In a digitalized world, semiconductors are an essential strategic component (with a market value of 655.9 billion in 2024, double that of 2015) that make key disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, smart mobility or the green transition possible.
Recent crises (COVID-19 in 2020 and the Ukraine war in 2022) have highlighted Europe's structural weakness in semiconductors, with 80% of suppliers coming from outside the EU. For this reason, the EU approved the European Chips Act in 2023 (43 billion euros in investment via Chips JU ), with the aim of doubling its global production share to 20% by 2030 , boosting R&D&I, manufacturing and technological sovereignty , and addressing key challenges such as dependency, investment and talent to ensure European competitiveness. Spain, also dependent, has launched the PERTE Chip (12.25 billion until 2027), aligned with the EU, to promote the entire value chain, including research, design and, for the first time, the manufacture of microchips.
Within the framework of PERTE Chip, Catalan companies have managed to raise 27.65 million euros (52% of the total funds initially allocated to the entire Spanish State) for projects in the microelectronics value chain. Of the 37 approved projects, 17 are based in Catalonia, and 87% of the participating companies have received direct support from ACCIÓ. Among the firms leading these projects are names such as Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech and Ideaded, leaders in quantum technologies and circuit design, respectively. Catalonia is thus positioned as a powerful semiconductor ecosystem in southern Europe , with a solid network of research centers of excellence (BSC, ICN2, ICFO, IMB-CNM), universities and a business network of nearly 260 agents and 4,600 professionals.
To capitalize on these strengths, and within the strategy of the “ Catalan innovative trident ” (quantum, chips, AI), the Generalitat has created the Semiconductors and Chips Alliance of Catalonia . This alliance promotes a strategy to strengthen the ecosystem, investment, infrastructure, talent and technology transfer , with the commitment, expressed by the Minister of Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat , to promote innovation based on the consolidated knowledge of research centers and large infrastructures: “ The Government will continue to intensify efforts to promote innovation in the semiconductor sector on a national scale to be more competitive internationally .”
In a global scenario where sovereignty in semiconductors defines technological and economic leadership, and with Catalonia positioned with clear ambition within European and state strategies, the transformation of cutting-edge knowledge into industrial solutions is key. As the Generalitat's strategy states, " without talent, there is no chip industry ". Here, the Industrial Doctorate Plan becomes a strategic tool to articulate the necessary collaboration and to ensure that scientific advances are translated into tangible innovation within the semiconductor value chain.
As an example, we present a selection of industrial PhD projects with a particularly clear impact on the semiconductor industry . We then explore how five Catalan companies, and some of their industrial PhD projects, are contributing to strengthening the semiconductor value chain and projecting Catalonia as a pole of innovation in this field. The order in which we present them attempts to reflect a conceptual progression along an extended value chain, from the most physical and fundamental elements (materials, basic manufacturing) to supporting tools (metrology) and, finally, the design and development of advanced devices and emerging technologies (quantum, photonics).
IDEADED , founded in 2015, is a Catalan deep tech company specialized in the development of semiconductors based on alternative semiconductors to silicon , with applications in the field of the Internet of Things (IoT). The company, based in Viladecans (Baix Llobregat), has been participating in the Industrial Doctorate Plan since 2022 with five projects.
One of his industrial PhD projects, “ Fabrication and optimization of thin films for advanced electronic devices ”, works on the innovation of materials and manufacturing processes (Front-end) . The research focuses on the study and optimization of new semiconductor materials such as organics and Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDs), which promise to overcome the limitations of silicon. These materials require high-precision fabrication methods ( Front-end ) to create pure and uniform thin films (some with a thickness of a few atoms!), a direct challenge that the project addresses from the fundamentals to their industrial integration in circuits.
With its clean room facilities, IDEADED demonstrates tangible capacity in this segment. Bringing these cutting-edge materials to industrial production presents significant challenges : purity, uniformity, structure and thickness control at the atomic scale are required. Industrial PhD student Natàlia Salvat Lozano dedicates her research to overcoming these barriers, optimizing the entire manufacturing process for its industrial integration.
In parallel to the research of materials, IDEADED is tackling quantum decoherence (the loss of information in qubits ) through the Industrial Doctorate project “ Reduction of the effects of quantum decoherence in qubits through optimal quantum control in time ”. Lluc Garcia Gonzalo, industrial doctoral student of the project, develops optimal quantum control protocols to maximize the operations of qubits and identify the most suitable hardware for future quantum processors of IDEADED . This work in functional design and control software is key for the advancement of quantum hardware , dependent on semiconductor technology. In short, the project is solving a fundamental problem that must be overcome so that quantum chips can become an operational reality.
Sensofar Tech: nanometric precision in quality control in the chip industry
In semiconductor manufacturing, where near-atomic-scale perfection is an indispensable requirement, high-precision optical metrology becomes an essential tool. Sensofar Tech , a participant in the DI Plan since 2018 with three industrial doctorates, is a benchmark in the development, manufacture and marketing of high-end 3D surface metrology instruments , also offering specialized consulting.
The project “ Development and implementation of optical techniques for three-dimensional measurement of large areas of highly rough surfaces ” focuses on improving both the hardware and algorithms of established techniques , in addition to exploring unconventional optical systems and ultrafast measurement methods. The research, led by industrial doctoral student Narcís Vilar Solé, develops new advanced optical techniques to accurately and quickly measure three-dimensional roughness on large surfaces , especially applicable to industrial sectors such as automotive, additive manufacturing and semiconductors. A project with a direct impact on the manufacture of equipment for semiconductor production, since the resulting metrology systems are essential for exhaustive quality control during the manufacturing stages and in the chip assembly, testing and packaging processes.
A second complementary project, “ Study and implementation of advanced optical-computational techniques applied in optical surface metrology systems ”, seeks to overcome current limitations and investigate new paradigms for previously unattainable functionalities . Olena Zhukova, the industrial PhD student, aims to expand the boundaries of what is possible to measure, to “see” smaller details more clearly. To do this, she must overcome the physical limitations inherent in current optical technologies and explore new paradigms that provide functionalities not available until now.
The two projects, although Sensofar projects more industrial doctorates in this line, reinforce the equipment segment within the semiconductor value chain . The development of more advanced and versatile optical metrology equipment is crucial for exhaustive control in the manufacturing stages (front-end and back-end), and also in the assembly, test and packaging (ATP) processes, which allows Catalonia to not only be a user but also a supplier of high-end inspection technology on a global scale.
Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech: design and enabling of quantum processors, a high-value application of quantum computing
Quantum computing represents one of the most promising technological frontiers, and Catalonia has players such as Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech , a pioneering company in the development of quantum computers based on superconducting circuits. Born in 2019 as a spin-off of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), the Institute of High Energy Physics (IFAE) and the University of Barcelona (UB), it has been developing nine industrial doctoral projects since 2020. Its ambition is to create the first commercial quantum computer in our territory, and to be among the first in Europe . This leadership is demonstrated by its key participation in the launch of quantum computers at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), such as the recently operational “ Ona ” (integrated into MareNostrum 5), and its role in the development of a future system for the European quantum network EuroHPC JU, milestones that position Barcelona as a quantum hub.
These devices, which use the principles of quantum mechanics to solve currently intractable problems , require high-precision manufacturing processes similar to those used in the semiconductor industry to create their processors. Qilimanjaro takes a full-stack approach that covers everything from hardware to algorithms. Marta Pascual, CEO of Qilimanjaro, explains that the company “ addresses all the layers necessary for a functional quantum computer, from applications to the production of the chip itself ”; moreover, while not manufacturing semiconductors per se, they develop “ another type of chip that complements semiconductors .”
One of the key projects, led by PhD student Ana Palacios , is “ Theoretical Tools for the Study and Improvement of Quantum Annealing Processes ” and aims to provide the formal foundations and tools necessary to analyze and optimize quantum annealing processes (a model of quantum computing) in the experimental devices built by Qilimanjaro. Palacios' research is, in essence, to develop the best strategies so that Qilimanjaro's quantum computers , which operate with superconducting circuits, can solve optimization problems as quickly and accurately as possible.
Directly focused on the quantum processor, industrial doctoral student Christian Hensel leads the project “ Superconducting flux qubit circuits for quantum annealing ”. His project focuses on the design and optimization of superconducting flux qubits (recall that qubits are the “artificial atoms” that constitute the basic unit of a quantum computer). Hensel explores a wide range of possible “architectures” or designs for these qubits, to improve their coherence time (a key factor for quantum computing power). Therefore, the manufacture of these complex superconducting circuits is carried out with very advanced techniques that are inherited and adapted from those used to manufacture conventional chips.
Luxquanta Technologies: integrated photonics in secure quantum communications
Given the threat that quantum computing poses to current cryptographic systems, communications security is a major challenge . In this context, LuxQuanta Technologies , a Catalan company established in May 2021 as a spin-off of the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), is positioned as a key player in developing innovative solutions for secure communications. The main activity of LuxQuanta, a participant in the DI Plan since 2022 with two industrial doctorates, focuses on the development and commercialization of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) systems . These systems, based on the principles of quantum physics rather than algorithmic complexity, provide a theoretically inviolable method of exchanging cryptographic keys, essential for communications that require the highest levels of security.
His industrial doctoral project “ Quantum key distribution systems based on integrated optics ”, led by industrial doctoral student Elisabeth Llanos , is a clear example of this commitment. His research focuses on the characterization, design and optimization of Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) intended for Continuous Variable Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) systems. In other words, a PIC is like a complete optical laboratory, with all its components integrated into a chip of a few millimeters. These systems allow cryptographic keys to be exchanged with security guaranteed by the laws of quantum mechanics. The integration of these systems into photonic chips is key to their scalability, cost reduction and standardization.
The project, of iterative nature, involves not only the characterization of the PICs, but also their design and redesign, as well as the development of the associated control electronics. This task has a direct impact on the Design and Testing (ATP) stages of the semiconductor value chain , and is closely linked to the Manufacturing of photonic components, a field where semiconductor technology is the basis of production. As Vanesa Diaz , CEO of LuxQuanta, emphasizes, the strategic contribution of these projects allows “ to optimize current products and work on the next technological generation ”, which will allow them to “ consolidate ourselves as global leaders, placing us among the three or five main companies in the sector ”.
QUSIDE TECHNOLOGIES: quantum randomness in photonic chips and cybersecurity
The strength of cybersecurity in the quantum era does not only consist in the way cryptographic keys are distributed, a key aspect that we have seen in the previous project. Another fundamental pillar is the quality and unpredictability of the random numbers used to generate inviolable cryptographic keys , up to the most complex scientific simulations. In this area, the Catalan company QUSIDE , born in 2017 as a spin-off of the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), takes advantage of quantum phenomena to generate this randomness of the highest possible quality , encapsulating this technology in innovative photonic chips. The company has been actively participating in the Industrial Doctorate Plan since 2019, with three industrial doctorates.
One of her industrial doctoral projects, entitled “ Dynamics of high-speed quantum entropy sources in InP ”, delves precisely into the physics and engineering of these devices. Berta Martínez Pàmies, the industrial doctoral student at the head of the research, analyzes from a dual perspective (theoretical and experimental) the complex and fast behavior of high-speed Quantum Entropy Sources (QES). These systems are based on Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs), the miniaturized optical laboratories that we have talked about before. These PICs, in this case, are manufactured on Indium Phosphide (InP), a key semiconductor material particularly suitable for applications that use light. The aim of the research is to thoroughly understand the behavior of essential components within these chips, such as the tiny integrated laser light sources (coupled semiconductor lasers), to determine the optimal operating conditions that allow maximizing the generation of quantum randomness of the highest quality.
The results of this research will be crucial to produce improved versions of its quantum randomness generation devices, making them faster and more efficient . Thus, this project has a full impact on multiple stages of the complex semiconductor value chain, especially in its extension towards integrated photonics. In fact, QUSIDE already sells a semiconductor chip that holds the record for being the fastest on the market in its category, generating 1 Gigabit of random numbers per second.
As we have seen through these concrete examples, the Industrial Doctorate Plan is a key piece in Catalonia's strategy to strengthen its semiconductor ecosystem . The capacity of companies such as IDEADED, Sensofar Tech, Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech, Luxquanta Technologies and QUSIDE to address cutting-edge technological challenges, promoting research in materials, equipment, design and quantum applications, is enhanced by this collaboration program. Beyond the individual advances, the set of these projects reflects an ecosystem under construction, where knowledge transfer and the training of specialized talent are fundamental for the country's technological sovereignty and industrial progress.
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Understanding Semiconductors
Essentially, a semiconductor is a material with an intermediate electrical property: it conducts electricity better than an insulator, but worse than a conductor. Its “magic” lies in the ability to control this electrical conductivity with great precision. This characteristic allows the manufacture of transistors, which are the basic components of chips. Transistors act as tiny switches that can be turned on or off to control the flow of electric current. The ability to “tune” the passage of current is fundamental to the design and operation of all modern electronics.
In short, semiconductors are the foundation on which all digital technology is built, from the most everyday devices such as mobile phones to the most complex systems of artificial intelligence or quantum computing.
The relevance of this industry, born in 1947, has been accentuated by recent supply disruptions and geopolitical tensions, revealing its complex and fragmented global value chain (manufacturing a chip can require 1,500 steps!). Moreover, as a report by the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) points out, the concentration of the most advanced manufacturing 'primarily on the island of Taiwan […] represents a significant strategic vulnerability'. Some experts even speak of a new era of technological warfare, where semiconductors constitute the central "battlefield" for global supremacy.
