any other high-tech research center worldwide. As such, imec a...

Imec introduced a cognitive baseband radio (COBRA) architecture targeting 4G requirements at up to 1Gbit/s throughput and multiple asynchronous concurrent streams (for instance simultaneous digital broadcasting reception and high-speed internet access). The low-cost, flexible architecture answers a new trend in wireless communication where terminals give their users ubiquitous broadband access to a multitude of services.

Imec presents an improved processing technique for germanium-based thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells resulting in significant reduction of cell cost, an essential step to develop a market for thermophotovoltaic applications. Imec’s newly developed TPV cells are fabricated on germanium substrates with an optimized surface, specifically designed and manufactured for this application.

Imec and TSMC today announced the extension of imec’s Europractice IC service with the offering of TSMC’s 40 nanometer technologies. Subsequent to the close collaboration between imec and TSMC on advanced technology research and development, both companies will offer TSMC’s CybershuttleTM Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) platform for IC prototyping and production services to European companies and academia.

Imec and Holst Centre have developed very sensitive integrated sensing elements for gas detection. The polymer-coated microbridges in high-density arrays can detect ppm-level concentrations of vapors using on-chip integrated read-out techniques. The demonstrated technology is very suitable for miniaturization of electronic nose devices thanks to the low power consumption (

Imec today officially established imec China in the Zhangjiang High-tech Park in Shanghai. Imec China kicked off with the signing of a joint development project on advanced chip process technology with the semiconductor company Huali.

Imec, certified TSMC Value Chain Aggregator (VCA), and DELTA Microelectronics, a leading provider of ASIC services, have concluded a cooperation agreement to provide customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) with comprehensive TSMC-based turnkey and partial turnkey ASIC services.

Despite the severe economical downturn, 2009 was a satisfying year for imec. Imec’s total revenue amounted to 275 million euro, including 222 million euro coming from collaboration with the global industry. 44.7 million euro was granted to imec Belgium by the Flemish government, to guarantee imec’s long term research and investment in new research initiatives, and imec the Netherlands at Holst Centre received 8 million euro from the Dutch gov...

Dow Corning, a global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, signed a three-year contract with imec to perform joint research on next generations of crystalline silicon solar cells. In the framework of imec’s industrial affiliation program (IIAP) on silicon solar cells, Dow Corning has joined several program activities.

Imec announces that it has started work, together with its project partners, on PRIMA, a project under the EU’s 7th framework program for ICT (FP7). The project’s goal is to improve the efficiency and cost of solar cells though the use of metallic nanostructures. Next to imec, the project coordinator, the partners involved in PRIMA are Imperial College (London, UK), Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden), Photovoltech (Belgium), Quantasol...

Imec, Holst Centre and the lab of neuro- and psychophysiology at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven today present the Mind Speller, a portable, easy-to-wear, intelligent textual and verbal communications prototype device enabling people with motoric disabilities (suffering from for example brain paralysis or speech or language disorders) to communicate.

Imec and Altos Design Automation, Inc. today announce that they have entered into an agreement to set up a library re-characterization service based on Altos ultra-fast characterization tools. With this collaboration, imec will extend its ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) prototyping and volume fabrication service with library re-characterization which is essential when designing in 65nm and 40nm nodes.