Pushing the frontiers of Quantum Computing: The 300mm Flextura Platform lands in Silicon Saxony
As Polyteknik celebrates 10 years of the Flextura® PVD platform, we are thrilled to spotlight one of our most advanced installations to date, operating right in the heart of Europe’s leading semiconductor hub: the Silicon Saxony Manufacturing Cluster.
In close collaboration with Fraunhofer IPMS, we have deployed a highly specialized 300mm wafer variant of our Flextura PVD system. This setup bridges the gap between cutting-edge R&D and high-volume CMOS manufacturing.
Here is a closer look at what makes this system interesting for the semiconductor and quantum computing industries.
Advanced R&D architecture on a production scale
To meet the strict contamination and automation standards of a 300mm fab environment, this Flextura configuration features a full factory automation interface, including an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) and FOUP load ports, GEM300 interfaces and so on.
Inside, it boasts a unique, highly flexible R&D cluster configuration:
- Degas Module
- Confocal Sputtering Module: Engineered for ultimate material flexibility, large parameter space and uniform thin-film layers.
- Effusion Cell Module: Evaporation module – fully compatible with wafer face-up processing.
Future-Proof Scalability: The system is already prepared for expansion, with a remote plasma sputter module planned as the next step.
Enabling next-gen quantum applications
The true power of this system lies in its unparalleled material flexibility. It allows users to deposit complex stacks and combinations of metals, oxides, and nitrides – the essential building blocks for superconductors and quantum devices.
We are proud to share that initial results have successfully demonstrated Niobium nitride (NbN) and Zirconium nitride (ZrN) superconducting values that align perfectly with established literature, but crucially, achieved directly on 300mm wafers. This is an important piece of the puzzle for Fraunhofer IPMS Quantum Foundry.
About Fraunhofer IPMS
Fraunhofer IPMS is a world-renowned research and development service provider specializing in electronic and photonic microsystems. Our technologies are used in industries such as mobility, biotechnology, and medical technology. We are also addressing key future fields, such as quantum technologies and neuromorphic computing. Through our research in green microelectronics, we contribute to a sustainable and resource-efficient world.
With the Center Nanoelectronic Technologies (CNT), Fraunhofer IPMS offers applied research on 300 mm wafers for microchip producers, suppliers, device manufacturers and R&D partners.
Part of CMOS-compatible innovation at Fraunhofer IPMS
This installation perfectly highlights the positioning of Fraunhofer IPMS within the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD) and the European semiconductor landscape. Fraunhofer IPMS offers direct development services to full CMOS-quality standards on 300mm production wafers.
Aligned with a strategic roadmap focusing on critical FEOL (Front-End-of-Line) and BEOL (Back-End-of-Line) semiconductor topics, this system is deeply embedded in major European pilot lines, including APECS, SUPREME and SPINS.
What this means for our customers
For Polyteknik customers, this partnership unlocks an incredible opportunity. While we offer some testing at our own facilities, we cannot fully replicate a complete, automated 300mm fab environment under one roof, and other industrial 300mm installations are locked into strict production schedules.
Through Fraunhofer IPMS, our customers now have a direct pathway to validate, test, and utilize a fully qualified 300mm Flextura system in an open, R&D-friendly, yet production-grade environment.
A massive thank you to the team at Fraunhofer IPMS for their trust and collaboration over the years. Together, we are scaling quantum materials from the lab to the fab!