A better and greener way to make microchips

GreenCentre Canada – GCC (CECR)

GreenCentre Canada’s hands-on approach to developing, de-risking and marketing university inventions has brought a breakthrough technology to market that will help microelectronics companies meet the insatiable demand for smaller, cheaper and faster devices. Developed at Carleton University, the technology uses a process called Atomic Layer Deposition to build nano-scale metal layers on a microchip. Not only does this overcome the problem of connecting ever smaller microchip circuit components with metal conductors, it will also enable large-scale manufacturing of microchips with less waste and lower power consumption. Two Canadian companies – Digital Specialty Chemicals and GreenCentre spin-off Precision Molecular Design – are the first on board to commercialize the technology.

GreenCentre’s access to expertise in synthesis and manufacture of novel electronic chemicals is helping our company hit the market faster with new chemical precursors that our customers need to meet the semiconductor industry’s demands for faster and smaller microchips. This made-in-Canada solution provides a seamless flow from the original research to customer testing of samples and then commercial manufacture. It’s certainly given our company a key competitive advantage.Bill Stibbs, VP, Marketing & Business Strategy, Digital Specialty Chemicals Limited, Toronto