MIT’s Research Enterprise in Singapore has developed a commercially viable way to create new Silicon III-V Chips, paving the way for intelligent optoelectronic and 5G devices

• Commerciallyviable manufacturing process will make integrated Silicon III-V Chips availableby 2020
• NewSingapore-developed method does not require tens of billions in industryinvestments - leveraging old 200 mm manufacturing technology and breathing newlife into mature and depreciated manufacturing infrastructure
• IntegratedSilicon III-V chips will enable intelligent illumination and displays, and alsoovercome potential problems with 5G mobile technology.

LEESresearcher reviewing a 200 mm Silicon III-V wafer. The innovative andcommercial-ready process by LEES leverages existing 200 mm semiconductormanufacturing infrastructure to create a new generation of chips that combines traditionalSilicon with III-V devices, something not commercially viable before.

SINGAPORE - MediaOutReach - 30 September 2019 - TheSingapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MIT's Research Enterprise in Singapore, has announced thesuccessful development of a commercially viable way to manufacture integratedSilicon III-V Chips with high-performance III-V devices inserted into theirdesign.

In mostdevices today, silicon-based CMOS chips are used for computing, but they arenot efficient for illumination and communications, resulting in low efficiencyand heat generation. This is why current 5G mobile devices on the market get very hot upon use andwould shut down after a short time.

This iswhere III-V semiconductors are valuable. III-V chips are made from elements inthe 3rd and 5th columns of the elemental periodic table such as Gallium Nitride(GaN) and Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs). Due to their unique properties,they are exceptionally well suited for optoelectronics (LEDs) andcommunications (5G etc) - boosting efficiency substantially.

"Byintegrating III-V into silicon, we can build upon existing manufacturingcapabilities and low-cost volume production techniques of silicon and includethe unique optical and electronic functionality of III-V technology," saidEugene Fitzgerald, CEO and Director, SMART, MIT's Research Enterprise inSingapore. "The new chips will be at the heart of future product innovation andpower the next generation of communications devices, wearables and displays."

KennethLee, Senior Scientific Director of the SMART LEES research program adds:"However, integrating III-V semiconductor devices with silicon in acommercially viable way is one of the most difficult challenges faced by thesemiconductor industry, even though such integrated circuits have been desiredfor decades. Current methods are expensive and inefficient, which is delayingthe availability of the chips the industry needs. With our new process, we canleverage existing capabilities to manufacture these new integrated SiliconIII-V chips cost-effectively and accelerate the development and adoption of newtechnologies that will power economies."  

The newtechnology developed by SMART builds two layers of silicon and III-V devices onseparate substrates and integrates them verticallytogether within a micron, which is 1/50th the diameter of a human hair. Theprocess can use existing 200mm manufacturing tools, which will allowsemiconductor manufacturers in Singapore and around the world to make new useof their current equipment. Today, the cost of investing in a new manufacturingtechnology is in the range of tens of billions of dollars, thus this newintegrated circuit platform is highly cost-effective and will result in muchlower cost novel circuits and electronic systems.

SMART is focusing on creating new chips forpixelated illumination/display and 5G markets, which has a combined potentialmarket of over $100B USD. Other markets that SMART's new integrated SiliconIII-V chips will disrupt include wearable mini-displays, virtual realityapplications, and other imaging technologies.

Thepatent portfolio has been exclusively licensed by New Silicon Corporation Pte.Ltd. (NSC), a Singapore-based spin-off from SMART. NSC is the first fablesssilicon integrated circuit company with proprietary materials, processes,devices, and design for monolithic integrated Silicon III-V circuits(www.new-silicon.com).

SMART'snew integrated Silicon III-V chips will be available next year and expected inproducts by 2021.

Highresolution images are available at this link.

About Low Energy Electronic Systems (LEES) Interdisciplinary Research Group (IRG)

SMART'sLow Energy Electronic Systems (LEES) IRG is creating new integrated circuittechnologies that result in increased functionality, lower power consumptionand higher performance for electronic systems. These integrated circuits of thefuture will impact applications in wireless communications, power electronics,LED lighting, and displays. LEES has a vertically-integrated research teampossessing expertise in materials, devices, and circuits, comprising multipleindividuals with professional experience within the semiconductorindustry.  This ensures that the researchis targeted to meet the needs of the semiconductor industry both withinSingapore and globally.

For more information, please logon to:  https://www.circuit-innovation.org

About Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART)

Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research andTechnology (SMART) is MIT's Research Enterprise inSingapore, established by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) inpartnership with the National Research Foundation of Singapore (NRF) since2007.  SMART is the first entity in theCampus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE)developed by NRF.  SMART serves as anintellectual and innovation hub for research interactions between MIT andSingapore. Cutting-edge research projects in areas of interest to bothSingapore and MIT are undertaken at SMART. SMART currently comprises anInnovation Centre and six Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs): AntimicrobialResistance (AMR), BioSystems and Micromechanics (BioSyM), Critical Analyticsfor Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP), Disruptive & SustainableTechnologies for Agricultural Precision (DiSTAP), Future Urban Mobility (FM)and Low Energy Electronic Systems (LEES).