On 26 January, a meeting was held at the Technical University of Sofia, marking the start of the implementation of the C3BG project – Chips Centre of Competence Bulgaria – a key initiative within the Chips for Europe Initiative. The project is funded following the signing of a Grant Agreement with the Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU) under the EU Chips Act.
The project, coordinated by the Technical University of Sofia, brings together clusters as well as public, research and business organisations to establish a national competence centre in microelectronics. As an institution with proven long-standing expertise, the Institute of Solid State Physics is also participating. Attending the meeting were the Director of the Institute, Assoc. Prof. Ekaterina Yordanova; Prof. Albena Paskaleva, C3BG Coordinator at ISSP and Head of the “Functional Materials and Nanostructures” Division; and the Head of the Laboratory of Physical Problems of Microelectronics, Assoc. Prof. Dencho Spasov.
Within the C3BG project, ISSP -BAS will contribute through research and development activities focused on:
In this way, the Institute will continue to uphold its role as a driving force for research and innovation in the field of micro- and nanoelectronics. For the overall implementation of C3BG, teams in Bulgaria will rely on the support of international partners such as imec (Belgium) and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Germany).
The implementation of this large-scale strategic project aims not only to provide access to modern infrastructure, including design platforms and pilot production lines, as well as to developed training and reskilling programmes in microelectronics, but also to deliver targeted support for small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups through mentoring, expert services, and opportunities to use resources and services. This will enable Bulgaria to develop a sustainable, competitive and future-oriented semiconductor ecosystem in line with European priorities and the objectives of the EU Chips Act, and will enhance the competitiveness of our country.
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The Institute of Solid State Physics (ISSP) has strong traditions in the field of microelectronics. In fact, it is the cradle of microelectronics in Bulgaria. As early as 1959, Yordan Kasabov, foreseeing the bright prospects of semiconductor technology and silicon as the most promising semiconductor material, established the “Silicon” Department at the Institute. As a result of the remarkable scientific and technological development in the “Silicon” Department, a spin-off unit – the Central Institute of Elements (later renamed the Institute of Microelectronics) – was established in 1967. The “Physical Problems of Microelectronics” Laboratory was among the first in the world to begin research on high-k dielectrics, in particular Ta₂O₅, as early as the mid-1990s.
Photo: TU – Sofia
