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ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS
With the global semiconductor
shortage affecting how high-tech products are made around the
world, Sanna Arpiainen, deputy division leader of the Graphene Flagship’s innovative 2D
Experimental Pilot Line (2D-EPL) project, asks: Could graphene be the answer?
U
sed in electronic devices, from automobile systems and air conditioners to laser treatment in cutting-edge medical
systems, the global semiconductor shortage has had a major impact on product manufacturing. But why was there a shortage? According to a report by The Motley Fool,
before the COVID-19 pandemic, declining memory chip prices and sluggish demand caused major players like Samsung and Micron technology to reduce their output. However, devices that connect to new technologies, like 5G and artificial intelligence (AI), need more chips. The report describes this as a ‘super cycle’ of chip upgrades that has disrupted shipments worldwide. Then came the pandemic, and harsh weather
conditions, which disrupted shipments; and with the increase in home working, there was greater demand for new mobile devices, PCs, and data centre upgrades. The automotive industry alone is expected to
lose $210 billion in revenue due to the shortage, with major players like BMW, Volkswagen and Ford already reporting the effects. So, with this shortage expected to continue until the end of 2023, an alternative solution is needed.
THE END OF SILICONE? There is now a question being asked – Is the era of silicon coming to an end? Silicon has been used extensively as a
semiconductor in an abundance of solid-state devices, from consumer electronics to automotive. Yet, increasingly, the material is being found to reach the limits of its performance against the increased speed, reduced latency and improved light detection demands of new Internet of Things (IoT), AI, robotics, self-driving cars and 5G and 6G phones. Could 2D-materials help? Experts believe
that graphene, a carbon-based material of just a single layer of atoms, just might – with electrical, mechanical and thermal properties that go far beyond what can be done with silicon-based devices. To leverage these possibilities, a new initiative
IS GRAPHENE THE ANSWER TO THE SEMICONDUCTOR SHORTAGE?
has been set-up by the Graphene Flagship, Europe’s largest ever scientific research initiative. The 2D Experimental Pilot line (2D-EPL) is the first graphene foundry to integrate graphene and layered materials into semiconductor platforms. Earlier this year, the European Commission (EC) announced a Euro 20 million investment into the 2D-EPL project, an additional commitment beyond its Euro 150 million investment in graphene research and development which includes 11 spearhead projects and production initiatives. Featuring several Graphene Flagship
core members, the 2D-EPL will pioneer the development of graphene-integrated wafers for new prototype electronics, photonic devices and sensors. It will also offer comprehensive prototyping services to companies, research centres and academics, so they can develop and test their innovative technologies based on 2D materials. Put simply, the initiative’s aim is to establish
a European ecosystem that will integrate graphene, and other 2D materials, into the production of silicon electronic devices.
THE PROJECT The 2D-EPL not only aims to see how graphene can enter mass semiconductor production in Europe. It will accelerate the manufacture of new prototypes for electronics, photonics and optoelectronics with integrated 2D materials. This is expected to bring benefits to local producers in Europe, through a more resilient and independent infrastructure, as well as cost-based pricing. The 2D-EPL facility’s production will focus particularly on the wafer scale integration of graphene, and potentially other 2D materials, which is vital for products to appear on the market. This will involve producing a multipurpose
graphene wafer (MPW) – or ‘planarization based generic platform’ – that will eventually be mass- produced for a variety of applications and sectors relating to photonics, electronics and sensor modules. Measuring 200mm in diameter, the MPW is made from polycrystalline chemical vapour deposition (CVD) graphene and combines existing technologies by several 2D-EDL partners: AMO, the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (imec), and graphene product supplier Graphenea. Separate project stages will be
devoted to developing tools and materials to produce the MPW, the development of the platform itself, and to achieve successful production runs of the new wafer technology. These production runs will produce different
versions of the MPW for different applications and sectors. So, AMO will oversee two runs, one producing a version featuring bottom- gated graphene sensors on silicon for use in biotechnology and gas applications, chemical or hall sensors and photodetectors. AMO, will develop a bottom and top-gated graphene version for electronics and sensors. VTT will also oversee two production runs. One
will develop bottom- and liquid-gated graphene sensors with passivation and channel-opening features for use in sensors and electronics. Another will explore graphene devices on silicon complementary metal–oxide–semiconductors (CMOS) for sensors and imagers. Finally, imec will develop transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) MPW devices for electronics. AMO, imec and VTT will offer dedicated
processing services for requests to customise MPW technology for different applications. There will also be future products from manufacturers including Aixtron of Germany, the large specialist in manufacturing metalorganic chemical vapour deposition equipment.
MASS PRODUCTION? Following this, 2D-EDL’s Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) will advise on the project’s technological direction towards the relevant applications, on how to integrate graphene- related materials (GRM) technology into manufacturing semiconductors. The IAB includes key technology
representatives from Europe, integrated device manufacturers, semiconductor foundries and small-medium enterprises (SMEs) in the graphene industry. It includes Nokia, the Finnish multinational telecommunications giant, ams AG, a designer and manufacturer of sensors and sensing solutions, and Infineon Technologies AG, a German semiconductor manufacturer. “Graphene photonics may change the
paradigm," says Wolfgang Templ, manager of radio transceiver research at Nokia and member of the IAB. “Now is the time to see how graphene can enter mass production in Europe.”
Graphene Flagship
https://graphene-flagship.eu/
MARCH 2022 DESIGN SOLUTIONS 33
FEATURE
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