IMEC

Geschiedenis

Imec is an international R&D and innovation hub, active in the fields of nanoelectronics and digital technologies. It is led since 2009 by Luc Van den hove.In September 2016, imec merged with the Flemish digital research center, iMinds.OverviewImec is one of the leading organizations for R&D in nanoelectronics and digital technologies. The institute employs around 3,500 researchers from more than 75 countries and has numerous facilities dedicated to research and development around the world, including 12,000 square meters of cleanroom capacity for semiconductor processing.Headquartered in Leuven (Belgium), imec is present in seven other international locations in six other countries: the Netherlands, Taiwan, China, India, the United States and Japan.HistoryIn 1982 the Flemish Government set up a program in the field of microelectronics with the goal to strengthen the microelectronics industry in Flanders. The decision was inspired by the strategic importance of microelectronics for the industry, and by the major investments required to keep up with developments in this field.This program included setting up a laboratory for advanced research in microelectronics (IMEC), a semiconductor foundry (former Alcatel Microelectronics, now STMicroelectronics and AMI Semiconductor), and a training program for VLSI design engineers. The latter is now fully integrated in the IMEC activities.