Catalog of SIP Cores
System on Chip design resources
System on Chip design resources
May 28, 2026 -
Breakthrough in chip manufacturing: As part of the European APECS pilot line, researchers at Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS have developed a method that allows different chip components to be fused almost seamlessly into a single unit. By precisely embedding small chiplets into specially structured silicon pockets, Fraunhofer IPMS succeeded in combining the advantages of a compact single chip with the flexibility of modular systems for the first time. This achievement demonstrates the feasibility of quasi-monolithic integration (QMI) and bridges the gap between traditional chip packaging and cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing.
Growing demands for greater complexity, computing power and system compactness are calling for a radical rethink of semiconductor manufacturing. The vision for future-proof microelectronics is to create systems that are as powerful as a single chip yet offer the flexibility of modular building blocks. Within the APECS pilot line, which focuses on "Advanced Packaging and Heterogeneous Integration for Electronic Components and Systems", Fraunhofer IPMS is pursuing the quasi-monolithic integration (QMI) approach. The aim is to integrate various chip components, such as control electronics, sensors and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), at the wafer level, while retaining the benefits of a compact single chip.