Uni’s semiconductor materials research unit now under way
WORK is under way on a new £30m research facility which will play a key role in fuelling the commercial potential of the world’s first compound semiconductor cluster in south Wales.
The Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM) at Swansea University’s Bay Campus, which is due for completion in 2022, will provide research and innovation support for the cluster — known as the CSConnected Cluster. The cluster is a growing network of regional semiconductor industry partners including tech firms such as IQE, SPTS Technologies, Microchip and Newport Wafer Fab.
Its early-stage research capacity is being backed with partners in Swansea and Cardiff universities. It is also being supported by the Welsh Government and the Cardiff Capital Region’s £1.2bn City Deal.
The cluster’s industrial chain goes from wafer manufacturing right through to packaged chips, providing a capability in next-generation semiconductors which are going to be at the heart of virtually every industrial vertical imaginable, including aerospace, automotive, electric vehicles communications, fibre optics, data centres 5G, healthcare medtech and robotics.
The cluster is developing a full suite of technology readiness levels (TRL) which go from level one, including research at a university level, right through to nine, which is full-scale manufacturing. The cluster already employs around 2,000 people from Swansea to Monmouthshire.
The new Swansea facility, which is being delivered by construction firm Kier, will be housed in a 43,000 sq ft three-storey building. It will provide a clean fabrication environment, research laboratories and office facilities.
Kier will use energy-efficient building techniques and renewable energy technology including solar PV and heat recovery on the project. It said it will work with its local supply chain, of which about a fifth will be from the surrounding Swansea area.
The facility has received funding from the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF), which is administered by Research England in partnership with HEFCW (Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.
Professor Paul Meredith, Ser Cymru national research chairman and Swansea University CISM project lead, said: “I am delighted that Kier Construction will be delivering CISM, which will play a key part in putting Wales on the map as a major player in the rapidly growing UK semiconductor industry. When completed, the CISM building will be a hub for connecting research, innovation and manufacturing to drive economic growth in this region.”
Jason Taylor, operations director for Kier regional building western and Wales, said: “The Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials is set to be a vital building in aiding the growth of the semiconductor industry in the UK. We are delighted to have been appointed by Swansea University to deliver these state-ofthe-art facilities which will be at the heart of its engineering quarter.
“This latest award builds on our relationship with Swansea University, having delivered the Impact building last year, as well as a number of other refurbishment projects over the last five years. We will continue to work with our local supply chain to deliver this important project for the university.”
Chris Meadows, director of CSconnected Ltd, the organisation set up to drive the cluster, said: “Wales has built an enviable position as a global powerhouse of advanced semiconductor capabilities that is driving next-generation technologies.
“CISM is a welcome addition to the CSconnected family that will play a critical role within the cluster, complementing and greatly enhancing the technology offering from across our region.”
Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University Professor Paul Boyle said: “It is exciting to see this project reach another milestone, especially during such difficult times. The CISM project is a reflection of south Wales’ strength in semiconductor technology, and a paradigm of how universities can work collaboratively with industry and government to create innovation-led economic growth.”