Quantum Technology: Siconnex and Silicon Austria Labs (SAL) Forge Strategic Partnership
Austrian equipment manufacturer Siconnex and the research center Silicon Austria Labs (SAL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). At the heart of this collaboration is the European pilot line „CHAMP-ION.“
CHAMP-ION is Europe’s first pilot line for the industrial manufacturing of ion-trap chips. Under the leadership of SAL, Austria is making a significant contribution to this initiative. Together, the partners aim to substantially advance the development and production of these ion-trap quantum technologies and make them industrially scalable.
The technological focus of the collaboration with Siconnex lies in high-precision wet chemical etching using their BATCHSPRAY® technology.
The official signing by Mohssen Moridi (Senior Director, SAL), Fabio Wörndl (Co-CEO & CMO, Siconnex) and Dr. Christina Hirschl (CEO, SAL) took place during an exclusive event for the CHAMP-ION pilot line.
Combined Expertise for Europe’s Chip Industry
„This represents the start of a great partnership for research and development in the semiconductor segment,“ emphasizes Fabio Wörndl. He notes that the direct integration of detailed know-how from equipment manufacturers is essential to successfully implementing European initiatives like CHAMP-ION.
The cooperation builds a direct bridge from research to manufacturing. „As an equipment manufacturer, we are the experts and we know the equipment in detail,“ Wörndl continues. „We can bring our knowledge into a facility like SAL to get the best outcome for all of these segments.“
This precise combination is the key to sustainably strengthening the foundation for Europe’s technological capabilities in the semiconductor sector.