In the words of the organizers, this event serves to “highlight some of the newest and most unique product launches in the fields of 3D, heterogeneous integration, MEMS and imaging”. The competing companies were chosen by a jury, and Zero EC was invited to pitch its technology alongside Merck Electronics, Xperia Corporation and Infineon among others.

The triumphant presentation was dedicated to Zero EC’s first product, the ZVR Interconnect. Today, all semiconductor producers have developed their own roadmaps to improve packaging, with the aim of increasing bandwidth density and package size while reducing energy consumption and bump pitch. Interconnect technologies play a crucial role in making this possible and keeping up with Moore’s law. The groundbreaking ZVR Interconnect meets these challenges by eliminating the need for conventional bumps. Instead, the technology “reads” the voltage of a pad which replaces the bump by means of free electrons. This allows bump pitch size to shrink to < 5 microns while saving between 15 and 20% of the energy used.

Announcing Zero EC as the winner, the event’s chair Martina Vogel noted that: “it was very impressive to see a new type of data transport at extreme low energy. […] Many of us assume that this will potentially be a key technology in overcoming the end of Moore’s law.”

For Daniel Graf, this accolade is the latest in a series of successes in recent months, including winning the 2021 German Innovation Award. These achievements are spurring the startup on as it continues to develop and utilize its revolutionary technology. “As a deep-tech startup with an emerging technology, we were greatly honoured to be selected to pitch our innovation to an audience of industry experts,” says Graf. “Taking home first prize is powerful proof that this technology is not only capable of reducing energy consumption but can also increase the performance of semiconductor products.”

About SEMI

SEMI is a global industry association representing the electronics manufacturing and design supply chain, connecting over 2,400 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide.

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