IMEC built a chip platform that works up to 325GHz, and it could make 6G hardware cheap enough to actually deploy

TL;DR

IMEC’s 300mm RF silicon interposer platform hits record-low signal loss at 325GHz, a key step toward scalable, affordable 6G chip manufacturing.

IMEC, the Belgian semiconductor research institute that partners with more than 600 chip industry players, has expanded its 300mm RF silicon interposer platform with three new manufacturing capabilities that bring 6G chip production closer to commercial viability. The platform achieves record-low signal loss at frequencies up to 325GHz, covering the millimetre-wave and sub-terahertz bands that 6G networks will require. The work was presented at the IEEE International Microwave Symposium in Boston this month.

The core problem IMEC is solving is one of materials and economics. 6G radios will need to operate at frequencies far above what conventional silicon can handle, requiring compound semiconductors such as indium phosphide, gallium arsenide, and silicon germanium. These materials deliver superior RF performance but are manufactured on small, expensive wafers that do not...

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