Future radar imaging systems and 5G communication systems will generate improved resolution and provide higher data transmission rates when operated at higher frequencies – but at the cost of increased power consumption.

Now, a new project, funded by Horizon 2020, is working to overcome this challenge by developing manufacturable III-V CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) technology on silicon (Si) substrates to reduce power consumption, increase performance and lower costs.

INSIGHT (Integration of III-V Nanowire Semiconductors for Next Generation High Performance CMOS SOC Technologies) aims to develop complementary functionality in compound semiconductor material (III-V CMOS), supporting both analogue and digital functionality in the millimetre-wave frequency domain. III-V nanowires will be used to maintain electrostatic control as the gate length is scaled for future technology nodes. The small nanowire cross-section will further facilitate the integration onto Si substrates using nanotechnology.

“The fabrication of high-performance III-V components on large Si substrates using CMOS compatible technologies opens a path for cost reduction of millimetre-wave key components with minimised usage of critical materials,” explains INSIGHT co-ordinator Lars-Erik Wernersson, professor at Lund University, Sweden, which will lead the project.

It will be joined by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF, Germany; LETI, France; University of Glasgow, UK; Tyndall National Institute, Ireland; and IBM, Switzerland.

INSIGHT will receive €4.3m over 36 months from Horizon 2020.

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