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Advanced RFIC is investing $9m in a partnership with NTU to advance R&D in RFIC technology. The investment will be used to set up a research laboratory at NTU, and create 30 scholarships for postgraduate students at NTU.

• 938LIVE
• The Straits Times
• News Release
• Fact Sheet

Singapore's semiconductor industry has grown by leaps and bounds over the years as the country stepped up efforts to transform itself into a knowledge- and innovation-driven hub. One of the important factors behind this accomplishment is the country's highly skilled and tech-savvy talent pool.

Advanced RFIC Pte Ltd (aRfic), an industry leader in the field of Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC) technology, recognises this importance of a strongly innovative and skilled labour pool, and this is evident as its recent collaboration with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) looks to strengthen this key resource.

A highly specialised field involving patented engineering design and development, RFIC technology is essential in size reduction and power efficiency for most of today's modern electronic applications. Without it, mobile phones for instance, would still be bulky and cumbersome instead of the sleek, feature-packed models they are now.

According to Henry Liu, Chairman, aRfic, the joint partnership has several key objectives: harvest greater expertise in the high technology sector that is RFIC; develop further research on deep submicron nanometer devices; create design software that helps predict device performance; and strengthen the company's R&D capabilities. Henry Liu, Chairman, aRFIC and Professor Kam Chan Hin, Chair, NTU's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (centre) with their respective staff members.

SHAPING THE FUTURE

The partnership will see the Singapore-based aRfic invest S$9 million (US$5.9 million) to further advance R&D in RFIC technology. It will also create postgraduate scholarships for NTU students with a total of S$1.4 million (US$937,440) set aside for 30 scholarships. Each two-year scholarship is worth S$48,000 (US$31,250).

In addition, a new state-of-the-art laboratory dedicated to RFIC technology research will be set up at NTU's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. In fact, NTU could well be the only university in Asia to house a world-class 300mm probe system that makes modeling, measurement and characterisation of nano-RF devices as well as integrated circuits and systems possible.

Students selected for the scholarship will work on four key projects in the new laboratory over two years. To ensure that the projects are market-focused and meet industry needs and trends, the students will work closely with industry players.

MOVING FORWARD

By preparing future generations, the aRfic-NTU initiative looks set to push the local semiconductor industry to the next level.

Needless to say, the potential of the RFIC sector is endless. And Singapore is keen on developing it further to move the local semiconductor industry up the value chain. "The semiconductor industry remains an important economic driver for Singapore and it is crucial we develop the talent to meet this growth," explains Professor Kam Chan Hin, Chair, NTU's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Not only does NTU have established strengths in integrated circuit design and development and strong ties with the industry, its research group in IC design ranks among the top few worldwide. "Through research efforts, NTU has been helping to provide the critical R&D support in Singapore's push up the semiconductor value chain," adds Professor Kam. "With this collaboration, NTU can further provide the necessary postgraduate training to prepare our students for the higher-end market of the industry."

RESEARCH AREAS

• Advanced Characterization & Modeling of CMOS devices
• Interconnects for RFIC Design & Applications
• Electronic Design Automation for RFIC
• Design Design of low-power optical transceiver ICs