Sustainable Indium Phosphide (InP) platform and ecosystem upscaling, enabling future mass market (sub-)THz applications

Project Information

Move2THz

Grant agreement ID: 101139842

DOI

10.3030/101139842

EC signature date 16 May 2024

Start date 1 June 2024

End date 31 May 2027

Funded under

• Digital, Industry and Space

Total cost

€ 38 820 454,45

EU contribution

€ 11 963 652,14

Coordinated by

SOITEC SA
France

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Move2THz (Sustainable Indium Phosphide (InP) platform and ecosystem upscaling, enabling future mass market (sub-)THz applications)

Reporting period: 2024-06-01 to 2025-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Indium Phosphide (InP) has outstanding and unique capabilities to surpass other technologies in terms of high-frequency performance.
Today, InP is only adopted in niche markets because of its costly and scarce substrates.
Move2THz aims to transform the InP platform providing commercially attractive, ecology-friendly, mass-market suitable substrates and technologies for sub-THz frequency operation, mobile/data connectivity and sensing.
The overarching objectives of the project are:
MO1 : To provide a competitive facility for the high volume InP manufacturing in Europe, ready to use for industry​,
MO2 : To foster and leverage a European ecosystem on InP from the material to the application level and widen the market adoption,
MO3 : To demonstrate an overall CO2 footprint reduction all along the product life cycle, from cradle to grave.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Over the first period the Move2Thz value chain achieved:
In WP1: Specification requirements achieved after significant discussion and workshops, guidelines defined for the LCA​
In WP2: preliminary 100mm InPoSi substrates and bulk developed and sampled​
In WP3: Both MOCVD and MBE epitaxy growth on InPoSi substrates successfully developed​
In WP4: Several partners have fabricated their first set of HBT/HEMT devices, with good and comparable performance observed on InPoSi and InP substrates
In WP5: preliminary design work, leveraging the PDK provided by DIRAMICS, ETHZ, and III-V lab
In WP6: strong visual identity, templates, communication tools, project website, social media channels, video-sharing platforms, and printed promotional material and dissemination activities in target events.
In WP7: organization of the Kick-off meeting, the 6M & 12M General Assembly meetings, and the first two SC meetings. Tools, plans, and strategies were elaborated to cope with CHIPS JU requirements.​

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The technological developments underway in Move2THz are all breakthrough results including 7 patents and encompassing :
- A First European 150mm InP bulk by FCM,
- First Worldwide InPoSi substrates developed and tested by several partners in 100mm, 150mm,
- A first Worldwide 200mm InPoSi combining the tilling and Smart Cut process was realized, the test is underway and will be released,
- A first 300mm MOCVD Reactor Prototype​ was designed and built; it will be installed and validated in Period 2,
- Validation of reliable Epitaxy growth on InPoSi substrates enabling to provide the first HBT and HEMT stacks,
- A first Worldwide HBT and HEMT devices on InPoSi substrates. A journal paper was published showing a benchmark with standard device on InP bulk,
- The characterization and simulation platforms including 500GHz RF test capabilities up and running.
The second period will use these results to pave the way for exploitation on photonics and RF markets.

Project Logo