News: Microelectronics
23 May 2025
Singapore’s A*STAR’s inaugural Innovate Together event launches first industry-grade 200mm silicon carbide Open R&D Line
At SEMICON Southeast Asia 2025, Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) hosted the inaugural Innovate Together event — designed as a convergence point for industry, academia and the public sector — where it unveiled initiatives, strategic global partnerships, and new research platforms.
“Singapore’s semiconductor ecosystem is built on strong collaborations between public agencies, academia, and industry partners,” notes professor Yeo Yee Chia, deputy chief executive (Innovation & Enterprise) at A*STAR. “The Innovate Together event exemplifies our commitment to fostering these partnerships and accelerating innovation to address industry challenges and capture new opportunities in the global semiconductor landscape.”
Innovate Together featured expertise from leading institutions on key technological areas that are considered to be key to the future of Singapore’s semiconductor industry. Speakers from A*STAR, National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), and the National Semiconductor Translation and Innovation Centre (NSTIC) shared the latest insights on advanced packaging, photonics, MEMS, and mmWave and beyond.
First industry-grade 200mm silicon carbide open R&D line
At the heart of Innovate Together was the launch by the A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics (A*STAR IME) of the world’s first industry-grade 200mm silicon carbide (SiC) open R&D line. Designed to enable and accelerate joint silicon carbide innovation between researchers and companies (from materials growth and defect analysis to device fabrication and testing), the facility is intended to strengthen Singapore’s capabilities in wide-bandgap semiconductor research and address future demands for high-power applications.
The Open R&D Line addresses key challenges faced in the development of SiC devices, including the high cost of industry-grade tools, limited access to advanced technologies, complex and fragmented development processes, and the lack of collaboration and knowledge sharing.
It is reckoned that, by offering a complete suite of SiC development and pilot manufacturing capabilities under one roof, the Open R&D Line increases the speed of R&D by eliminating the fragmented R&D processes that previously required researchers and companies to work with multiple facilities.
The Open R&D Line should enable the development of advanced technologies by having a close partnership with key equipment OEMs and materials suppliers — ASM, centrotherm, Nissin, Soitec and Toray — who have contributed their latest technologies and are co-developing their next-generation products with A*STAR:
- ASM’s PE1O8 tool for depositing high-quality SiC epitaxial layers;
- centrotherm’s c.ACTIVATOR 200 and c.OXIDATOR 200 tools for high-temperature SiC annealing and oxidation;
- Nissin’s first and only in-situ x-ray diffraction capability for the SiC ion implantation process;
- Soitec’s SmartSiC semiconductor engineered substrate technology;
- Toray’s innovative materials for SiC power module packaging products.
Several global and local companies have partnered with A*STAR IME to utilize the Open R&D Line’s capabilities, highlighting strong industry demand for such collaborative platforms:
- STMicroelectronics is leveraging engineering capabilities and tools to develop ways to streamline its manufacturing processes and improve the quality of its SiC devices;
- One of the world’s top foundries is developing key process technologies through the Open R&D Line, with the intention to scale up production of advanced SiC devices;
- WaferLead, a local start-up, is using the Open R&D Line to develop, evaluate and enhance the performance and reliability of its wafers.
Lab-in-Fab phase 2 and EDA Garage
A*STAR also unveiled two other initiatives to strengthen Singapore’s semiconductor research and innovation capabilities:
- Phase two of Lab-in-Fab, a 200mm R&D and manufacturing line focused on piezoelectric micro-electro-mechanical systems (piezoMEMS), involving partners STMicroelectronics, ULVAC, and the National University of Singapore. This aims to leverage Singapore’s R&D ecosystem to accelerate the development of new piezoelectric materials and devices.
- EDA Garage, an initiative that will provide local companies, especially start-ups and SMEs, with cost-effective access to advanced electronic design automation (EDA) tools. This aims to nurture local semiconductor companies and enable them to innovate faster and better.
Advancing semiconductor talent and technologies through global collaborations
To kickstart international collaborations in semiconductor training and R&D, A*STAR IME has signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with key partners, including the Uzeltexsanoat Association representing Uzbekistan’s electronics sector, the Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association (SSIA), the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT KGP), and the Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS. These partnerships pave the way for internship programs, joint research projects, and knowledge exchange through training and knowledge sharing activities.
At the sidelines of the SEMICON Southeast Asia event, A*STAR also formalized its partnerships with GlobalFoundries and Nearfield Instruments, to expand capabilities in advanced packaging and to drive innovation in semiconductor metrology technologies.
Under an MOU, GlobalFoundries will gain access to A*STAR’s advanced R&D facilities, capabilities and technical support for technology development in advanced packaging and workforce skills enhancement. The multi-year research collaboration between A*STAR IME and semiconductor metrology firm Nearfield Instruments aims to accelerate the development of advanced metrology solutions that enable efficient chip production.
A*STAR and centrotherm partner on 200mm silicon carbide technology
LPE and A*STAR’s IME to develop high-quality 200mm SiC and specialty epitaxy processes
A*STAR’s IME and Soitec to co-develop silicon carbide for EVs and high-voltage electronics
ST and A*STAR’s IME team on silicon carbide R&D for automotive and industrial power electronics
