3PEAT will develop a powerful photonic integration technology with all size, functionality and quality credentials in order to help a broad range of optical applications like optical switching and remote sensing, to achieve a strong commercial impact. In order to do so, the project will introduce a fully functional 3D photonic integration platform based on the use of multiple waveguiding layers and vertical couplers in a polymer technology (PolyBoard), as a means to disrupt the integration scale and functionality. Moreover, 3PEAT will combine this powerful 3D photonic technology with a silicon-nitride platform (TriPleX), via the development of a methodology for the deposition and processing of multilayer polymers inside etched windows on TriPleX chips. In parallel with the development of this hybrid 3D technology, 3PeaT will bring a number of key innovations at the integration and component level relating to: a) the heterogeneous integration of PZT films on TriPleX platform for development of phase shifters and switches for operation up to 50 MHz, b) the development of a disruptive external cavity laser on the same platform with linewidth less than 1 kHz, c) the development for the first time of an integrated circulator on PolyBoard with isolation more than 25 dB, and d) the development of flexible types of PolyBoards for the purpose of physical interconnection of other PICs. This enormous breadth of innovations can remove the current limitations and unleash the full potential of optical switching and remote sensing and ranging applications. The main switching module that will be fabricated will be a 36×36 optical switch with 20 ns switching time and possibility for power and cost savings of almost 95% compared to standard electronic solutions. The main sensing module on the other hand will be a disruptive Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) with all of its optical units, including its optical beam scanning unit, integrated on a very large, hybrid 3D PIC.

The SILENSE project will focus on using smart acoustic technologies and ultrasound in particular for Human Machine- and Machine to Machine Interfaces. Acoustic technologies have the main advantage of a much simpler, smaller, cheaper and easier to integrate transducer. The ambition of this project is to develop and improve acoustic technologies beyond state-of-the-art and extend its application beyond the mobile domain to Smart Home & Buildings and Automotive domains. In this project, it will be proven that acoustics can be used as a touchless activation and control mechanism, by improvement or development of different smart acoustic technology blocks (hardware, software and system level) and integrate these blocks at system level. At technology level, the SILENSE project will: - Adapt and improve cost, performance, directivity and power consumption of (MEMS) acoustic transducers (incl. testing and qualification) - Heterogeneously integrate arrays of acoustic transducers with other electronics, using advanced (3D) packaging concepts - Develop smart algorithms for acoustical sensing, localization and communication - Combine voice and gesture control by means of the same transducer(s) At application level the SILENSE project will: - Apply acoustical sensing for touchless activation/control of mobile devices, wearables and, more in general, IoT nodes. The project links to Smart Systems Integration (B4), and refers also to application application-related topics, such as Smart Mobility and Smart Society. The application scope of the developed technologies is broader and comprises more societal domains, such as smart home/buildings, smart factories (i.e. Smart Production) and even Smart Health. Furthermore, a clear cross reference with Semiconductor Process, Equipment and Materials (B1) is established in view of the heterogeneous integration of technology blocks. Conventional silicon technologies will be combined with printed (flexible, large area electronics).

The overall objective of the PIn3S project is to realize Pilot Integration of 3nm Semiconductor technology. This covers Process Integration, creation of Lithography Equipment, EUV Mask Repair Equipment and Metrology tools capable to deal with 3D structures, defects analysis, overlay and feature size evaluation. Each of these objectives will be achieved by cooperation between key European equipment developers like; ASML, Zeiss, Thermo Fisher, Applied Materials, Nova, KTI involved with their suppliers, involvement of a strong knowledge network based on Universities of Germany, Heidelberg University Hospital, and the Netherland, TU Delft and the University of Twente, complemented with key Technology Institutes such as imec and Fraunhofer. The project addresses Section 15 “Electronics Components & Systems Process Technology, Equipment, Materials and Manufacturing”, Major Challenge 4 “Maintaining world leadership in Semiconductor Equipment, Materials and Manufacturing solutions” and Major Challenge 1 “Developing advanced logic and memory technology for nanoscale integration and application-driven performance” of the ECSEL JU Annual Work Plan 2018. As set out in the Multi Annual Strategic Plan 2018, PIn3S addresses the ambition for the European Equipment & Manufacturing industry for advanced semiconductor technologies to lead the world in miniaturization by supplying new equipment and materials approximately two years ahead of introduction of volume production of advanced semiconductor manufacturers. With the results of the Pin3S project the consortium builds on realizing IC manufacturers to migrate to the 3nm Technology node which enables a class of new products which have more functionality, more performance and are more power efficient. As such it will form the bases for innovations yet to come enabling solutions that address the societal challenges in communication, mobility, health care, security, energy and safety & security.

Microwave photonics technology (MWP) has the potential to create a huge commercial impact by bringing together the worlds of microwave engineering and photonics and by enabling processing functionalities in microwave systems that are complex or totally impossible in the microwave domain. The main reason for not having achieved this so far has been the lack of a photonic integration technology that could address the specific needs of MWP. HAMLET aims to fill this gap and develop a disruptive photonic integration platform that will enable the development of very large scale photonic integrated circuits (VLSPICs) with cascaded stages of tunable structures for analog and digital signal processing, variety of optical processing functionalities and ultra-low optical loss. To this end, HAMLET will employ two integration levels. At the first one, it will develop a disruptive PZT-based phase-shifter technology on TriPleX platform with lower power consumption compared to thermal phase-shifters by almost one million times. At the same level HAMLET will incorporate the deposition of graphene films as a standard step in the fabrication process of polymer platform and will develop arrays of electro-absorption modulators with high bandwidth (>25 GHz). At the second integration level, HAMLET will bring together the two platforms under a 3D hybrid integration engine, and will develop circuits with record scale of integrated components (>300), record scale of functionalities with optical beamforming for 64-element antenna arrays at first place, and novel use as the interface between the wireless and the optical part at the antenna units of emerging 5G networks. Finally, in parallel with the system-related exploitation, HAMLET will also work on the unification of the two platforms under a multi-project wafer run type of services to external users, where the 3D integration engine will be used for provision of supersets of components and tools already available in the two platforms.