Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, has invested £11.5 million across 16 projects to improve and scale-up semiconductor manufacturing and supply chains.
The new investment aims to:
- scale up semiconductor manufacturing within the UK
- improve supply chain resilience within the UK
- establish innovations and new manufacturing techniques
- expand capability or performance of existing manufacturing techniques
- encourage relationships between product designers and manufacturers to develop new manufacturing techniques or expanding capability
- encourage new collaborations across industry and academia
National semiconductor strategy
This is the final competition which forms part of an £18 million programme supporting the UK government’s national semiconductor strategy.
The strategy plans to build on the UK’s strengths in semiconductors to grow the sector, increase our resilience and protect our security.
This competition follows on from previous competition rounds, which has seen an investment of £1.5 million in semiconductor feasibility studies and £4.3 million invested in skills and training.
16 innovative projects
Today, Innovate UK has announced £11.5 million of funding allocated across 16 projects.
These innovative projects are part of a collaborative research and development drive into ways to improve and scale up semiconductor manufacture and improve supply chain resilience within the UK.
UK-GRAFT: The UK graphene research and fabrication technology foundry
Award winners
The award winners are:
- Paragraf Limited
- UK Electronic Skills Foundation (UKESF)
- University of Birmingham
- Cupio Services Ltd
- University of Glasgow
About the project
Paragraf successfully participated in Innovate UK’s semiconductor feasibility studies to scale up its graphene technology from 2″ wafers to 6″ wafers.
Now, Paragraf’s vision is to set up the first 2D materials device foundry in the world, focusing first on graphene.
This is due to the extraordinarily large number of device applications that can be served with its proprietary growth technology, and crucially that all devices produced up work excellently and are commercially viable.
This site will become the foundry, with the original, smaller site focusing on research and development (R&D).
Project aims
This project aims to:
- transfer the 6″ graphene growth technology from the R&D site to the foundry
- manufacture devices from these 6″ wafers
- investigate failure mechanisms of these novel devices
- perform industry standard reliability testing
To achieve this, Paragraf will partner with the universities of Glasgow and Birmingham.
Advanced testing
Each will perform advanced testing of the graphene devices created.
The reliability testing and cryogenic testing proposed has never been done for graphene devices.
Cupio Ltd. will work with Glasgow to transfer novel reliability tests to its device test facilities, thus providing an industrial test partner to service the new foundry.
Future skills needs
UKESF will be a key partner on this project.
There is an acknowledged skills gap for technicians to support the scale-up of manufacturing.
UKESF will perform a feasibility study to identify future skills needs and deliver a ‘proof-of-concept’ training course, to provide a solution to the skills gap this new UK industry.
FlexPlanner/FAR: automated solutions to dramatically improve wafer-fab efficiency, while simultaneously reducing reliance on manufacturing skilled labour
Award winners
The award winners are:
- Flexciton Limited
- Seagate Technology Ireland
About the project
Bringing together leading manufacturer Seagate and unique UK deep-tech company Flexciton, this 12-month project delivers directly against the UK government’s National Semiconductor Strategy by:
- developing and demonstrating a breakthrough solution for increasing semiconductor factory efficiency
- driving the competitiveness of the UK sector
- creating a globally advantaged manufacturing specialism
This supports UK supply security by making the UK a critical link in the complex global supply chain and a key partner for the international industry to support.
https://www.ukri.org/news/11-5m-to-improve-semiconductor-manufacturing-and-supply-chains