We focus heavily on research and development work
We have developed our unique technological expertise by ourselves and have always been ready to innovate and take our business operations to the next level. We also collaborate closely with the leading research institutes in the industry and customers that develop high-technology solutions.
We are involved in many R&D projects
TimeZero
Okmetic is participating in the TimeZero project, a Business Finland-funded initiative under ChipZero Veturi ecosystem. The project brings together 8 companies and research organisations to build a Finnish ecosystem for high-performance timing systems.
In this project, Okmetic develops high-performance C-SOI® wafers for MEMS resonators. The advanced C-SOI® structure enables smaller, more stable, and energy-efficient devices by improving the performance of the resonators that generate the fundamental clock frequency for timing circuits in electronics.
ARCTIC EU Project
Okmetic is participating in the ARCTIC EU project consortium, which develops components and systems for controlling and interfacing scaled-up quantum computers and other cryogenic microsystems. Coordinated by IMEC, the project brings together 36 partners from 11 countries across industry, academia, and leading research and technology organizations. Okmetic contributes its expertise in specialized silicon wafers for cryogenic microelectronics, supporting the development of high-performance quantum hardware.
E2PACKMAN
Okmetic is part of the European E2PackMan project, which focuses on advancing chip packaging technologies in Europe. As Finland’s representative, Okmetic contributes its expertise in high-resistivity silicon wafers and SOI/TSV technologies for next-generation applications.
6G FATE
Okmetic is partaking in 6G FATE project, dedicated to advanced filter designs for FR3 (7-24 GHz) in mobile 5G and 6G applications. In this project, Okmetic’s role is to supply and develop RFSi® High Resistivity wafers that enable low signal loss, high thermal stability, and outstanding RF filter performance, providing a solid foundation for the transition to 6G.
6G TERAFRONT
The VTT-led 6G TERAFRONT project aims to develop THz front-end solutions for mobile applications above 100 GHz to advance 6G technology. Okmetic is supporting the initiative financially while enhancing its expertise to create wafers for future high-frequency applications.
The European Chips Skills Academy
Europe faces a significant shortage of microelectronics professionals, with over 320 000 new employees needed and 100 000 set to retire in the next seven years. The European Chips Skills Academy (ECSA) aims to address this gap by enhancing skills development and industry collaboration. Okmetic will share best practices to support Finland’s semiconductor industry. Supported by the EU, ECSA aligns with policies like the EU Chips Act to strengthen the microelectronics sector.
R&D has pivotal role in our operations
The role of research and development work in our company has been pivotal since the beginning. Ever since we started the production of advanced silicon wafers in 1985 as pioneers, our corporate culture has been honed to support research and development. Even to this day, our values are based on customer orientation, sustainable growth, respecting and valuing others and continuous improvement of operations.
Throughout our history, we have participated in multiple national and EU-funded R&D collaboration projects together with Technical Research Centre of Finland, Aalto University, and several European research institutes and semiconductor manufacturers. In recent years, we have participated in projects that continue to create conditions for the changes in the telecommunications infrastructure (5G) or develop autonomous cars for the upcoming generations (ADAS).
We are an active operator in the EU projects of the semiconductor industry developing groundbreaking microelectromechanical systems. We are also part of the wide-scale MEMS cluster in Finland.
The focus of Okmetic’s research and development work is in the crystal growing technology, production processes of specialty wafers, and the development of wafer patterning and DRIE etching processes. Due to the efforts in these areas, we are able to deliver tailor-made SOI wafers, high resistivity RFSi® wafers, power wafers and 200 mm wafers in large volumes based on our customer needs.
We often collaborate with our customers starting from the beginning of the product development process all the way to the end of the life cycle. Sales and technical customer support help us identify the optimal solutions, and our agile organization in the production of fast prototypes.
The goal of product development is to work ideas and prototypes into products suitable for volume production, whereas the role of process development lies in ensuring the performance of production processes and cost-efficiency even in the future.