CIME-P enables prototype fabrication on industrial processes at attractive costs and technical expertise in MPW and related prototyping services. By participating in IC-DASH, CIME-P reinforces its mission to democratize access to advanced semiconductor technologies, and to empower European SMEs, start-ups, and researchers to design and validate innovative electronic systems under industrial conditions.

History

Building on the long-standing experience of the former French MPW centre CMP, established in the early 1980s, CIME-P has extensive expertise collaborating with STMicroelectronics, ams OSRAM, Science, EM Microelectronic, AMF, and Teem Photonics for both prototyping and volume production.

Since 2019, CMP and then CIME-P have been one of the 5 partners of the Europractice consortium that is a one-stop-shop providing all range of services needed to design and fabricate electronic circuits and smart integrated systems. Europractice offers an affordable access to a wide range of CAD tools, training courses and state-of-the-art fabrication technologies, including ASICs, MEMS and Photonics.

Expertise

CIME-P has developed advanced technical expertise covering the entire microelectronics design enablement and prototyping workflow, from design environment setup to fabrication, post-processing and packaging.

A core competency of CIME-P lies in the deployment and support of Process Design Kits (PDKs) associated with industrial semiconductor technologies (CMOS, SiGe BiCMOS, photonics, MEMS, etc.). This includes secure distribution of PDKs in compliance with foundry licensing agreements (NDA/DKLA), installation and configuration within major EDA environments (e.g. Cadence, Synopsys, Mentor/Siemens), and user support for design flows such as schematic capture, simulation, layout, and physical verification (DRC/LVS/ERC). CIME-P also assists users in ensuring design compliance with foundry requirements, including pre-tapeout checks and layout finishing.

Through its privileged and long-standing collaborations with the IC technology ecosystem, CIME-P acts as a technical interface between designers and semiconductor foundries. Through its privileged and long-standing collaborations with the IC technology ecosystem, CIME-P acts as a technical interface between designers and semiconductor foundries. This positioning enables efficient resolution of technical issues, direct interaction with foundry experts when needed, and optimization of designs for fabrication within Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) runs.

In addition to design support, CIME-P has established strong expertise in chip packaging and post-processing. CIME-P coordinates packaging activities through a network of qualified European partners, covering a wide range of solutions from standard packages (QFN, BGA, etc.) to advanced packaging and system integration approaches (2.5D/3D integration, interposers, heterogeneous integration). CIME-P supports customers in defining packaging strategies aligned with electrical, thermal, and mechanical constraints, and ensures the continuity between fabrication, dicing, packaging, and delivery.

Overall, CIME-P operates as a one-stop technical partner, ensuring consistency and continuity throughout the value chain, from chip design et manufacturing.

Within IC-DASH, CIME-P plays a key role in delivering on four core objectives of the project:

1. Lowering the cost barrier and providing access to prototyping infrastructure: CIME-P enables access to cost-effective MPW fabrication and optional packaging services, helping users validate proof-of-concept and prototype designs. Its experience in coordinating MPW runs with major foundries (STMicroelectronics, ams OSRAM, EM Microelectronic, AMF…) ensures seamless integration into the prototyping pipeline.
2. Providing hands-on support for design flow setup and cloud integration: CIME-P offers onboarding sessions, one-to-one user support, and cloud-compatible flow optimization guidance. This includes distribution of design kits and assistance with EDA tool configuration in secure cloud environments.
3. Provide expert guidance to improve the quality and reliability of the design: Leveraging decades of design enablement experience, CIME-P will support users through design reviews, best-practice mentoring, and targeted consulting, helping teams accelerate their time-to-silicon and increase design maturity.
4. Enabling access to packaging and test services for system-level integration: CIME-P facilitates access to packaging and test services, including support in defining packaging specifications and connecting users to qualified partners for integration and validation. This contributes to improving the robustness and functional completeness of user demonstrators.

CIME-P, together with IC-DASH consortium members, also develops synergies with other DET initiatives to expand the range of services and strengthen the European semiconductor ecosystem, while promoting and disseminating the IC-DASH platform among industrial and technological stakeholders across Europe.