UK electronics industry receives major EU funding boost

The funding for the projects, DUALLOGIC, NANOSIL and REALITY, will support research aimed at creating a new generation of faster and bigger electronic chips that power all consumer electronics products.

Lead investigator of the Glasgow side of the projects, Professor Asen Asenov, said: “This funding is really important for the UK electronics industry which suffers from relatively low level of investment in semiconductor device and technology research. The European Commission recognises that University of Glasgow researchers are world-leaders in the area of chip development known as nano CMOS device modelling and novel device technology and design.

“The results of the projects will be particularly important for the vibrant and innovative UK design industry, which increasingly needs wider access to this kind of technology and device knowledge in order to remain competitive in an international market.

“10 years ago mobile phones were designed to make phone calls, now they are used for taking photos, listening to music and accessing the internet. Who knows what this research will bring us in the next 10 years?”

The projects will be run in collaboration with leading European manufacturers and research institutes. The funding was provided through the first call of proposals in the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7) for collaborative European research in the area of Information and Communication Technologies.

DUALLOGIC, which was launched at the end of January, will investigate the possibilities of incorporating new channel materials into the production of chips that will make them faster and more powerful.

Previously researchers have used separately germanium and compound semiconductors in order to increase the performance of individual transistors, however, this project will, for the first time, investigate the possibilities of combining these two different channel materials in a single chip made on silicon substrate.

NANOSIL and REALITY will be launched later this year.