CHIPIN6 is focused on progressing the state of the art of Near Infra-Red (NIR) photonic device (eg laser) technology by developing a foundry 6" (150mm) Indium Phosphide epitaxy, wafer fabrication and device manufacturing platform. It brings together a consortium with deep expertise and extensive capability in device design, epitaxy, wafer fabrication and manufacturing process technology, all within a 10 mile locality in South Wales. The workplan has been designed to drive targeted manufacturing scale-up and process innovation at critical points in the supply chain, and validate collective process advancement in a relevant photonic device context. The project will deliver multiple routes to commercial impact via product offerings that include device design services, high-volume epitaxial foundry products, new etch and deposition processes, and upscaled manufacturing equipment; which will result in increased employment and economic output in the South Wales Semiconductor Cluster. The InP photonic device market opportunity for the UK and the consortium will be worth $5.6B by 2027\. We believe that commercialisation of the outcomes of this project has the potential to create 50-60 additional jobs in R+D and manufacturing over this period, which will contribute an additional £7M-8.4M GVA pa to the UK economy. The project will leverage a significant investment in the new ~£75M facility and academic capacity at Cardiff University's Institute of Compound Semiconductors, to deliver a functional capability that will be offered as an Open Access prototyping and pilot line service to UK industry and academia. This is highly aligned with the stated objectives of the UK Semiconductor strategy.

Advanced GaN Device Technology Development project (DANCE) will aim to develop a vertical GaN device rated at 1.2kV. A suitable package for 1.2kV GaN will also be developed within the project and devices tested for reliability. GaN power devices offer very higher-frequency operation and reduced power dissipation enabling more efficient system performance while having a smaller form factor and reduced weight. There are currently no 1.2kV GaN MOSFET devices available on the market. The only commercial GaN power devices available today are lateral high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) built on AlGaN/GaN/Si wafers where hetero-epitaxy limits their breakdown capability to ~650V and leads to long term reliability and dynamic on-state (Rdson) problems. The 1.2kV GaN MOSFET development proposed here will use GaN-on-GaN substrate which use homo-epitaxy allowing development of reliable GaN power devices with much higher voltages. Partners from the UK (SPTS, Camutronics, CSAC) and Taiwan (ITRI, Innolux) will collaborate closely on both front-end and back-end activities and will cover all steps needed to form a reliable 12kV GaN solution: epi-growth and process development (SPTS, ITRI), device design optimization (Camutronics, ITRI), wafer processing (SPTS, ITRI), testing (Camutronics, ITRI) and package development and reliability testing (CSAC, Innolux, ITRI). Novel processing techniques for forming U-shaped trenches will be developed which are needed to reduce electric field at the trench bottom. In addition to this, a suitable deep trench etch recipe will also be developed which is needed for the termination area of the die. Crucially, reliable gate oxides also need to be developed. In terms of epi growth, processing partners from the UK and Taiwan will work jointly on developing epi layers which are sufficiently thick for 1.2kV devices and low in defects needed for high current devices. In parallel with device development, partners from the UK and Taiwan will develop assembly techniques suitable for 1.2kV devices using new interconnection recipes, bumping and 3D printing. Fabricated devices will be assembled into developed packages and tested for reliability to ensure they can be used in the applications.

The semiconductor industry powers the technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, online commerce and trading and Electric and Autonomous Vehicles (EV and EAV), driving the expansion of our industry. Automobile pistons (contained within the internal combustion engine cylinder) of the future will be based on PEMD that will underpin electric vehicle electric vehicle technology. The power electronics and related semiconductor industry is booming, with over 100,000 high skilled jobs in the sector in the UK. Job numbers are set to explode in this sector! The UK is in desperate need of a skilled workforce with huge demand for new employees in the sector - with global competition for talent. The project will engage and train a new generation of apprentices and students to feed into the UK Power Electronics industry. This is essential to meet the immediate and future industry demand for new employees - in PEMD technology and applications. The project will develop a unique range of innovative Outreach, Continuous Professional Development and Training Materials for a range of participants of all ages - from school children, to Apprentices, to University students. Content will include taster courses, online web content, podcasts and interactive Apps to market the PEMD sector, with a focus on applications and employment prospects. It will also include hands-on workshops and site visits for pupils and teachers to manufacturing facilities and semiconductor fabrication plants - highlighting the cutting edge technologies and state-of-the-art facilities of the industry. The "open access" programme will expose people of all ages to the total PEMD chip-to- module supply chain. Expanding the equality, diversity and inclusion of the sector is a key goal. The project will align with the UK's Driving the Electric Revolution Challenge and link with the DER-IC (industrialisation Centre) programme. The programme will adopt an innovative approach to outreach and training, including video clips, pod casts, intractive displays and Apps, supplemented by in-depth online and live training content. Our marketing strategy via Dragons Rugby will advertise our courses to an audience of 1.1 Million Dragons fans and also deliver taster sessions to over 60,000 school children. Attention will be generated via a series of podcasts with high profile rugby stars and a Professor, focusing on some of the key technologies and applications of PEMD. We will expand the programme to reach first a UK and then a global audience to develop the talent pipeline.

SOCRATES will introduce silicon carbide (SiC) and GaN trench processing technologies to the UK, establishing a critical capability into the PEMD supply chain for power transistors. This 9-month project will define the critical semiconductor manufacturing processing steps required for introducing a disruptive SiC power MOSFET supply chain for automotive power electronics to the UK, aligned with the goals of the Driving the Electric Revolution (DER) initiative. We will establish a new UK SiC manufacturing capability - developing Trench MOSFET technology within the Materials and Components DER Centre and critically, pilot SiC trench etch processing, whilst also developing a backside SiC etch process module for future VGaN-on-SiC devices. Current SiC diodes and transistors are still based on planar devices commercialised in 2001 and 2011 respectively -- which are limited in terms of efficiency and reliability. The proposed trench technology will revolutionise the performance of SiC transistors, with lower on-state resistances, and enhanced energy efficiencies -- to be employed in automotive systems. VGaN-on-SiC devices will further drive performance and costs advantages. This project intervention will accelerate their development at little additional cost. This project addresses clear gaps in the PEMD UK supply chain; The lack of (1) a trench SiC power MOSFET process and (2) a high-volume supplier of SiC transistors for UK EV industry, with no current UK-based, high-volume 6"-8" SiC wafer fabs. In contrast, our international competitors are establishing key strategic PEMD links, in order to supply SiC devices to the future EV market; Infineon with Hyaundai, STMicroelectronics (already producing 4000 wafers per month) with Tesla and XFab with General Motors and Ford. Thus, the UK is in danger of losing its security of supply of this crucial technology to the UK automotive sector.

This project brings together the complementary capability of academic and industrial partners within the Compound Semiconductor (CS) supply chain to drive the development of a new Gallium Nitride (GaN) based process platform for Automotive Power Electronics in-line with the roadmap recently published by the Advanced Propulsion Centre on behalf of the Automotive Council UK "Towards 2040: A Guide to Automotive Propulsion Technologies". The semiconductor supply chain directly employs over 1200 people in the local region. This new platform technology would help accelerate the transition of the industry from mainly silicon device manufacture to higher margin, more innovative CS devices and provide the UK with a novel sovereign GaN capability. It also supports the development of new thick GaN epitaxial materials needed to manufacture the vertical GaN transistors designed by Swansea University's Electronic Systems Design Centre. The Centre is a world-leader in semiconductor device modelling and received the TechWorks University Research Group of the Year award in 2016. The CS Applications Catapult and Turbo Power Systems (TPS) will evaluate the new GaN power devices developed in an on-vehicle application. Our vision is that the developed platform technology will deliver performance improvements in line with the Power Electronics Roadmap which sets challenging cost and performance targets for future power devices that can't be met with existing silicon based technology. The 2035 power density targets of 50kW/kg for inverters and DC-DC converters are ambitious and will only be possible through the use of wide band gap (WBG) materials, such as GaN. This proposal outlines a clear route to delivering the required capability through a UK supply chain. The main areas of focus include the development of a UK source of thick GaN epi substrates required for the vertical device, which also requires damage free GaN etching to form a vertical channel and successful materials integration of the gate dielectrics and gate electrode. The project is highly innovative from a design perspective and Swansea University have filed a patent application for the device design. The epitaxy growth is also innovative in the use of multiple substrate platforms, the unique step grading layers and the in-situ doping of the p-body region. The new device will be proven in an on-vehicle application, and provide cost and performance data. An initial 200V application will be evaluated, but by parallel materials and process development, the platform will be demonstrated to be scaleable to 600V within the project timeframe.

The Compound Semiconductor (CS) diode laser has revolutionised consumer electronics and telecommunications over the last 30 years, enabling mass market adoption of ICT technology such as fibre optical communications, CD and DVD storage. It is now at the heart of new advances in laser based manufacturing methods, medical diagnosis, surgery, cosmetics and sensing. It is the source of choice for commoditisation of laser based technologies, giving an excellent trade-off between specification, cost, energy consumption and footprint. The Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) is an embodiment which further reduces the footprint of the laser chip so driving additional miniaturisation and cost reduction opportunities. Our project will leverage an existing world leading UK capability in VCSEL materials technology to drive the next wave of commoditised applications such as gesture recognition, ubiquitous high resolution 3D imaging and projection displays. Our consortium brings together compound semiconductor materials, device fabrication and capital equipment specialists in order to faciliate the step change in manufacturing methods required to accelerate the adoption of VCSEL solutions in truly mass market products.

To develop Atomic Layer Deposition and nano structure growth process capability on a plasma enhanced deposition system utilising Liquid Delivery system.