Public Funding for Pegasus Chemicals Limited

To introduce and embed knowledge on area-selective deposition (ASD) to enable Pegasus Chemicals to become a chemical precursor 'expert solution provider' for new and emerging markets in ASD.

Pegasus Chemicals will conduct a feasibility study to assess the development and scaling of critical chemicals, to provide a more resilient supply chain for the UK semiconductor industry. The innovative approach being considered is Pegasus chemicals' "Lab & Plant in a box". This concept utilises shipping containers to enable a 'lab/plant in a box' design to house the chemical synthesis and so deliver a faster development method. The feasibility study will evaluate this approach to enable a 'stage gate' solution for the UK semiconductor supply chain and produce reports with recommendations. It will assess how Pegasus Chemicals can apply its' significant knowledge in this area to assess the cost effectiveness of sovereign manufacture for some critical materials currently manufactured in Asia and some geopolitically challenged areas. This feasibility study will provide a clearer picture for the speedy development and scaling of critical feedstock chemicals, contributing to the development and growth of a highly skilled UK semiconductor workforce and a reduction in the dependency on imports into the UK.

The proliferation of smart objects required to truly harness the full capability of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) is enabled by the form-factor and cost-structure of flexible oxide electronics. In this sector, state-of-the-art is based on established unipolar n-type transistors (NMOS). It addresses many emergent application spaces e.g. short-range (cm) proximity radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, but its high static power consumption precludes very low power applications and complex circuit designs. A complementary (CMOS) logic capability greatly expands the accessible market for low cost flexible electronics, where static power consumption is negligible. CMOS would augment current product functionality and generate brand new applications through increased read-ranges, introduction of additional security circuitry and sensing capabilities, supporting a wide-range of low power complex designs. Examples of applications that can be addressed include waste management (e.g. low-cost identification to improve recycling productivity) and anti-counterfeit labels which protect against low-grade or harmful ingredients. New applications will also emerge as part of the IoT and increased connectivity. These include healthcare monitors, connecting wearables with disposable/low-cost sensors and distributed sensor networks (e.g. building control/monitoring; security/detection of poisons, pollutants, etc.). IoT will play key roles in smarter cities, increased industrial productivity, resilient transport and more sustainable energy consumption. The social benefits of the technology will include improved quality of life, healthy living and increased employment. Introduction of CMOS flexible electronics necessitates p-type transistors (PMOS) alongside the existing NMOS technology. This can only be achieved through innovation and development of p-type thin film transistor (TFT) materials and associated manufacturing processes, which are comparatively immature. EPIC is a collaborative research and development project between the University of Liverpool, Pegasus Chemicals, and PragmatIC to develop p-type metal oxides with optimised properties suitable for future integration into a CMOS Flexible Integrated Circuit (FlexIC) architecture. Scale up and manufacturability of the optimised p-type material will be demonstrated on a 200mm FlexIC pilot line.

To introduce and embed knowledge on metrology and quality control for thin films produced by CVD/ALD for applications in new and emerging markets.