The TAKE5 project is the next in a chain of thematically connected ENIAC JU KET pilot line projects which are associated with 450mm/300mm development for the 10nm technology node and the ECSEL JU project SeNaTe aiming at the 7nm technology node. The main objective of the TAKE5 project is the demonstration of 5nm patterning in line with the industry needs and the ITRS roadmap in the Advanced Patterning Center at the imec pilot line using innovative design and technology co-optimization, layout and device architecture exploration, and comprising demonstration of a lithographic platform for EUV technology, advanced process and holistic metrology platforms and new materials. A lithography scanner will be developed based on EUV technology to achieve the 5nm module patterning specification. Metrology platforms need to be qualified for 5nm patterning of 1D, 2D and 3D geometries with the appropriate precision and accuracy. For the 5nm technology modules new materials will need to be introduced. Introduction of these new materials brings challenges for all involved deposition processes and the related equipment set. Next to new deposition processes also the interaction of the involved materials with subsequent etch steps will be studied. The project will be dedicated to find the best options for patterning. The project relates to the ECSEL work program topic Process technologies – More Moore. It addresses and targets as set out in the MASP at the discovery of new Semiconductor Process, Equipment and Materials solutions for advanced CMOS processes that enable the nano-structuring of electronic devices with 5nm resolution in high-volume manufacturing and fast prototyping. The project touches the core of the continuation of Moore’s law which has celebrated its 50th anniversary and covers all aspects of 5nm patterning development.

The challenges and major HiCONNECTS objectives are to transform the centralized cloud platform to decentralized platforms which include edge cloud computing in a sustainable, energy-efficient way. This will bring cloud services including Artificial Intelligence (AI) closer to the IOT end-users, which enables them to really use the COT and IOT efficiently. The technologies underpinning this revolutionary step include the development of high-performance computing, storage infrastructure, network interfaces and connecting media , and the analysis of IOT sensors and big data in real-time. This major step forward will enable, for example, the mobile clients (during the 5G deployment phase and 6G exploration) to move among different places with minimum cost, short response time and with stable connection between cloud nodes and mobile devices. The main underlying technology to be developed by the HiCONNECTS consortium, comprising large industrial players, universities and RTOs, and many SMEs, can be summarized under the title: heterogenous integration (HI) which is needed to meet the computing power, bandwidth, latency and sensing requirements for the next generation cloud and edge computing and applications. The HI revolution brings the electronic components and systems (ECS) into a new domain, which combines traditional silicon wafers integrated circuit (IC), InP based high speed electronics , and Si and InP photonics devices and interconnect. The HiCONNECTS ambition is to demonstrate, through HI development, a leap in computing and networking reliability and performances across the full vertical and horizontal ECS value chain (i.e. essential capabilities and key applications) in a sustainable way. In addition, HiCONNECTS will focus on the development of next generation design, algorithms, equipment (HW/SW), systems and Systems of Systems (SOS).

STREAM is a 4-year multi-site training network that aims at career development of Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) on scientific design, construction manufacturing and of advanced radiation instrumentation. STREAM targets the development of innovative radiation-hard, smart CMOS sensor technologies for scientific and industrial applications. The platform technology developed within the project will be tested in the demanding conditions posed by the CERN LHC detectors’ environment as well as European industry leaders in field of CMOS imaging, electron microscopy and radiation sensors. This leveraging factor will allow to fine-tune the technology to meet the requirements of industrial application cases on demand such as electron microscopy and medical X-ray imaging, as well as pathway towards novel application fields such as satellite environments, industrial X-ray systems and near-infrared imaging. The project will train a new generation of creative, entrepreneurial and innovative early-stage researchers and widen their academic career and employment opportunities. The STREAM consortium is composed of 10 research organisations and 5 industrial partners; the network will provide training to 17 ESRs. STREAM structures the research and training in four scientific work-packages which span the whole value-chain from research to application: CMOS Technologies Assessment, Smart Sensor Design and Layout, Validation and Qualification, Technology Integration, and Valorization.