Insider Brief
- The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) has inaugurated a Quantum Nanofabrication Area at the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM), described as Spain’s largest research facility of its kind.
- The facility received more than €6 million in funding through Spain’s Complementary Plan for Quantum Communications and the PERTE Chip program to expand nanofabrication capabilities for quantum technologies and advanced microelectronics.
- The new area includes electron beam lithography, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy equipment for fabricating and characterizing nanoscale devices and circuits.
PRESS RELEASE — The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), an organization under the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (MICIU), has inaugurated the Quantum Nanofabrication Area of the Micro and Nanofabrication Clean Room at the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM), the largest research facility of its kind in Spain.
CSIC President Eloísa del Pino; the Catalan Government’s Minister of Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat; the Secretary General for Research at the MICIU, Eva Ortega; and the Government’s Subdelegate in Catalonia, Mari Carmen García-Calvillo, visited this new facility today, which is now the most advanced in the country for the fabrication of nanoscale devices and circuits with applications in quantum technologies and other strategic areas of advanced microelectronics. The event was also attended by Teresa Sanchis, Director General of Research for the Government of Catalonia; Albert Ruiz, Vice Rector for Research at the UAB; Javier Ponce, Director General of the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT); and Conchi Martínez, Councilor for Innovation for the City of Cerdanyola.
This initiative represents a new step toward strengthening Spanish and European capabilities in the development of these technologies, facilitating the transition from basic research to the development of devices with potential for future industrial applications in fields such as communications, quantum computing, healthcare, energy, and security.
The comprehensive renovation of the facility was funded by more than 6 million euros from the Complementary Plan for Quantum Communications (Plan Complementario de Comunicaciones Cuánticas), through the CSIC’s Interdisciplinary Thematic Platform on Quantum Technologies (QTEP+), and the PERTE Chip (Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation: Chip, Microelectronics, and Semiconductors), funded by the European Union through the Next Generation EU funds.
The Complementary Plan, launched by the Spanish Government, aims to promote the development and implementation of digital quantum technologies in Spain, build a highly secure communications infrastructure in Spain, and support the industry. It has been co-financed by the MICIU with funds from the European Union’s Next Generation EU program, the CSIC, and the autonomous communities of Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia, the Basque Country, Castile and León, and Galicia.
Specifically, this initiative is part of a plan to renovate the IMB-CNM Clean Room under the PERTE Chip program. In turn, an expansion process will begin in the coming months thanks to the Singulars Institucionals call for proposals, co-funded by the Department of Research and Universities of the Generalitat and the European Union (Catalonia’s ERDF Program 2021–2027). These initiatives represent a strategic improvement, in the short and medium term, of the technological capabilities offered by the Clean Room through the Micronanofabs Unique Science and Technology Infrastructure (ICTS).
Strengthening Spain’s Capabilities in Semiconductors
The Quantum Nanofabrication Area features state-of-the-art equipment for nanolithography and nanoscale metrology, which will enable the fabrication and characterization of structures, devices, and circuits with extreme levels of precision. Notable among its capabilities is the addition of Spain’s most advanced electron beam lithography system, the EBPG 5150Plus, as well as new equipment capable of inspecting and analyzing devices at the nanoscale throughout all stages of the manufacturing process, such as SEM/EBL microscopes and an AFM. These tools will be available to the national and international scientific and technological community, expanding capabilities for research, development, and advanced prototyping in the field of quantum technologies.
The IMB-CNM thus consolidates a four-decade track record in the design and manufacture of micro- and nanoelectronics, strengthening the CSIC’s position as one of Spain’s leading players in European initiatives related to chips and quantum technologies.
