Descrizione del progetto
Una nuova tecnologia per i futuri dispositivi dell’Internet delle cose (IoT)
Al di là di laptop e smartphone, esistono miliardi di altri dispositivi connessi a Internet, come ad esempio i frigoriferi intelligenti capaci di stilare la lista della spesa. Il cuore di ogni tipo di dispositivo IoT è costituito da un microcontrollore provvisto di transistor logici per l’elaborazione dei dati e di una memoria non volatile incorporata per l’archiviazione dei dati. La gran parte dei microcontrollori è prodotta a nodi da 40 nm o superiori. I nodi tecnologici più piccoli, come ad esempio quelli di 28 nm, promettono una potenza e costi inferiori, un aspetto fondamentale per l’adozione dell’IoT. In questo contesto, il progetto IoTMemory, finanziato dall’UE, cercherà una soluzione, ovvero una nuova tecnologia di memoria non volatile incorporata. In particolare, i ricercatori delineeranno una via chiara verso celle di memoria non volatile incorporata anche a nodi da 7 nm, i più tecnologicamente avanzati attualmente disponibili.
Obiettivo
Serving the €17bn microcontroller industry: Every IoT device needs a microcontroller (MCU). Each MCU has logic transistors for processing data and eNVM (flash) for storing data, among other components. Most microcontrollers today are manufactured at 40nm nodes or above. Smaller technology nodes, like 28nm, promise lower power and lower cost, critical for IoT adoption. Logic transistor scale down fine to 28nm and below. But Flash does not scale down to smaller technology nodes – the effects of Moore’s law have hit a physical limit at 28nm for Flash memory; writing data will destroy them. Consequentially, the benefits of 28nm will be denied to MCU vendors, unless a new eNVM technology is found.
FeFET, the ferroelectric field effect transistor by FMC, is based on the discovery that hafnium oxide, the gate material of modern logic transistors, can be modified such that it becomes ferro-electric. By applying a positive or negative voltage, the material can store a 0 or 1. The gate remembers the state even when power is turned off – the transistor becomes a non-volatile memory cell. As hafnium oxide retains ferro electricity to at least 2nm film thickness, we have clear path to eNVM cells even at the 7nm node – the most advanced technology node available today.
In Phase 1, FMC wants to better understand the technical requirements in various sectors of the microcontroller market, develop a communication approach, and develop a detailed plan how to meet their application specific functional and performance requirements.
Today, FMC is focused on advancing its technology from TRL5 to TRL6 to satisfy minimum viable product properties ahead of commencing prototype production. In Phase 2, FMC will use the base technology to create a range of custom-specific memory macros that satisfy the requirement of different market segments and customer types (TRL7-8).
The company should reach more than 115M€ revenues by 2024 provided it can raise the required financing.
Campo scientifico
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringmanufacturing engineering
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesinternetinternet of things
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensorsoptical sensors
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrytransition metals
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesartificial intelligencemachine learningdeep learning
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Invito a presentare proposte
Vedi altri progetti per questo bandoBando secondario
H2020-SMEInst-2018-2020-1
Meccanismo di finanziamento
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinatore
01099 Dresden
Germania
L’organizzazione si è definita una PMI (piccola e media impresa) al momento della firma dell’accordo di sovvenzione.