National facility for undertaking leading-edge R&D in micro-nanotechnologies, foundational to all industrial sectors and essential to Canada’s competitiveness.
Canada’s National Design Network, managed by CMC Microsystems, supports leading-edge R&D in micro-nano technologies by lowering the barriers to technology adoption. It delivers services to a network of over 10,000 researchers and entrepreneurs in universities, colleges, and companies for designing and making micro-nanotechnology prototypes. The advanced devices and materials that are created are made-in-Canada disruptive developments in the areas of, for example, AI, 5G, optical communications, biomedical sensors, automotive, digital manufacturing, energy management, cybersecurity, and heterogeneous and quantum computing.
Access to computer-aided design (CAD), fabrication (FAB), and laboratory (LAB) products and services for the design, simulation, prototyping and/or testing of micro-nanotechnologies. This includes microelectronics, photonics, embedded systems and software, materials, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS research).
Offerings include:
- 50 computer-aided design (CAD) tool suites
- 600 development systems
- 40 university-based fabrication laboratories
- 25 multi-project wafer services available through nine foundries worldwide
- 450 design flows, user guides, and application notes
- 80 pieces of test equipment
- Training courses, webinars, workshops, and events
This infrastructure is available at institutions across Canada.
- Aerospace and satellites
- Agriculture, animal science and food
- Automotive
- Clean technology
- Defence and security industries
- Energy
- Environmental technologies and related services
- Financial services and insurance
- Forestry and forest-based industries
- Healthcare and social services
- Information and communication technologies and media
- Life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment
- Manufacturing and processing
- Mining, minerals and metals
- Ocean industries
- Transportation
- Utilities
Specialized labs and equipment
Specialized facility | Equipment | Function |
---|---|---|
CAD Services
| Microelectronics CAD: Cadence, Coventor, Keysight, Mentor, softMEMS, Synopsys, Solido | Design, simulation, verification, layout, and analysis of ASIC and PCB designs in microelectronics, MEMS and photonics |
CAD Services | Photonics CAD: ARM, Design Workshop, Luceda, Lumerical, Siemens Mentor, Optiwave, Photon Design, RSoft | Integrated environments for the design, for the design, capture, layout, and verification of optic components |
CAD Services | FPGA/Embedded Systems CAD: Altium, ARM, IAR Systems, IntelFPGA, NI Labview, Mentor, Synopsys, VectorBlox, Xilinx | Integrated development environments for FPGA platforms plus design and verification tools and processor technology. |
CAD Services | Multiphysics CAD Tools: ANSYS, COMSOL, FEI, SolidWorks | Modelling, including 3D visualization, simulation and analysis. |
CAD Services | Quantum CAD: Ansys, Cadence, Comsol, Keysight, Siemens Mentor, SolidWorks, Synopsys | Design, simulation, verification, layout, and analysis of designs in superconducting, semiconductor and photonics quantum devices |
FAB Services
| CMOS Prototyping (including process design kits - PDKs): GLOBALFOUNDRIES® - 12nm FinFET, 22nm FDSOI, 45nm RFSOI, 90nm BiCMOS SiGe 9hP, 130nm BiCMOS SiGe 8XP; ST 28nm, TSMC – 28nm, 65nm GP, 65nm LP, 130nm, 180nm, 350nm; AMS 350nm (Basic, HV, Opto) | Cost-shared access to multi-project wafer fabrication services targeting commercial sources |
FAB Services | MEMS Prototyping (including PDKs): TDSI MIDIS, MEMSCAP PolyMUMPS (including post-processing) and PiezoMUMPS | Cost-shared access to multi-project wafer fabrication services |
FAB Services | III-V epitaxy on InP, GaAs or GE substrates: III-V Labs, Azastra, CPFC, FBH, Fraunhofer, Landmark | Custom epitaxy services sourcing worldwide supply |
FAB Services | Photonics Prototyping (including PDKs): AMF Silicon Photonics, III-V epitaxy on InP/GaAs/GE substrates (various sources); GF 45SPCLO ) | Cost-shared access to multi-project wafer fabrication services |
FAB Services | Packaging and Assembly | Standard component wire bond; single or multi-die assembly; custom packaging and assembly services; engineering support |
LAB Services | Equipment Loan – Test: Centellax, Keysight, Keithley, NoisTech, Rohde & Schwartz, Stanford Research, Tektronics | 3-month loan of analyzers, amplifiers, BERTs, meters, scopes, generators, probe station, pumps, imaging equipment, etc. |
LAB Services | Equipment Loan - Development Boards and PXI Cards: Xilinx; NI; Keysight; Atlas 200 DK (model 3000) | Xilinx ML605 and ZCU102 boards; NI and Keysight PXI cards (chassis, scopes, SMUs, analyzers, generators, controllers); Atlas DK AI Developer Kit |
LAB Services | Fabrication, Assembly, Characterization and Test (FACT) | Custom fabrication and characterization services from Canadian university labs |
LAB Services | Nanofabrication Process Design Environment: CMC, camLine | Cloud-based design environment for nanotechnology researchers including XperiDesk-driven process repository |
LAB Services | Microfabrication: MNT Financial Assistance | Financial assistance to lower the cost barriers of hands-on, custom microfabrication in university labs in Canada. |
LAB Services | FPGA and SOC Evaluation and Development Kits (Xilinx and Intel/Terasic) | FPGAs, memory and industry-standard peripherals suitable for a wide range of applications |
LAB Services | Software Platform: Heterogeneous Computing Middleware Platform (HCMP) | Middle-ware for developing industrial-strength heterogeneous computing software |
LAB Services | FPGA-based Development Systems | Acceleration, high-performance/heterogeneous/agile computing and/or processing, software-defined radio, Virtex 5 & 6 |
LAB Services | PXI-based Microsystems Integration Platform | Multi-technology validation of a micro-device in a system context |
LAB Services | GPU-based Multiprocessor Array Platform | Accelerated processing of algorithms and simulations |
LAB Services | Software Platform: Heterogeneous Computing Middleware Platform (HCMP) | Middle-ware for developing industrial-strength heterogeneous computing software |
LAB Services | PXI-based Microsystems Integration Platform | Multi-technology validation of a micro-device in a system context |
LAB Services | Cloud-based Clusters: Atlas 800 Cluster (model 9000), FPGA/GPU Cluster | Accelerate compute intensive applications, especially AI training and inference. Stack and complete ecosystem of machine learning frameworks. |
LAB Services | IBM Quantum Computers (65-, 27-, 16- and 7-qubit systems) | Specialized access to IBM Quantum Hub at Institut quantique - training, quantum coding service. |
Private and public sector research partners
- Acadia University
- Algoma University
- Cape Breton University
- Carleton University
- Concordia University
- Dalhousie University
- École de Technologie Supérieure
- Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS)
- Lakehead University
- Laurentian University
- McGill University
- McMaster University
- Memorial University of Newfoundland
- Polytechnique Montréal
- Queen's University
- Royal Military College of Canada
- Ryerson University
- Saint Mary's University
- Simon Fraser University
- Trent University
- Université de Montréal
- Université de Moncton
- University of Ottawa
- Université de Sherbrooke
- Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT)
- Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC)
- Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
- Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO)
- Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR)
- Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR)
- Université Laval
- University of Alberta
- University of British Columbia
- University of Calgary
- University of Guelph
- University of Lethbridge
- University of Manitoba
- University of New Brunswick
- University of Northern British Columbia
- University of Regina
- University of Saskatchewan
- University of Toronto
- University of Victoria
- University of Waterloo
- University of Windsor
- Western University
- Wilfrid Laurier University
- York University
- Algonquin College
- Assiniboine Community College
- Cégep de l'Outaouais
- Cégep Trois-Rivières
- Centennial College
- Collège Lionel-Groulx
- Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
- Georgian College
- Humber College
- Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology
- Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT)
- St. Lawrence College
Additional information
Title | URL |
---|---|
Success Stories | www.cmc.ca/SuccessStories |
Annual Report highlights | https://www.cmc.ca/corporate-reports/ |
News Releases | https://www.cmc.ca/cmc-news/ |