Today, the nanoelectronics research center IMEC
and Panasonic Corporation
have signed a joint research contract concerning the most advanced technologies
in the semiconductor, networks, wireless, and biomedical fields. Research will
be carried out at the Leuven (Belgium) facilities and IMEC's research unit at
Holst Centre in Eindhoven (the Netherlands).
Since 2004, Panasonic has been participating in IMEC's joint research platform
on the most advanced semiconductor process technologies as a core partner[1]
to accelerate its open innovation in this field. The world's first mass production
of the system-on-chip with 65nm and 45nm processes such as Panasonic's "UniPhierR"
[2] uses the results of the joint research with IMEC. Now, a comprehensive joint
research program covering most of the research domains of IMEC will start by
expanding the collaboration scope from advanced semiconductor process technology
to include application areas of semiconductors.
For this purpose, the Panasonic IMEC Center will be established at the IMEC
premises in December 2008. It will conduct R&D on network technology such
as dynamically reconfigurable software-defined radio[3], ultra-low power consumption
wireless communication technology for healthcare and lifestyle monitoring[4]
and biomedical technology such as next generation biosensors.
Recently, thanks to the evolution of systems-on-chip, consumer electronics
have advanced with higher performance, smaller size and lower power consumption.
Future evolution of semiconductor technologies and integration with various
other technologies is expected to further broaden application domains. In order
to accelerate such evolution and integration of different technologies, joint
research among the world class resarch institutes is essential.
Panasonic is enhancing its R&D in networks, healthcare devices and semiconductor
technologies in order to realize an environmentally-friendly ubiquitous networked
society.
Panasonic will make further acceleration of R&D on cutting-edge technologies
by expanding the scheme of joint research with IMEC, the world outstanding nanoelectronics
research center as well as the world-leading research center in applications
of semiconductor technology.