World-leading nanoelectronics research center imec and Kaneka Corporation, a Japanese leading manufacturer of chemical specialties and solar cells, today announced that they have signed a new three year framework agreement that strengthens and extends their comprehensive R&D collaboration. Next to working on next generation solar cells, under this frame agreement imec and Kaneka will explore new applications in life science and thin-film electronics.

Imec and Ghent University present, for the first time, arrays of indium phosphide lasers monolithically integrated on 300mm silicon substrates in a CMOS pilot line. This breakthrough achievement, published in Nature Photonics, provides a path toward high-volume manufacturing of cost-effective photonic integrated circuits (PICs) with monolithically integrated laser sources. Such laser-powered PICs will revolutionize data transfer between future logic and memory chips.

At this week’s Meeting of the International Microelectronics Assembly and Packaging Society (IMAPS 2015), imec and CMST (imec’s associated lab at Ghent University) present a novel technology for thermoplastically deformable electronics enabling low-cost 2.5D free-form rigid electronic objects. The technology is under evaluation in Philips LED lamp carriers, a downlight luminaire and a omnidirectional lightsource, to demonstrate the potential of this technology in innovative lighting applications.

At this week’s European PV Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC) nano-electronics research center imec will present achievements covering the broad spectrum of imec’s comprehensive photovoltaic-related research. Imec’s scientists and researchers will present its latest results in n-PERT solar cells, perovskite solar cell technology and its emerging PV energy yield prediction modeling.

Today, imec, the world-leading nanoelectronics research center, Holst Centre (set up by imec and The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, TNO), and the Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) faculty of Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), announced the introduction of a new wireless electroencephalogram (EEG) headset that can be worn comfortably and achieves a high-quality EEG signal. The headset enables effective brain-computer interfacing and can monitor emotions and mood in daily life situations using a smartphone application.

World-leading nano-electronics research center imec announced today that it is extending its Gallium Nitride-on-Silicon (GaN-on-Si) R&D program, and is now offering joint research on GaN-on-Si 200mm epitaxy and enhancement mode device technology. The extended R&D initiative includes exploration of novel substrates to improve the quality of the epitaxial layers, new isolation modules to increase the level of integration, and the development of advanced vertical devices. Imec welcomes new partners interested in next generation GaN technologies and companies looking for low-volume manufacturing of GaN-on-Si devices to enable the next generation of more efficient and compact power converters.

Nano-electronics research center imec announced today at SEMICON West that it has demonstrated concept and feasibility for pore-sealing low-k dielectrics in advanced interconnects. The method, based on the self-assembly of an organic monolayer, paves the way to scaling interconnects beyond N5.

Today, at SEMICON WEST 2015 (San Francisco), world-leading nano-electronics research center imec and Besi, a global equipment supplier for the semiconductor and electronics industries announced that they have jointly developed an automated thermocompression solution for narrow-pitch die-to-wafer bonding, a method by which singulated dies are stacked onto bottom dies which are still part of a fully intact 300mm wafer. The solution features high accuracy and high throughput, paving the way to a manufacturable 2.5D, 3D, and 2.5D/3D hybrid technology.

Nano-electronics research center imec and SPTS Technologies, an Orbotech company (NASDAQ: ORBK) and supplier of advanced wafer processing solutions for the global semiconductor and related industries, announced today at SEMICON West that they are jointly developing a highly accurate, short cycle-time dry silicon removal and low temperature passivation solution for through-silicon via-middle processing and thinning of the top-wafer in wafer-to-wafer bonding.

Today, imec and Holst Centre (set up by imec and TNO) are demonstrating the most advanced smart garment to date at the Imec Technology Forum (ITF) in Brussels. The smart t-shirt measures a highly accurate electrocardiogram (ECG), recognizes activity and calculates energy expenditure in an unobtrusive way. The smart t-shirt allows for maximum user comfort and natural movement.