8 March 2011

France’s CEA-Leti joins III-V Lab

In a move targeted at strengthening its industrial research capabilities, the private laboratory III-V Lab has been joined by the micro- and nanotechnology R&D center CEA-Leti of Grenoble, France.

III-V Lab is a joint venture between Paris-based communications technologies provider Alcatel-Lucent (which also includes the communications research center Bell Labs) and French defense & aerospace contractor Thales SA. The JV is located south of Paris in what will become the heart of the Paris Sud Saclay project, a major science and technology park that will combine research organizations, universities, Grandes Ecoles and corporate facilities. CEA-Leti is the Laboratory for Electronics & Information Technology within the French government’s research and technology organization CEA.

Aiming to open up new research opportunities, the new public–private partnership will combine III-V compound semiconductor and silicon technologies, and include more than 130 researchers, technicians, and doctoral candidates.

The new partnership leverages the respective expertise of the three players in silicon, microelectronics and heterogeneous integration, bringing specific benefits in:

• the integration of the speed, power and optical capabilities of III-V components on silicon CMOS integrated circuits;

• development of smarter, smaller components with innovative features by heterogeneously integrating active III-V components (optical, microwave, high-power components) with silicon circuits and microsystems; and

• the production of III-V components on silicon substrates and in silicon microelectronic manufacturing lines to reduce costs.

Since being established in 2004, III-V Lab has already enabled the rapid development of a common platform for dual-use optoelectronic and microelectronic technology for markets including telecoms, space, defense and security. CEA-Leti will significantly broaden the scope of the lab’s target applications by combining its IP and expertise in silicon, microelectronics and microsystems and in heterogeneous integration.

Focusing on practical applications for the combined potential of semiconductors and silicon, III-V Lab will focus on four main areas of research:

• integrated photonic circuits that combine the active and passive functions of III-Vs and silicon for high-speed telecoms and data transfer;

• high-power and microwave gallium nitride (GaN)-based microelectronics to increase the power density, robustness, energy efficiency and compactness of telecoms, avionics, satellite, defense, energy and transport systems;

• a new generation of cost-effective, compact, ultra-sensitive, highly selective gas sensors for use in security, industrial process control, and environmental monitoring;

• thermal and near-infrared imagery for security and defense applications (the lab aims to develop new types of detectors with increased resolution while reducing overall cost and speeding their adoption in the industrial-quality control, transportation and environmental markets).

“Their excellence in silicon will bring some exciting collaboration opportunities for the III-V Lab,” says Gee Rittenhouse (head of research at Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs) about CEA-Leti. “III-V semiconductors have already made a strong impact in optical telecommunications, providing several innovative breakthroughs, and the integration in a silicon microelectronic platform is on our roadmap to further improve performance, cost and energy consumption,” he adds.

“As the third partner in the III-V lab, Leti adds deep expertise and essential silicon capabilities to our existing strengths in III-V semiconductors, opening broader opportunities for innovation,” says Marko Erman, Thales’ senior VP Research & Technology. “Thales will be provided stronger competitive advantages through the III-V Lab, thanks to the early availability for system developments of new components with breakthrough performances,” he adds.

“Each of us brings very specific and complementary expertise to our pursuit of common goals,” comments Leti’s CEO Laurent Malier. “Moreover, each partner can capitalize on the developments and transfer new technologies to our customers,” he adds.

Tags: CEA-Leti Alcatel-Lucent Thales III-V Lab

Visit: www.3-5lab.fr

Visit: www.leti.fr

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