This proposal describes the third core project of the Graphene Flagship. It forms the fourth phase of the FET flagship and is characterized by a continued transition towards higher technology readiness levels, without jeopardizing our strong commitment to fundamental research. Compared to the second core project, this phase includes a substantial increase in the market-motivated technological spearhead projects, which account for about 30% of the overall budget. The broader fundamental and applied research themes are pursued by 15 work packages and supported by four work packages on innovation, industrialization, dissemination and management. The consortium that is involved in this project includes over 150 academic and industrial partners in over 20 European countries.

The 2D Experimental Pilot Line (2D-EPL) project will establish a European ecosystem for prototype production of Graphene and Related Materials (GRM) based electronics, photonics and sensors. The project will cover the whole value chain including tool manufacturers, chemical and material providers and pilot lines to offer prototyping services to companies, research centers and academics. The 2D-EPL targets to the adoption of GRM integration by commercial semiconductor foundries and integrated device manufacturers through technology transfer and licensing. The project is built on two pillars. In Pillar 1, the 2D-EPL will offer prototyping services for 150 and 200 mm wafers, based on the current state of the art graphene device manufacturing and integration techniques. This will ensure external users and customers are served by the 2D-EPL early in the project and guarantees the inclusion of their input in the development of the final processes by providing the specifications on required device layouts, materials and device performances. In Pillar 2, the consortium will develop a fully automated process flow on 200 and 300 mm wafers, including the growth and vacuum transfer of single crystalline graphene and TMDCs. The knowledge gained in Pillar 2 will be transferred to Pillar 1 to continuously improve the baseline process provided by the 2D-EPL. To ensure sustainability of the 2D-EPL service after the project duration, integration with EUROPRACTICE consortium will be prepared. It provides for the European actors a platform to develop smart integrated systems, from advanced prototype design to small volume production. In addition, for the efficiency of the industrial exploitation, an Industrial Advisory Board consisting mainly of leading European semiconductor manufacturers and foundries will closely track and advise the progress of the 2D-EPL. This approach will enable European players to take the lead in this emerging field of technology.

This project is the second in the series of EC-financed parts of the Graphene Flagship. The Graphene Flagship is a 10 year research and innovation endeavour with a total project cost of 1,000,000,000 euros, funded jointly by the European Commission and member states and associated countries. The first part of the Flagship was a 30-month Collaborative Project, Coordination and Support Action (CP-CSA) under the 7th framework program (2013-2016), while this and the following parts are implemented as Core Projects under the Horizon 2020 framework. The mission of the Graphene Flagship is to take graphene and related layered materials from a state of raw potential to a point where they can revolutionise multiple industries. This will bring a new dimension to future technology – a faster, thinner, stronger, flexible, and broadband revolution. Our program will put Europe firmly at the heart of the process, with a manifold return on the EU investment, both in terms of technological innovation and economic growth. To realise this vision, we have brought together a larger European consortium with about 150 partners in 23 countries. The partners represent academia, research institutes and industries, which work closely together in 15 technical work packages and five supporting work packages covering the entire value chain from materials to components and systems. As time progresses, the centre of gravity of the Flagship moves towards applications, which is reflected in the increasing importance of the higher - system - levels of the value chain. In this first core project the main focus is on components and initial system level tasks. The first core project is divided into 4 divisions, which in turn comprise 3 to 5 work packages on related topics. A fifth, external division acts as a link to the parts of the Flagship that are funded by the member states and associated countries, or by other funding sources. This creates a collaborative framework for the entire Flagship.

6G-LEADER aims at evolving the PHY and RAN aspects of 6G communication networks by relying on the following pillars: 1) ML-empowered PHY algorithms with predictive capabilities towards fully autonomous operation; 2) full-duplex transceivers employing novel sparse antenna arrays and advanced digital self-interference cancellation; 3) non-orthogonal and random multiple access schemes to accommodate mass connectivity demands of users and machines; 4) goal-oriented semantic communications; and 5) an open and disaggregated RAN implementation with xApps integrating the advancements, achieved during the project’s lifetime.

This proposal describes the third stage of the EC-funded part of the Graphene Flagship. It builds upon the results achieved in the ramp-up phase (2013 - 2016) and the first core project (2016 - 2018), and covers the period April 2018 - March 2020. The progress of the flagship follows the general plans set out in the Framework Partnership Agreement, and the second core project represents an additional step towards higher technology and manufacturing readiness levels. The Flagship is built upon the concept of value chains, one of which is along the axis of materials-components-systems; the ramp-up phase placed substantial resources on the development of materials production technologies, the first core project moved to emphasise components, and the second core project will move further towards integrating components in larger systems. This evolution is manifested, e.g., in the introduction of six market-motivated spearhead projects during the Core 2 project.