Imec

imec (Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre), Imek is an international micro- and nanoelectronic research center in Leuven (Belgium) with branches in the Netherlands, Taiwan, China, India, the USA and Japan. imec explores the possibilities of creating new generations of micro- and nanoelectronic devices, which will be mass-produced in 3-10 years.

History

2022: Presenting a roadmap for the microelectronics industry

The International Research Center in Leuven, Belgium (Imec) has published a roadmap for the microelectronics industry for the next 15 years. This became known on May 24, 2022. The plan includes a feasibility study and a strategy for designing the latest generation of chips. If the IT sector accepts the center's offer, all leading companies will have a step-by-step chipset plan until 2036. At the same time, already in 2030, Imec envisages the creation of a processor with a size of less than one nanometer - 7 angstroms (0.7 nm). And it will be orders of magnitude more productive than the most advanced solutions implemented in the processes of 7 and 5 nm.

As Tom's Hardware notes, Imec is not the most public, but one of the most influential enterprises in the IT sector, along with the Taiwanese TSMC and the Dutch ASML. The center's list of customers includes Apple, Intel, Samsung, Microsoft and many others, and the company itself acts as an analogue of Silicon Valley for semiconductor engineers. As a rule, Imec works as a link between certification agencies, IT giants and chip manufacturers.

In the case of the road map, Imec is going to become not only a link, but also a mentor for the entire semiconductor industry. The center wants to standardize progress in the design of chips. If manufacturers adopt the introduced rules, according to representatives of the center, the development and assembly of chips will be greatly simplified. This means that ASML will assemble machines for manufacturing processors according to certain drawings, TSMC will be able to prepare appropriate enterprises for these machines, and companies like Apple, Intel and Samsung will be ready in advance to create suitable gadgets.

Imec explained that the development and production of chips in recent years has been actively growing in price and complexity. Therefore, in addition to democratizing technology for consumers, the roadmap is also necessary for enterprises themselves. In its presentation, the center proposed developing semiconductors in accordance with the Moore Act, according to which the number of transistors on the circuit should double every two years, but with small adjustments. Imec wants to create a "three-way solution" for scaling chips - with the help of new materials, production equipment and software.

The Imec white paper details each development phase, including the companies that should be involved and the estimated implementation dates. In particular, the center calculated that the turning point in the semiconductor sector will be in 2030^[1].

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