Building on their previous collaborations, STMicroelectronics and the French Institute of Materials, Microelectronics and Nanosciences have announced the launch of a joint research laboratory to develop the next generations of high-reliability, ultra miniature electronic components.
Called the Radiation Effects and Electrical Reliability (REER) Joint Laboratory, the multisite establishment will bring together teams from the IM2NP Institute, based in Marseille and Toulon, and engineers from ST's Crolles site (pictured).
The REER Joint Laboratory's science program will focus on two main areas: the effect of radiation on nanoscale digital circuits; and the electrical reliability of nanoscale CMOS technologies.
According to the partners, the intrinsic constraints of electronic components and some environmental constraints – including particle radiation from natural or artificial sources – are becoming increasingly critical and therefore need to be characterised, modelled and simulated in order to predict and mitigate their effects.
The joint laboratory's research will range from the most fundamental aspects of phenomena at the atomic level to systems, materials, the physics of devices and the design of robust circuits.
The establishment is already involved in a number of collaborative programs and projects at the national, European and international level, including CATRENE, ENIAC initiative and support programmes led by the French General Directorate for Enterprises and the French defence procurement agency.
Author
Graham Pitcher
Source: www.newelectronics.co.uk