SOITEC : SOITEC LEADING EUROPEAN RESEARCH PROJECT FOCUSED ON MEETING FUTURE WIRELESS-COMMUNICATION REQUIREMENTS

BERNIN (GRENOBLE), France, July 7, 2016 -- The REFERENCE Project - a pan-European research program created to leverage disruptive radio-frequency silicon-on-insulator (RF-SOI) technology in developing industrial solutions for the performance, cost and integration needs of RF front-end modules (FEMs) used in wireless communications - was launched recently at the Bernin (Grenoble), France facilities of project director Soitec, a world leader in manufacturing innovative semiconductor materials.

The project selected as part of a call for proposals was signed on July 5th by the Electronic Components and Systems for European Leadership (ECSEL) European Initiative, supported by the European Community (EC) and several national governments. With an eligible budget of 33 million euros, the REFERENCE Project is aimed to extend RF-SOI technology for new cellular, Internet of Things, Automotive and Aeronautic Applications.

Over the next three years, the REFERENCE Project will focus on developing innovative means to address the unresolved requirements for 4G+ communications using RF FEMs with data rates above 1 Gb/s and pave the way for next-generation 5G communications. The scope of work encompasses materials, engineered substrates, processes, design, metrology and system integration.

"Soitec is at the forefront of European innovation and we are very happy to lead this important European research project involving many key partners beyond our direct customers," said Nelly Kernevez, partnership director at Soitec. "This initiative allows us to build the European Union's RF community, consolidate our vision of what the future can be and leverage proven material technology to create RF communication solutions for tomorrow."

The REFERENCE Project is being undertaken by a well-balanced consortium of 16 partner organizations from 5 countries including six large industrial companies - world leaders in the materials, foundry and aeronautics sectors - four semiconductor manufacturing equipment companies (SMEs) and a network of world-class public research institutes and academic organizations:

France: Soitec, STMicroelectronics, TELIT, CEA-Leti, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1/Laboratoire Multimatériaux et Interfaces (LMI)
Germany: GlobalFoundries, Siltronic, Airbus, AED, Sentronics, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (FhG), Technische Universitat Dresden (TUD), Universitat der Bundeswehr (UBWM)
Belgium: IMEC
Portugal: NANIUM
Ireland: Ferfics

About Soitec: Soitec (Euronext, Tech 40 Paris) is a world leader in designing and manufacturing innovative semiconductor materials. The company uses its unique technologies and semiconductor expertise to serve the electronics and energy markets. With 3,600 patents worldwide, Soitec's strategy is based on disruptive innovation to answer its customers' needs for high performance, energy efficiency and cost competitiveness. Soitec has manufacturing facilities, R&D centers and offices in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. For more information, please visit www.soitec.com and follow us on Twitter: @Soitec_EN

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Soitec press release in PDF http://hugin.info/143589/R/2026957/753265.pdf

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