The metrology domain (which could be considered as the ‘eyes and ears’ for both R&D&I and production) is a key enabler for productivity enhancements in many industries across the electronic components and system (ECS) value chain and have to be an integral part of any Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) which consist of metrology equipment, virtual metrology or Industrial internet of things (IIoT) sensors, edge and high-performance computing (HPC). The requirements from the metrology is to support ALL process steps toward the final product. However, for any given ECS technology, there is a significant trade-off between the metrology sensitivity, precision and accuracy to its productivity. MADEin4 address this deficiency by focusing on two productivity boosters which are independent from the sensitivity, precision and accuracy requirements: • Productivity booster 1: High throughput, next generation metrology and inspection tools development for the nanoelectronics industry (all nodes down to 5nm). This booster will be developed by the metrology equipment’s manufacturers and demonstrated in an industry 4.0 pilot line at imec and address the ECS equipment, materials and manufacturing major challenges (MASP Chapter 15, major challenges 1 – 3). • Productivity booster 2: CPS development which combines Machine Learning (ML) of design (EDA) and metrology data for predictive diagnostics of the process and tools performances predictive diagnostics of the process and tools performances (predictive yield and tools performance). This booster will be developed and demonstrated in an industry 4.0 pilot line at imec, for the 5nm node, by the EDA, computing and metrology partners (MASP Chapter 15, major challenge 4). The same CPS concept will be demonstrated for the ‘digital industries’ two major challenges of the nanoelectronics (all nodes down to 5nm) and automotive end user’s partners (MASP Chapter 9, major challenges 1and 3).

The objective of the ACT10 project is to develop and demonstrate the required technology options, including their integration, for the 10Ångstrom node. The 32 participating partners cover a wide range of activities along the entire value chain for the manufacturing of CMOS chips. Activities include equipment development, computer aided design tooling and process technology development. Essential parts of hardware, software and processing technology are developed pushing the boundaries of semiconductor design and manufacture to enable the new node and keep Moore’s law alive. The project aims to enhance the attractiveness of the EU as a location for new cutting-edge high volume and legacy node fabs. The ACT10 project is built based on the following four pillars. 1. Lithography Equipment and Mask Technology: Increase key-performance indicators in the optical system of High-NA Lithography machines, along with developing advanced mask processes and equipment to reach optical imaging requirements, and nonlinear optics material lifetime effects. 2. Chip design and Block Level validation; Assessment of different CFET devices and evaluate building blocks for digital and analog IPs. 3. Process Technology: development of innovative solutions for routing of the stacked n- and p-devices of the CFET architecture, development of 0.55NA (high-NA) single patterning solutions, and the development of semi-damascene BEOL for the 10Å node. 4. Computational Metrology and Process Monitoring Equipment: develop computational metrology methods, and develop metrology and inspection modules and equipment.

The proposed project AddMorePower aims to advance X-ray- and electron-probe related characterization techniques to make them quantitative and automated tools for the power semiconductor industry, and to refine modelling (using MODA) and FAIR data-management methods to enhance and efficiently use characterization data (using CHADA). Thereby, AddMorePower will promote the materials integration and development for European power semiconductor technologies, to allow a broader and faster market penetration, while also providing new opportunities for other industries basing themselves on mono- and polycrystalline materials. With the rapid and massive spread of power electronics and power semiconductors to enable the digitalization and the electrification of our society and its supply with sustainable energy, new requirements arise to the conception and integration of semiconductor and interconnect materials. AddMorePower will provide the necessary characterization and modelling techniques that meet the particular needs of the upcoming power semiconductor technology generations: 1. The transition to the new semiconductor materials gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC), mainly limited by defects in the crystal lattice, for which currently no established characterization workflows exist. 2. The starting 3D-integration also of power devices, posing severe thermo-mechanical challenges to the involved metals and intermetallic materials, which can only be mastered by understanding gained by predictive modelling. 3. The trend towards digitalization and industry4.0, which requires FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) data at all development and production steps. The project brings together renowned research institutes with many years of experience in electron- and X-ray characterization, emerging new research groups and company start-ups and researchers with a track record in multi-physics materials modelling as well as data engineering.

The challenges and major HiCONNECTS objectives are to transform the centralized cloud platform to decentralized platforms which include edge cloud computing in a sustainable, energy-efficient way. This will bring cloud services including Artificial Intelligence (AI) closer to the IOT end-users, which enables them to really use the COT and IOT efficiently. The technologies underpinning this revolutionary step include the development of high-performance computing, storage infrastructure, network interfaces and connecting media , and the analysis of IOT sensors and big data in real-time. This major step forward will enable, for example, the mobile clients (during the 5G deployment phase and 6G exploration) to move among different places with minimum cost, short response time and with stable connection between cloud nodes and mobile devices. The main underlying technology to be developed by the HiCONNECTS consortium, comprising large industrial players, universities and RTO’s, and many SMEs, can be summarized under the title: ’heterogenous integration’ (HI) which is needed to meet the computing power, bandwidth, latency and sensing requirements for the next generation cloud and edge computing and applications. The HI revolution brings the electronic components and systems (ECS) into a new domain, which combines traditional silicon wafers integrated circuit (IC), InP based high speed electronics , and Si and InP photonics devices and interconnect. The HiCONNECTS ambition is to demonstrate, through HI development, a leap in computing and networking reliability and performances across the full vertical and horizontal ECS value chain (i.e. essential capabilities and key applications) in a sustainable way. In addition, HiCONNECTS will focus on the development of next generation design, algorithms, equipment (HW/SW), systems and Systems of Systems (SOS).