Project description
Affordable low-noise indium phosphide-based amplifiers
Low-noise amplifiers are critical circuit components in radio and other signal receivers. The high production costs of indium phosphide semiconductors have limited their use to niche applications. The EU-funded project Diramics aims to develop a low-cost indium phosphide production method for low-noise amplifiers to enable their widespread use. New technologies such as millimetre waves, which play a significant role in communication, radar, and remote sensing technology, will benefit.
Objective
Low Noise Amplifiers (LNAs) are vital components of communications receivers and remote sensing receivers. Continually evolving applications require continually better LNA performance, at higher frequency and bandwidth, but existing LNA technologies do not deliver low noise performance or high efficiency in a cost-effective manner. As a result, the deployment of some emerging strategic technologies, such as 5G communications or mm-Wave remote sensing, is held up.
Indium Phosphide (InP) semiconductors have a long history in very low noise performance LNAs, but have to date been very expensive to produce. This has limited their use to niche high-end applications such as radio astronomy. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, has been producing advanced InP High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) for over a decade. These have been deployed with e.g. the European Space Agency ESTRACK deep space communications network. The technology has a proven track record: a noise figure 58% below the state-of-the-art, and a 60% higher data rate with flagship European deep space probes.
Swiss startup Diramics AG was spun off from ETH in 2016, to commercialise a production methodology to bring InP technology to broader markets at a competitive cost. Diramics has raised €722k in funding, and has already sold €220k of its initial pH-100 discrete pHEMT transistors. Now, Diramics is developing higher-value InP products, including Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs) and LNA Modules to fill the clear gap in higher volume markets.
This project is the first step in bringing these products to market, within 4 years. We forecast €27M in revenues by 2024 and 150 FTEs, addressing a €100Ms LNA market.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering information engineering telecommunications telecommunications networks mobile network 5G
- engineering and technology mechanical engineering vehicle engineering aerospace engineering satellite technology
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy observational astronomy radio astronomy
- engineering and technology environmental engineering remote sensing
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering computer hardware quantum computers
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.3. - PRIORITY 'Societal challenges
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H2020-EU.2.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
6312 Steinhaussen
Switzerland
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.