Advanced Packaging and Heterogeneous Integration for Electronic Components and Systems (APECS)

As an integral part of the EU Chips Act, the APECS pilot line represents a leap forward for European semiconductor manufacturing capacity and chip innovations on the continent. The APECS pilot line gives enterprises ranging from major names in the industry to SMEs and young startups easy access to cutting-edge technology - forging the first links in a robust European supply chain for semiconductors.

For APECS, the member institutes of the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD) are joining forces with other European partners. Their mission is to contribute to the European Union’s commitment to greater technological sovereignty, increased cooperation across national borders, and greater competitiveness in semiconductor technology.

APECS is an innovative pan-European pilot line, helping establish groundbreaking new infrastructure for heterogeneous integration and advanced packaging

APECS will become one of the starter motors for more cooperation between European RTOs, industry and academia. The dynamic ecosystem for innovation created by it will benefit its clients, who can enjoy the one-stop go-to access to access the comprehensive design and pilot production capacities of APECS that will accelerate the transition from vanguard research to practical and scalable industry solutions.

Fraunhofer IZM’s role in the APECS pilot line

With its work on high-precision integration technology, substrate prototyping, and research into modular chiplet architectures, Fraunhofer IZM has established itself as a key node in the APECS pilot line. It will contribute innovative solutions for implementing technological advancements in fields, such as silicon-based interposers that enable pitches to be brought down from the current 15 micrometers to less than a single micrometer, with micrometer-scale pitches on circuit boards made possible by advanced PCBs. The Institute’s researchers are pursuing several integration paradigms from 2D to 2.5D and 3D, with special emphasis on thermal management to avoid critical hotspots. 

Alongside advances in the use of organic substrates, the research work is also focusing increasingly on novel materials like glass.

APECS is co-funded by the Chips Joint Undertaking and national funding authorities of Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Spain, through the Chips for Europe Initiative.

Thanks to substantial funding from the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and the federal states of Saxony, Berlin, Bavaria, Schleswig-Holstein, Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg, and Saxony-Anhalt, it will be possible to further expand the R&D infrastructure in the coming years within the framework of the APECS pilot line.