New Cluster Reactor to Deliver a Total Solution for PLD Manufacturing of Thin Films for 5G Technology

Informazioni relative al progetto

5G-TRAIN

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 969418

DOI

10.3030/969418

Progetto concluso il 15 Febbraio 2022

Data della firma CE 26 Febbraio 2021

Data di avvio 1 Marzo 2021

Data di completamento 28 Febbraio 2023

Finanziato da

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Costo totale

€ 1 071 087,50

Contributo UE

€ 749 761,25

Coordinato da

SOLMATES BV
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - 5G-TRAIN (New Cluster Reactor to Deliver a Total Solution for PLD Manufacturing of Thin Films for 5G Technology)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2021-03-01 al 2022-02-28

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

The demand for advanced Radio Frequency (RF) components for 5G and basestations is rapidly increasing. Over the next 6 years there is a need for more than 100 billion Bulk Acoustic Wave (BAW) filter devices for 5G mobile. This translates in a >€100 million market opportunity for Solmates’ PLD equipment in 2025. In addition, due to increased technical requirements such as new frequencies, there is a need for improved deposition technology for this emerging market. With PLD, Solmates has demonstrated over the last 2 years that these requirements can be met. However, it became also evident that High Volume Manufacturing (HVM) customers require a total solution in the form of a cluster tool at TRL8-9. To support this customer and market need, Solmates must expand and increase the functionality of its current single reactor PLD tool. 5G-TRAIN aims to deliver this total solution PLD cluster to the 200mm HVM market. The time to market is significantly lowered due to existing and new engagements with worldwide customers. The result of 5G-TRAIN will be a disruption of the 5G component manufacturing sector by realizing (for the first time) advanced thin film piezo materials at a commercially viable cost and scale.

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

During this reporting period the 5G-TRAIN project has been delivered in line with the Annex 1 to the Grant Agreement. Work has been undertaken to deliver the eight objectives detailed in section 1.1 of the DoA which has included:
1. Update business plan for entry
2. Wide dissemination of project results achieved within 5G industry
3. Achieve market penetration
4. Develop the subsystems necessary for creating a cluster platform
5. Realize prototype of high-volume manufacturing PLD cluster
6. Demonstration of 5G-TRAIN cluster tool at customer location
7. Reach projected market volumes and geographic target markets
8. Achieve/exceed forecast company growth.
Obviously, as a result of the termination, most of the objectives are not or partly met. Work performed until month 11 has been structured in line with the Work Packages detailed within Annex 1.

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

It is well known that Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) is a very flexible and versatile technique allowing fast optimisation of complex oxide thin films . The technique uses a pulsed laser that is focussed on a target material in a reactor chamber (see Figure 5). The local heat generates a plasma that is collected by a silicon wafer on which the thin (piezoelectric) material condenses. PLD has been mainly known as lab equipment for fundamental research.

In 2012 Solmates introduced the wafer based PLD equipment that allows uniform thin film deposition up to 200 mm diameter with high reproducibility. Since then highly respected institutes and companies have purchased equipment of Solmates for research and application development. They recognise the potential of PLD processing and have demonstrated and published new processes. The below publications report on the development of Radio Frequency (RF) components based on advanced piezoelectric materials:

• Low-loss Lead Zirconate Titanate in GHz frequency regime by Imec
• CMOS compatible Lead Zirconate Titanate processing by Robert Bosch GmbH
• Ultra-low power optical phase shifters for 5G data communication by Lionix International
• Tuneable RF phase shifters based on Vanadium Dioxide by EPFL

Solmates is the only PLD equipment vendor with upscaled PLD equipment for higher TRL’s beyond fundamental research. The customers of Solmates have demonstrated that these materials can be integrated into functional RF devices. To enable commercialisation of these devices the equipment of Solmates need to be ready for mass production as a complete cluster. This represents a business opportunity with a large potential for growth, expanding Europe's strength in high-tech equipment and materials

Solmates Cluster Platform Vision