New strategic partnership agreement between imec and ZEISS strengthens NanoIC pilot line

Imec and ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (SMT) have extended and intensified their partnership, which has been in place since 2019 and will now run at least until 2029. This close collaboration between European partners from the semiconductor ecosystem is fully aligned with the objectives of the EU Chips Act and crucial for the advancement of the NanoIC pilot line.

ZEISS supports imec’s pilot line including the NanoIC pilot line expansion through:

• participation in research projects to advance semiconductor manufacturing
• lithography optics integrated into scanner systems of ASML

In the words of Thomas Stammler, chief technology officer and member of the management team of ZEISS SMT: “With the investments in imec's pilot line, now being expanded with the NanoIC pilot line, ZEISS is significantly contributing to maintaining Europe's lead in the latest generation of semiconductor equipment and further expanding it through the development of technology roadmaps.”

Read the imec press release