Our shortlist of highlights:
- World-leading in nanoelectronics R&D
- Advancing semiconductor and system scaling
- Advancing quantum and superconducting computing
- Advancing connectivity
- Advancing sensing and actuation
- AI for enhanced insigths
- Towards sustainable mobility
- Better healthcare at lower cost
- Towards sustainable energy production
- Imec venturing
- Highlight video
World-leading in nanoelectronics R&D
In 2024, we celebrated our 40th anniversary. 40 years in which we have grown to become the world leader in nanoelectronics R&D and digital technologies, with more than 5,500 employees from across the world and more than 600 companies partnering in our R&D programs on nanoelectronics innovation and its applications in health, automotive, AI, manufacturing, ...
A great confirmation of our world-leading status was the allocation of €1.45B by the European Union (Horizon Europe and Digital Europe) and Flanders for hosting the NanoIC pilot line in the framework of the EU Chips Act. This amount will be topped with financial contributions from industry partners. ASML for example has already committed to investing €1.05B.
Rendering of the NanoIC pilotline that will be constructed as an extension of the already existing imec pilot line facilities at its HQ in Leuven, Belgium.
In June, 2024, we announced the opening of the High NA EUV Lithography Lab in Veldhoven (the Netherlands), a lab jointly run by ASML and imec. It marks a milestone in preparing High NA EUV lithography for accelerated adoption in mass manufacturing. Also in the Netherlands, we closely collaborated on integrated photonics within the PhotonDelta initiative, entered into a new strategic collaboration with our Dutch counterpart TNO on high power laser technology, and celebrated the 5th anniversary of OnePlanet Research Center. Imec Cambridge UK was established as a first legal entity of imec in the United Kingdom, and we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Spanish government and the regional government of Andalusia, outlining our intention to establish a specialized chip technology pilot line in Malaga (Andalusia) to complement our 300mm advanced CMOS process line in Leuven with new 300mm processes and materials that pave the road to promising new technologies in health care, life sciences, photonics, augmented and virtual reality, precision sensing, ... Our CEO Luc Van den hove visited the Málaga TechPark and Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez and Belgian’s prime minister Alexander De Croo were welcomed at our headquarters in Leuven.
From left to right: Luc Van den hove (imec), Peter Vanoppen (ASML), Christophe Fouquet (ASML), Ann Kelleher (Intel) holding the first exposed wafers of the High NA EUV Lab (2024).
In April 2024, we welcomed the EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council with United States Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and European Commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis, Thierry Breton and Margrethe Vestager at our headquarters in Leuven, to discuss the importance of transatlantic semiconductor research collaboration. Our strategic partnerships with technology centers in the USA with complimentary expertise and infrastructure were further formalized and concretized, and we launched star (Semiconductor Technology, Talent and Automotive Research). In Florida (US), Plug and Play Tech Center officially joined NeoCity, positioning NeoCity as an innovation hub that drives semiconductor research and development and brings advanced prototyping capabilities to the region.
United States Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and European Commissioner and Margrethe Vestager visiting imec HQ in Leuven during the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (2024).
In November, we signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Hokkaido University, a prestigious institution in Sapporo (Japan) to collaborate on advancing semiconductor technology.
Advancing semiconductor and system scaling
The entire semiconductor industry is currently going through a disruptive transformation. Not only is scaling becoming extremely difficult and expensive; the industry is also facing severe power and speed roadblocks in their complex systems. To answer these new challenges, imec complements its technology R&D with R&D on new system designs and on system-technology co-optimization (STCO) to translate the future system needs and bottlenecks into the technology requirements. In 2024, we introduced a new standard cell architecture – the double-row CFET leading to process simplification and significant logic and SRAM cell area reduction.
On the technology side, we presented for the first time electrically functional CMOS CFET devices with stacked bottom and top source/drain contacts at VLSI 2024, we demonstrated breakthrough achievements on key processes for High NA EUV lithography, and demonstrated the first logic and DRAM structures, obtained after exposure with the 0.55NA EUV scanner. We introduced a 3D charge-coupled device (CCD) with IGZO channel as buffer memory for data-intensive compute applications, and a Cu-to-Cu and SiCN-to-SiCN die-to-wafer bonding process resulting in a Cu bond pad pitch of only 2µm at <350nm die-to-wafer overlay error, achieving good electrical yield.
CFET devices with MDI and stacked frontside patterned contacts (VLSI, 2024).
Another field that is becoming increasingly significant given the growing environmental footprint of our industry is sustainability. Using imec.netzero, imec’s virtual fab model to quantify the impact of CMOS processes, we showed that advanced node lithography and etch related processes contribute the most to direct emissions of CO2, accounting for over 40% of advanced logic node Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. We also proposed more sustainable patterning directions. Given the importance we attach to sustainability, we launched an Ambassador program with ambassadors across imec that will ensure that environmental impact is introduced as a parameter in key imec projects.
Advancing quantum and superconducting computing
In 2024, imec demonstrated for the first time an industry-scale fabrication process for semiconducting qubits –achieving high reproducibility, low noise, and high yield. The results were presented in two high impact papers.
Si spin qubits manufactured with state-of-the-art 300mm integration flows (Nature Photonics, 2024).
At IEDM 2024, we also presented three functional building blocks of a superconducting digital circuit, fabricated with industry-compatible processes. Superconducting digital systems are expected to revolutionize the roadmaps for AI and HPC.
Advancing connectivity
As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the demand for seamless, high-speed, and reliable wired and wireless connectivity becomes paramount. In 2024, we realized technology to meet the demands of our future communication infrastructure. We presented a compact 32-channel silicon-based wavelength filter addressing the requirements for the next generation short-reach optical interconnects in high-performance AI/ML compute clusters. We presented a D-band beamforming transmitter featuring superior output power and energy efficiency, a new ADC architecture that offers high power efficiency and a very compact footprint, while promising to enable exceptional conversion speeds, a best-in-class ADC for base stations that supports RF sampling, operates across multiple frequency bands (up to 5GHz), and combines high resolution and high linearity with low power consumption and a single-channel handset ADC that achieves record-breaking power efficiency through multi-bit pipelined stages and background calibration. At IEDM 2024, we show seamless hetero-integration of InP chiplets on a 300mm RF silicon interposer, a significant milestone in developing compact, energy-efficient modules for above 100GHz communication and radar sensing.
Imec’s CMOS-based state-of-the-art ADCs (VLSI, 2024).
Advancing sensing and actuation
Leveraging the exceptional capability of semiconductor technology to downscale prices and form factors, imec is developing a wide range of sensors and actuator technologies enabling new applications in domains such as life sciences, agrifood, infotainment, mobility, etc. In 2024, we presented a perovskite LED stack, emitting light a thousand times brighter than state-of-the-art OLEDs. This result, published in Nature Photonics, is a milestone towards a perovskite injection laser for image projection, environmental sensing, medical diagnostics, ...
Imec's transparent perovskite light emitting diodes emitting light a thousand times brighter than state-of-the-art OLEDs (Nature Photonics, 2024).
In the Belgian project Q-COMIRSE, we developed a prototype shortwave infrared (SWIR) image sensor based on lead-free quantum dots, a critical step toward mass-market infrared imaging with low-cost and non-toxic photodiodes. And we added a new hyperspectral sensor to our portfolio addressing stringent signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) requirements for earth observation from small satellites. The new sensor enables high quality images for a range of multi- and hyperspectral imaging applications from space, including monitoring of food systems, agriculture, biodiversity, water and air quality, and mining.
Imec’s new multi- and hyperspectral imaging sensor for space applications (2024).
AI for enhanced insigths
Artificial intelligence is an extremely valuable tool to provide enhanced insight and crucial information through massive data analysis. Together with KU Leuven we used deep reinforcement learning techniques to optimize a Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical recipe, reducing solvent usage, time, and costs by up to 30 percent, with less waste production, a purer product, and energy savings of up to 10 percent. In a project with Procter&Gamble and Allnex, we implemented a transparent explainable AI model to enhance interaction with tool operators. This interaction allowed the AI model to learn based on input from the operator and his underlying experience. Vice versa, it also resulted in a shortened learning cycle for less experienced operators.
The imec.digimeter, an annual study on digitalization in Flanders, revealed that Flemish public has discovered the possibilities of AI, but that the digital divide gained an additional dimension with AI. To support teachers to get started with generative AI tools in the classroom in a well-considered and responsible way, imec and KU Leuven launched a free e-learning about AI for teachers.
Towards sustainable mobility
Imec harnesses a wide range of expertise to address sustainable mobility from multiple perspectives, developing technology and sensor fusion for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), in-cabin sensing, and chiplet technology for power-efficient and reliable high-performance computing in future software-defined vehicles. Additionally, imec is focused on technologies and solutions for wireless communication between vehicles and their environments and on battery technology.
Within the H2020 SOLiDIFY consortium, we developed with 13 European partners a prototype of a high-performance lithium-metal solid-state battery through a manufacturing process that is both cost-effective and adaptable to existing lithium-ion battery production lines.
Imec's prototype high-performance lithium-metal solid-state battery pouch cell (Solidify, 2024).
We launched the Automotive Chiplet Program (ACP) with Arm, ASE, BMW Group, Bosch, Cadence Design Systems, Inc., Siemens, SiliconAuto, Synopsys, Tenstorrent and Valeo committing to join. At ISSCC 2024, we presented a low-power ultra-wideband (UWB) receiver that is ten times more resilient against interference from Wi-Fi and (beyond) 5G signals than existing, state-of-the-art UWB devices. It is major step towards next-generation UWB applications, which are becoming increasingly safety-critical, such as child presence detection systems in cars, where reliability and assured availability are paramount. Also, we developed 'EdgeApp,' a network app to guarantee dynamic QoS (Quality of Service) in remote control applications. It was demonstrated at MobileWorld2024 in a remote vessel control demo hosted by Nokia.
Imec's new impulse radio (IR) UWB receiver chip, achieving lowest power consumption (7.6mW) and 10x improved interference resilience (ISSCC, 2024).
In May 2024, Mobilidata launched a pilot study with autonomous and remotely operated cars to gather insights that can support the introduction of these vehicles in Flanders in a well-founded, safe and future-oriented manner.
Better healthcare at lower cost
Semiconductor technologies are transforming all aspects of healthcare, from research and pharma manufacturing, to more personalized prevention, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Together with Sarcura GmbH, we presented a proof-of-concept of an on-chip flow cytometer for the detection and discrimination of human leukocytes. It marks a significant stride towards cost-effective, scalable, and highly parallelized cell analysis.
Imec and Sarcura's on-chip flow cytometer (2024).
At ISSCC 2024, we introduced an ultrasound-based proof-of-concept for wireless powering of implantable neural devices, the smallest, lowest power consuming, wireless ultrasound powering unit among state-of-the-art systems. At VLSI 2024, we presented a high-density readout IC for multiplexed channels enabling large-scale recordings of brain-surface activity; a new neural probe for deep-brain recordings, featuring record-high channel count and improved performance compared to the state-of-the-art; and a novel technique to suppress stimulation artifacts in brain recordings that holds promise for combined stimulation/recording implants.
Imec's ultrasound-based proof-of-concept wireless powering chip of only 0.75mm×1.88mm shown separately, fabricated in 65nm CMOS, and fully integrated on a PCB with PMUT transducer (ISSCC, 2024).
Towards sustainable energy production
While solar power stands as a vital player in the quest for sustainable energy, its unpredictable nature challenges accurate energy (and financial) yield predictions. Within their partnership at EnergyVille, imec and UHasselt have tackled this challenge by developing an Energy Yield Model that considers light, temperature, and electrical dynamics within solar panels to offers unparalleled precision in yield prediction.
Imec venturing
Positioned at the heart of the tech semiconductor ecosystem, imec leverages its expertise in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, along with its extensive venturing experience, to guide deep tech as well as digital startups to successful market introduction. We launched two new imec spin-offs in 2024. Brailsports, an imec, University of Antwerp and UGent spin-off, is developing an AI-based platform that supports athletes and their coaches to determine optimal training volume and adjust training schedules based on data. Skinetix, an imec/VUB spin-off brings together expertise in sensor technology and AI to develop a platform that supports professional athletes to maximize performance and rehabilitate faster.
Sportswear with integrated sensors records detailed movement and muscle activity (Skinetix, 2024).
Imec.xpand launched new €300M fund to supercharge semiconductor and nanotechnology breakthroughs, and our imec.istart acceleration program launched the imec.istart future fund for Seed and Series A funding of digital startups. Next to Belgium and the Netherlands, imec.istart started operations in Italy. In 2024, over 40 new startups have joined the program.
