III-V: A new era of technological advances
The morning began with the session “III-V A New Era of Technological Advancements”, highlighting the integration of III-V semiconductors into high-performance electronics. The conference explored how this emerging technology, despite the challenges in its production, makes devices more efficient in energy consumption and data transmission speed. Industry leaders spoke about key trends in multi-terabit optical transceivers for datacom and telecom applications, micro-transfer printing for heterogeneous integration and increasing the integration density of PICs.
Panels such as “Advancements in Photonic Integration Technologies” and “Photonic Integrated Circuits: Industry Insights” highlighted the importance of open access to mainstream PIC technologies and the versatility of these technologies for possible applications in the mobility, health and quantum markets. In the afternoon, photonics for 6G networks, on-chip integration of light sources and chiplet technologies were discussed.
AICEP visit to the Microelectronics Agenda stand
The second day was also marked by AICEP’s visit to the Micro.electronics stand, with the presence of Pedro Pinto de Sousa (Senior Manager: Inward Investment) and Marta Pais Vieira Conseur (Trade & Invest Manager). The AICEP representatives had the opportunity to take a closer look at the Microelectronics Agenda project and explore the products and services developed, with special emphasis on the innovations of HFA and INESC-MN.
During the visit, there was time for in-depth discussions on the potential of the PCI – Science and Innovation Park for incubating technological start-ups and the international promotion actions already carried out, driven by AIDA CCI and partners, were described. AICEP stressed the importance of increasing the presence of Portuguese companies at international events, promoting the Portugal brand and national excellence in microelectronics and photonics.
Promotion and networking
Throughout the day, the Microelectronics Agenda partners made multiple contacts with companies from various countries to establish business and potential partnerships. Among the interactions were meetings with Electronmec, SERMA Group and Manudax from France, Corning Laser Technologies, PVA, Technology Hub, InnoLas Semiconductor from Germany and Chip 1 from the Netherlands. Other companies such as AET80 from Italy, Electrostart from Bulgaria and SITRON from Portugal also visited the stand, showing interest in collaborating with the agenda’s partners.
The Microelectronics Agenda was also promoted to the four Portuguese companies present at the fair: LusoService, Tecnimaster FL, Uartronica and Ynvisible, strengthening cooperation ties and underlining the value of Portugal’s participation in this major stage for the semiconductor industry.
SEMICON Europe 2024 proved to be an essential event for highlighting Portugal’s capabilities and technological advances in the sector, with the Microelectronics Agenda playing a central role in promoting an innovative and collaborative ecosystem.
Created as part of the mobilizing agendas of the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan, the Microelectronics Agenda aims to strengthen the production and innovation capacity of the national semiconductor and microelectronics industry. It involves a group of 17 partners and seeks to help position Portugal at the forefront of the semiconductor management, production, distribution and recycling market, capable of supplying Europe and other countries worldwide.
The 25 new products, processes and services resulting from the Agenda aim to transform the microelectronics sector and contribute to its resilience, competitiveness and ecological sustainability, and will enable the Portuguese ecosystem to monitor and anticipate the sector’s needs.
The Microelectronics Agenda has a total eligible budget of €67,493,749.21, of which €30,048,411.91 is funded by the NextGenerationEU initiative. With the completion of the project scheduled for June 30, 2025, Portugal intends to establish itself as a leader in the global semiconductor sector, having already executed more than 60% of the budget and made significant progress in product development, sustainability and workforce training.
