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.

Supported by funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme, a consortium of eight leading institutions has launched a joint microelectronics research project aiming to develop innovative design methods and related EDA tools which remove the limitations in physical implementation effectiveness associated with technology scaling and advanced sub-wavelength lithography. The Synaptic consortium is composed of eight leading instituti...

At today’s International Solid State Circuit Conference, imec and its research partners Renesas Technology Corp. and M4S present a complete transceiver with RF, baseband and data converter circuits in 40nm low-power CMOS. The fully reconfigurable transceiver is compatible with various wireless standards and applications, including the upcoming mobile broadband 3GPP-LTE standard.

At today’s International Solid State Circuit Conference, imec and Holst Centre report an ultra-low power 8 bit analog to digital convertor (ADC) consuming only 30fJ energy per conversion step. This world-class figure of merit ADC is especially suited for upcoming low energy radios in the ISM (industrial, scientific and medical) radio bands such as low-energy Bluetooth or IEEE 802.15.6 for body-area networks.

At today’s International Solid State Circuit Conference (ISSCC), Holst Centre, imec and TNO present a dual-gate-based organic RFID chip with record data rate and lowest reported operating voltage. For the first time, the advantages of dual gate transistors in circuit speed and robustness have thereby been exploited in a complex organic-electronic circuit.

At today’s International Solid State Circuit Conference (ISSCC), Holst Centre, imec and TNO present a dual-gate-based organic RFID chip with record data rate and lowest reported operating voltage. For the first time, the advantages of dual gate transistors in circuit speed and robustness have thereby been exploited in a complex organic-electronic circuit.