Over the past 60+ years CMOS-based digital computing has giving rise to ever-greater computational performance, „big data“-based business models and the accelerating digital transformation of modern economies. However, the ever-growing amounts of data to be handled and the increasing complexity of today’s tasks for high performance computing (HPC) are becoming unmanageable as the data handling and energy consumption of HPCs, server farms and cloud services grow to unsustainable levels. New concepts and technologies are needed. One such HPC technology is Quantum computing (QC). QC utilizes so-called quantum bits (qubits) to perform complex calculations fundamentally much faster than a conventional digital-bit computers can. First quantum computer prototypes have been created. Superconducting Josephson junctions (SJJs) have been shown to be extremely promising qubit candidates to achieve a significant nonlinear increase of computational power with the number of qubits. For novel materials there is a great challenge yet opportunity in Europe to create a complete value chain for SSJs and QCs. Such a complete value chain will contribute to Europe’s technology sovereignty. The MATQu project aims at validating the technology options to produce SJJs on industrial 300 mm silicon-based process flows. It covers substrate technology, superconducting metals, resonators, through-wafer-via holes, 3D integration, and variability characterization. These will be assessed with respect to integration practices of qubits. Core substrate and process technologies with high quality factors, improved material deposition on large-substrates, and increased critical temperature for superconducting operation, will be developed and validated. The MATQu partners complement each other in an optimal way across the value chain to create a substantial competitive advantage, e.g. faster time-to-market and roll-out of technologies and materials for better Josephson junctions for quantum computing.

R3-POWERUP will push through the new generation of 300mm Pilot Line Facility for Smart Power technology in Europe. This will enable the European industry to set the world reference of innovative and competitive solutions for critical societal challenges, like Energy saving and CO2 Reduction (ref. to COP21 Agreement ), as well as Sustainable Environment through electric mobility and industrial power efficiency. ● Development and demonstration of a brand new 300mm advanced manufacturing facility addressing a multi-KET Pilot Line (i.e. Nanoelectronics, Nanotechnology, Advanced Manufacturing) ● Improvement in productivity and competitiveness of integrated IC solutions for smart power and power discrete technologies. The strategy of the project is the following: ● The Pilot Line will enable the realization of sub-100nm Smart Power processes, starting from the 90nm BCD10 process, taking profit from the advanced and peculiar equipments available only for 300mm wafer size. ● The availability of a 300mm full processing line will also exploit the portability to 300mm of the most critical and expensive process steps devoted to power discrete devices. ● The Pilot Line will build on Digital Factory and Industry 4.0 principles, enforcing a flexible, adaptive and reliable facility, in order to investigate also the synergy and economic feasibility of supporting both Smart Power and power discrete processes in the same manufacturing line. ● The application of such technologies will be a breakthrough enabler for Energy Efficiency and CO2 Reduction worldwide, in line with COP21’s global action plan. The Pilot Line is based on three main pillars: 1. Market driven continuous innovation on smart-power and power discrete; 2. Industrial policy focused on high quality and mass production’s cost optimization; 3. Set the ground for future wafer upgrade of “More than Moore” disruptive technologies (e.g. advanced MEMS manufacturing, now at 200mm)