Project award to UK Compound Semiconductor MAGIC consortium
15th November 2017
Project award to UK Compound Semiconductor MAGIC consortium
The Compound Semiconductor Centre (CSC) is pleased to announce the award of a Collaborative R+D project from InnovateUK. Project CS MAGIC: (Compound Semiconductor MAGnetic Integrated Circuits) will focus on the development of new ultra-sensitive magneto-sensors with integrated electronics. The project will leverage core technology based on Gallium Arsenide Quantum Well Hall Effect (QWHE) magnetic sensing technology developed by Professor Mohamed Missous, founder of Advanced Hall Sensors Ltd (AHS), and a novel Gallium Nitride device based on a high electron mobility transistor (‘magHEMT’) concept developed by Dr Petar Igic at Swansea University. The consortium comprising CSC (Cardiff), AHS ltd (Manchester), TWI (Port Talbot), Renishaw (Edinburgh) and Swansea University will collaborate to deliver commercial grade sensing solutions for a diverse range of challenging applications in automotive current sensing, high resolution metrology, non-destructive inspection and test, and security screening applications.
Professor Missous, inventor of the QWHE technology, commented ‘AHS has had considerable success in commercialising the core technology with over 15 million discrete sensors shipped to date, and this project will extend the functionality of sensing platform for harsh environment and ultra-wide dynamic range requirements to service a $3B market in magnetic sensing solutions’. CSC Director, Dr Wyn Meredith commented, ‘This project will deliver an ‘all UK’ developed and manufactured solution which leverages world class compound semiconductor materials and device expertise in the consortium matched with the deep applications understanding of TWI and Renishaw’.
About the Compound Semiconductor Centre (CSC)
The Compound Semiconductor Centre was founded in 2015 as a Joint Venture between Cardiff University and IQE Plc, with the mission of accelerating commercialisation of Compound Semiconductor Materials and Device Research, and realising a tangible economic return on the UK investment in this key area of enabling technology. Based in Cardiff, the Centre is a vital milestone towards developing a World-class Compound Semiconductor cluster in South Wales.
About Advanced Hall Sensors (AHS)
Advanced Hall Sensors Ltd specialises in the development and manufacture of high performance magnetic sensor products based on quantum effects in Gallium Arsenide materials, to deliver an unrivalled sensitivity and dynamic range in harsh environments. The company has supplied in excess of 15 million sensors to a range of international customers in industrial, medical, aerospace and the Oil and Gas industries..
About TWI
TWI is one of the world’s foremost independent research and technology organisations, with expertise in materials joining and engineering processes as applied in industry. TWI specialises in innovation, knowledge transfer and in solving problems across all aspects of manufacturing, fabrication and whole-life integrity management. Established in Cambridge, UK in 1946, the organisation has gained a first-class reputation for service through its teams of respected consultants, scientists, engineers and support staff. With around 800 employees, it works with over 1800 Industrial Member companies in over 70 countries.
About Renishaw
Renishaw is one of the world's leading engineering and scientific technology companies, with expertise in precision measurement and healthcare. The company supplies products and services used in applications as diverse as jet engine and wind turbine manufacture, through to dentistry and brain surgery. It is also a world leader in the field of additive manufacturing (also referred to as metal 3D printing), where it is the only UK business that designs and makes industrial machines which ‘print' parts from metal powder. The Renishaw Group currently has more than 70 offices in 35 countries, with over 4,000 employees worldwide.
About Swansea University
Swansea University was founded by industry in 1920 to deliver for industry. The University has historically held an excellent reputation in Science and Engineering research, but is now amongst UK leaders for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. In the Research Excellence Framework of 2014, Swansea University achieved its ambition to become a UK top 30 research institution, the ranking of 26th was judged as the “biggest leap among research-intensive institutions”, according to Times Higher Education.
