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32 min ago 2 min read
The European Commission has approved €288m ($334m) in direct grants through German state aid to develop two domestic semiconductor facilities and strengthen the EU’s position in the global semiconductor value chain.
German optoelectronics manufacturer Carl Zeiss has received €222m ($257m) to construct its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) optical column manufacturing facility in Oberkochen, Baden-Wurttemberg.
The EUV optical columns will be integrated with Dutch semiconductor equipment manufacturer ASML’s next generation of EUV lithography machines.
ASML’s EUV lithography systems print microchips using light with a wavelength of only 13.5 nanometres (nm) supporting advancement across mobile and AI technology.
German silicon carbide (SiC) manufacturer Zadient Materials Europe (Zadient), the subsidiary of French semiconductor developer Zadient Technologies, has been granted €66m ($77m) to build its high-purity SiC production facility in Bitterfeld, Saxony-Anhalt.
The facility will reportedly be the first of its kind across the EU, producing high-purity SiC to be used as semiconductor source material.
It will use a fully integrated, closed-loop recycling system for chlorosilanes and vent gases to support more sustainable SiC production.
In line with the objectives of the 2023 European Chips Act (EU Chips Act), these approvals mark the 12th and 13th decisions by the European Commission, with funding from previous measures totaling approximately €13.9bn ($16.1bn).
The EU Chips Act targets the EU’s global market share in semiconductors to be .
First announced in February 2022, the EU Chips Act hopes to mobilise €43bn ($50bn) in public and private investment, with €3.3bn ($3.8bn) coming from the EU budget.
