The “Advanced Distributed Pilot Line for More-than-Moore Technologies” project (ADMONT) is focused on a powerful and versatile More-than-Moore (MtM) pilot line for Europe increasing the diversification of CMOS process technologies. The combination of existing expertise, technological capabilities and the manufacturing capacity of industrial and research partners creates a whole new ecosystem within Europe’s biggest silicon technology cluster “Silicon Saxony”. The distributed pilot line utilizes various MtM platform technologies for sensor and OLED processing in combination with baseline CMOS processes in a unique way and incorporates 2.5D as well as 3D integration of silicon systems into one single production flow. The technology modules, equipment and processes are not located in one single clean room, but are distributed between partners located in Dresden. This local concentration of micro- and nanotechnology facilities has various advantages for potential customer since it enables a short production cycle time and fast delivery. Such distributed MtM pilot line is unique in Europe as well as worldwide and will be implemented as “one-stop-shop” for partners and customer. It is supported by advanced design technologies to address the challenges of modelling and simulation of MtM relevant aspects like reliability, degradation effects, process variability, and IT solution aspects for MtM smart fabrication, fab automation and data processing to generate a smart infrastructure. The distributed pilot line is working as an open platform and is able to integrate future technologies for autonomous and smart system solutions. ADMONT is focused on four main key applications: smart energy, smart mobility, smart health, and smart production and essential capabilities like semiconductor process equipment and materials, design technology and smart system integration. The project consortium is organized and working along the value chain for ECS technologies in Europe.

The key objective of PowerBase “Enhanced substrates and GaN pilot lines enabling compact power applications” is to ensure the availability of Electronic Components and Systems (ECS) for key markets and for addressing societal challenges, aiming at keeping Europe at the forefront of the technology development, bridging the gap between research and exploitation, creating economic and employment growth in the European Union. The project PowerBase aims to contribute to the industrial ambition of value creation in Europe and fully supports this vision by addressing key topics of ECSEL multi annual strategic plan 2014. By positioning PowerBase as innovation action a clear focus on exploitation of the expected result is primary goal. To expand the limits in current power semiconductor technologies the project focuses on setting up a qualified wide band gap GaN technology Pilot line, on expanding the limits of today’s silicon based substrate materials for power semiconductors, improving manufacturing efficiency by innovative automation, setting up of a GaN compatible chip embedding pilot line and demonstrating innovation potential in leading compact power application domains. PowerBase is a project proposal with a vertical supply chain involved with contributions from partners in 7 European countries. This spans expertise from raw material research, process innovation, pilot line, assembly innovation and pilot line up to various application domains representing enhanced smart systems. The supporting partners consist of market leaders in their domain, having excellent technological background, which are fully committed to achieve the very challenging project goals. The project PowerBase aims to have significant impact on mart regions. High tech jobs in the area of semiconductor technologies and micro/nano electronics in general are expressed core competences of the regions Austria: Carinthia, Styria, Germany: Sachsen, Bavaria and many other countries/ regions involved.

Addressing European Policies for 2020 and beyond the “Power Semiconductor and Electronics Manufacturing 4.0” (SemI40) project responds to the urgent need of increasing the competitiveness of the Semiconductor manufacturing industry in Europe through establishing smart, sustainable, and integrated ECS manufacturing. SemI40 will further pave the way for serving highly innovative electronic markets with products powered by microelectronics “Made in Europe”. Positioned as an Innovation Action it is the high ambition of SemI40 to implement technical solutions on TRL level 4-8 into the pilot lines of the industry partners. Challenging use cases will be implemented in real manufacturing environment considering also their technical, social and economic impact to the society, future working conditions and skills needed. Applying “Industry 4.0”, “Big Data”, and “Industrial Internet” technologies in the electronics field requires holistic and complex actions. The selected main objectives of SemI40 covered by the MASP2015 are: balancing system security and production flexibility, increase information transparency between fields and enterprise resource planning (ERP), manage critical knowledge for improved decision making and maintenance, improve fab digitalization and virtualization, and enable automation systems for agile distributed production. SemI40’s value chain oriented consortium consists of 37 project partners from 5 European countries. SemI40 involves a vertical and horizontal supply chain and spans expertise and partners from raw material research, process and assembly innovation and pilot line, up to various application domains representing enhanced smart systems. Through advancing manufacturing of electronic components and systems, SemI40 contributes to safeguard more than 20.000 jobs of people directly employed in the participating facilities, and in total more than 300.000 jobs of people employed at all industry partners’ facilities worldwide.

The SeNaTe project is the next in a chain of thematically connected ENIAC JU KET pilot line projects which are associated with 450mm/300mm development for the 12nm and 10nm technology nodes. The main objective is the demonstration of the 7nm IC technology integration in line with the industry needs and the ITRS roadmap on real devices in the Advanced Patterning Center at imec using innovative device architecture and comprising demonstration of a lithographic platform for EUV and immersion technology, advanced process and holistic metrology platforms, new materials and mask infrastructure. A lithography scanner will be developed based on EUV technology to achieve the 7nm module patterning specification. Metrology platforms need to be qualified for N7’s 1D, 2D and 3D geometries with the appropriate precision and accuracy. For the 7nm technology modules a large number of new materials will need to be introduced. The introduction of these new materials brings challenges for all involved processes and the related equipment set. Next to new deposition processes also the interaction of the involved materials with subsequent etch, clean and planarization steps will be studied. Major European stakeholders in EUV mask development will collaboratively work together on a number of key remaining EUV mask issues. The first two years of the project will be dedicated to find the best options for patterning, device performance, and integration. In the last year a full N7 integration with electrical measurements will be performed to enable the validation of the 7nm process options for a High Volume Manufacturing. The SeNaTe project relates to the ECSEL work program topic Process technologies – More Moore. It addresses and targets as set out in the MASP at the discovery of new Semiconductor Process, Equipment and Materials solutions for advanced CMOS processes that enable the nano-structuring of electronic devices with 7nm resolution in high-volume manufacturing and fast prototyping.

AIMS5.0, a collaborative Innovation Action aims at strengthening European digital sovereignty in comprehensively sustainable production, by adopting, extending and implementing AI-enabled hardware and software components and systems across the whole industrial value chain to further increase the overall efficiency. Vulnerability of existing supply chains in crisis shows the need for shorter supply chains and for keeping production in Europe. AI enabled fabs will be given more output and higher sustainability, which makes them more competitive on a global scale. New technologies from IoT and based on semantic web ontologies, ML and AI will help to enable the transformation from Industry4.0 to Industry5.0, to create human-centric workplace conditions and to enable the transformation of European industry to climate-friendly production. Above all, sustainability and resilience will be improved. In essence, AIMS5.0 will deliver: - AI-enabled electronic hardware components & systems for sustainable production - AI tools, methods & algorithms for sustainable industrial processes - SoS-based architectures & micro-services for AI-supported sustainable production - Semantic modelling & data integration for an open access productive sustainability platform - Acceptance, trust & ethics for explainable industrial AI leading to human-centered sustainable manufacturing 20 use cases in 9 industrial domains resulting in high TRLs will validate the project’s findings in an interdisciplinary manner. A professional dissemination, communication, exploitation and standardisation will ensure the highest impact possible. For the first time a joint approach for implementing AI and AI-enabled hardware will be developed that overarches different industrial domains. AIMS5.0 will result in lower manufacturing costs, increased product quality through AI-enabled innovation, decreased time-to-market and increased user acceptance of versatile technology offerings. They will foster a sustainable development, in an economical, ecological and societal sense and act as enablers for the Green Deal and push the industry towards Industry5.0. The innovations will leverage the experience of the 53 partners, such as renowned OEMs, Tier-1 and Tier-2 suppliers, technology and application large enterprises and SMEs, supported by academic research specialists in fields like AI, industrial hard-ware and software, decision making and management algorithms. Specific outcomes of the project are - 20% faster time to market, - Participation of disabled people in the factory environment > 5% (in relation to the total number of employees employed in production), - AI based MES capability > 10 %, - Increased user awareness and trust by 10%, - Subsequent reduction of environmental footprint for wafer transport, handling and storage > 20 %, - 50% reduction of time for monitoring industrial equipment. AIMS5.0 is a pan-European initiative to boost industrial competitiveness through interdisciplinary innovations, establishing sustainable ECS value chains and therefore contribute to European Digital Sovereignty addressing urgent issues like Security of Supply, Monitoring and Crisis Response, and Chip Shortage.