Advanced Packaging and Heterogeneous Integration for Electronic Components and SystemsPartners
Partners from Germany:
Partners across Europe:
TU Graz (Austria)
Within this pilot line, TU Graz's Institute of Electronics focuses on electromagnetic compatibility and electrostatic discharge robustness for heterogeneous integration. Our work covers the characterisation of risks and their occurrence rates, detection methods, the design of test instruments to verify robustness using picosecond sources and resolution, modelling and testing of protection structures, and analysis tools such as near-field scanning and related technologies. Our main research partner within the pilot line is the EMFT. The Institute of Electronics has a total of 70 employees (including tutors), around 25 PhD students, four professors and three postdocs.
vtt (Finland)
VTT’s Microelectronics and Quantum Technology research area offers cutting-edge R&D&I services, from design and prototyping to pilot manufacturing, supported by approximately 250 in-house experts. It utilizes the largest R&D cleanroom in the Nordic countries and houses an in-house quantum computer. The department is actively involved in Finnish and European research programs and focuses on various technological areas, including integrated RF and antenna solutions, hyperspectral and MOEMS imaging, silicon detectors, integrated photonics, MEMS, sensors and ICs, quantum technology hardware, imaging sensors, 2D-materials, and post-CMOS integration.
Additionally, VTT's Micronova facility, with its extensive infrastructure, serves as the central hub for the Finnish electronics industry ecosystem, supporting public and jointly funded research, applied research, commercial research projects, and contract pilot manufacturing services.
imec (Belgium)
CEA-LETI (France)
FORTH (Greece)
Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM-CSIC) (Spain)
The Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM) is a technology-intensive research centre under the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). It focuses on the development and application of scalable micro- and nanotechnologies for electronics, encompassing fields such as microelectronics, integrated photonics, and quantum technologies. The institute hosts and operates Spain’s largest cleanroom facility, designated as a national large-scale research infrastructure.
Within the scope of APECS, two IMB-CNM research groups are actively involved in different aspects of heterogeneous integration:
- Radiation Detectors Group (RDS)
- Integrated Circuits and Systems Group (ICAS)
The RDS group focuses on advancing technologies for radiation detection, with applications spanning particle physics, medical imaging, dosimetry, synchrotron and nuclear fusion facilities, space instrumentation, and civil security.
The ICAS group specializes in the design of application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).
INL (Portugal)
The International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) is an intergovernmental research organisation based in Braga, Portugal, dedicated to advancing nanoscience and nanotechnology to address global challenges.
With world-class facilities and a multidisciplinary team, INL conducts cutting-edge research in areas such as nanoelectronics, photonics, advanced materials, and semiconductor technologies.
The Laboratory plays a strategic role in fostering innovation through international collaboration and close partnerships with industry, bridging the gap between fundamental science and real-world applications in health, energy, mobility, and digital transformation.
Within the APECS initiative, INL contributes its expertise in advanced nanotechnologies to support the development of new solutions in semiconductor packaging and integration
INL’s participation aligns with its mission to reinforce Europe’s capabilities under the European Chips Act, helping to strengthen the semiconductor value chain through collaborative R&D, innovation, and infrastructure access.
The APECS pilot line is coordinated by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft:
Funding
APECS is co-funded by the Chips Joint Undertaking and national funding authorities of Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Spain, through the Chips for Europe Initiative.
Thanks to substantial funding from the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and the federal states of Saxony, Berlin, Bavaria, Schleswig-Holstein, Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg, and Saxony-Anhalt, it will be possible to further expand the R&D infrastructure in the coming years within the framework of the APECS pilot line.
