£10 Million Award Creates Compound Semiconductor Hub

A £10 million award announced today puts Cardiff University at the forefront of research into cutting-edge compound semiconductor (CS) technologies. The funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) will bring UK academics and industry together in hub of CS expertise.

The EPSRC Manufacturing Hub in Future Compound Semiconductors will work closely with the Compound Semiconductor Centre (CSC) – a partnership between Cardiff and global advanced semiconductor wafer manufacturer IQE.

Cardiff University will lead the Hub with three key academic partners including UCL (University College London), the University of Manchester and the University of Sheffield. A further 26 initial companies and organizations allied to the Hub will help Cardiff and Wales capitalize on the £50m CS Applications Catapult announced by Innovate UK in January.

"We are committed to making strategic interventions to support industrial sectors where Wales already has internationally recognized academic and industrial expertise; where we have businesses capable of exploiting this knowledge and where there is a significant global market potential," stated Julie James, Minister for Skills and Science. "The Hub will shine a global spotlight on Wales and is an exemplar of how the Welsh Government's Smart approach to innovation will benefit the people and businesses of Wales."

Silicon once supported the information society, but the technology is reaching fundamental limits in the 21st Century. Applying CS knowhow to silicon manufacturing techniques will form the central focus for the new venture.

Hub Director, Professor Peter Smowton, said “The Hub will provide Europe-leading facilities that will translate research into large-scale CS growth and device fabrication. Many advances in our daily lives depend upon CS technology. The new Hub will allow Cardiff and its partner Universities and companies to continue to develop technology that enables emerging trends, such as self-drive vehicles and 5G communications.”

Drew Nelson, CEO of Cardiff headquartered IQE, commented: “IQE produced CS materials for 10 billion wireless chips last year, underpinning the worldwide mobile communications industry. The Hub will allow us to exploit the highly advantageous electronic, magnetic, optical and power handling properties of Compound Semiconductors while utilizing the cost and scaling advantage of silicon technology where it fits best.”

The Hub’s goal is to grow long-term future partnerships with UK and international companies and academics. Peter Smowton added: “We are open to interactions with new partner companies and universities, and we can provide opportunities through feasibility project funding calls to kick-start future partnerships with the power to change the way we live.”