Over £1M for IQE to commercialise ULTRARAM
An Innovate UK project worth £1.1M has been awarded to the Lancaster University spinout firm Quinas, IQE and the universities of Lancaster and Cardiff.
Quinas will coordinate the project which is the first step towards volume production of the universal computer memory ULTRARAM invented by Lancaster University Physics Professor Manus Hayne.
ULTRARAM, which exploits quantum resonant tunnelling, combines the non-volatility of a data storage memory, like flash, with the speed, energy-efficiency, and endurance of a working memory, like DRAM.
Most of the funding for the one-year project will be spent at IQE which will scale up the manufacture of compound semiconductor layers from Lancaster University to an industrial process at the Cardiff based firm.
This will involve IQE developing advanced capability for growth gallium antimonide and aluminium antimonide for the first time. The project follows significant investment to boost the UK semiconductor industry and the establishment of the world’s first compound semiconductor cluster in South Wales.
Manus Hayne, who is the Lancaster team lead, co-founder and chief scientific officer at Quinas said: “We are delighted that Innovate UK is supporting this ambitious project, and that IQE has committed to developing the first part of ULTRARAM mass production.”
It is estimated that the global memory chip market will be worth about $320 billion by 2030 but the UK currently has no stake in it.
Hayne said: “ULTRARAM represents a tremendous economic opportunity for the UK, and the efficiencies it could bring to computing at all scales has the potential for huge energy savings and carbon emission reduction.”
Jessica Wenmouth Lancaster University’s head of research commercialisation said: “I am delighted to support our spinout Quinas on its journey to scale this Lancaster-led innovation to an industrial process suitable for a semiconductor foundry 'fab,’ thereby generating impact from research through commercialisation.
“This project not only aligns with Lancaster University's strategy to foster impactful research and innovation but also demonstrates the effective utilisation of strategic grant funding alongside private equity investment. Such collaborations are crucial for bringing new products to market and driving significant investment into the UK for emerging technologies, enhancing our national and global standing in cutting-edge fields.”
The goal of the one-year project to industrialise the process involves scaling up ULTRARAM wafer diameters from 3 inches at Lancaster to 6 inches at IQE. This will be achieved by MOVPE rather than MBE, which is typically used at universities.
Hayne said: “Lancaster will do some initial MBE epitaxy as a control/template for the industrial growth. Our key role will be to characterise the antimonide material grown at IQE, and once sufficient quality is confirmed we will fabricate and test ULTRARAM memory on small areas of the wafers from IQE.
“In parallel with this, Lancaster will continue to work on ULTRARAM scaling, by reducing the size of individual devices (‘Moore’s law’) and making larger and larger arrays. Once devices are small enough and arrays are large enough, the following stage will be to demonstrate fabrication on a complete 8 inch wafer, and then to translate the process to an industrial one, suitable for a semiconductor foundry ‘fab’.”
