R&D & Prototyping
Empowering semiconductor and MEMS research — single wafers to small batches, custom specifications, academic pricing, and expert technical consultation. From concept to publication and beyond.
Overview
Semiconductor research and prototyping present unique supply chain challenges: quantities too small for volume suppliers, specifications that don't fit standard catalogs, budgets constrained by grant cycles, and technical guidance needed when exploring unfamiliar material systems. GINECHIP's R&D and prototyping program is specifically designed to address these challenges — removing barriers between your research ideas and the materials needed to realize them.
We serve university research groups (from individual PhD students to multi-institution centers), corporate R&D labs exploring next-generation device concepts, government and defense laboratories (DARPA, DOE, NASA, ESA and their contractors), and startup companies developing their first prototypes. Many of today's leading MEMS and photonics devices — now in volume production — began as small-batch substrate orders through our R&D program.
Why R&D Teams Choose GINECHIP
No Minimum Order Quantity
Unlike high-volume substrate suppliers who require multi-box or full-cassette minimums, we support orders as small as a single wafer. Ideal for PhD research, proof-of-concept demonstrations, and initial feasibility studies where every wafer counts.
Custom Specifications Welcomed
Standard catalog specifications don't fit your research? We source and fabricate substrates with non-standard resistivity ranges, exotic crystal orientations (〈110〉, 〈311〉, off-cut angles), custom thicknesses (ultra-thin 50μm to ultra-thick 2mm+), and specialized surface finishes tailored to your process.
Flexible Lead Times
Research timelines are unpredictable. We maintain buffer stock of common substrate types for same-week shipments, while custom-fabricated substrates are clearly communicated with realistic lead times. Rush processing is available when your publication deadline or grant milestone is at stake.
Technical Consultation Included
Not sure which substrate best fits your device concept? Our process engineers provide complimentary technical consultation — recommending material choices, surface treatments, and process integration strategies based on your application requirements and available fabrication tools.
Academic Pricing
Recognizing the budget constraints of university and government research labs, we offer preferential academic pricing on standard substrates and process services. Volume discounts apply even to cumulative orders across multiple research groups within the same institution.
Publication & IP Support
We understand the importance of material provenance in peer-reviewed publications. We provide detailed substrate specifications suitable for inclusion in journal methods sections, and respect all intellectual property arrangements — including university technology transfer office requirements.
Prototyping Services
One-wafer engineering lots for process feasibility testing. Deposit, pattern, etch, or bond on a single substrate to validate your process flow before committing to multi-wafer development runs.
View Process Services →Non-standard diameter, thickness, resistivity, orientation, or surface finish substrates fabricated to your unique specifications. Ideal for novel device concepts requiring atypical starting materials.
Inquire →Design of experiments (DOE) across multiple wafers with systematic parameter variation. Split-lot processing for A/B comparison of process conditions. Statistical analysis of results included in process report.
Inquire →Collaborative development of novel process steps not in our standard catalog. From new material deposition recipes to custom etch chemistries — our engineering team works alongside your researchers to develop and document new capabilities.
Contact Us →Access to our metrology suite for SEM, AFM, ellipsometry, and profilometry on your processed samples. Cross-sectional analysis, EDX elemental mapping, and surface roughness characterization for device troubleshooting.
Inquire →Process documentation, SOPs, and statistical process control (SPC) data packages for transitioning your lab-developed process to pilot production — either with us or at your chosen volume foundry.
Contact Us →Research Areas We Support
Novel sensor concepts, actuator designs, energy harvesters, and resonant devices. From standard Si and SOI to piezoelectric AlN and PZT thin-film integration.
PDMS casting masters, SU-8 channel molds, glass-silicon hybrid devices. Single-cell analysis chips, droplet generators, organ-on-chip platforms.
Silicon photonics test structures, plasmonic nanoantenna arrays, integrated waveguide circuits, photonic crystal cavities, on-chip spectrometers.
GaN-on-Si and SiC power device prototypes. Gate stack development, edge termination optimization, reliability test structures for wide-bandgap semiconductors.
Superconducting qubit substrates (high-resistivity Si, sapphire), Josephson junction test structures, SiGe and MOS quantum dot devices, single-photon detector arrays.
Flexible neural probes, MEA (microelectrode array) substrates, implantable sensor packaging, biocompatible coating development, in-vitro diagnostic chips.
Substrates for graphene, MoS₂, WS₂, and hBN device fabrication. CVD-grown 2D material transfer onto pre-patterned substrates with alignment markers.
Chiplet integration test vehicles, fine-pitch micro-bump prototyping, hybrid bonding development, through-glass via (TGV) process evaluation.
How to Get Started — in 4 Steps
Describe Your Research
Tell us about your device concept, the materials you need, and your process flow. A simple email with your preliminary specifications is enough to start the conversation.
Receive Technical Proposal
Our engineers review your requirements and respond with substrate recommendations, process feasibility assessment, pricing, and estimated lead time — typically within 24 hours.
Approve & Ship
Upon approval, we process your order. Small-batch substrates typically ship within 3–5 days for stock items; custom fabrication lead times are communicated upfront.
Publish & Scale
Once your research is validated, we support the transition to higher volumes and process optimization — whether staying with GINECHIP or transferring to a production foundry.
Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) Compatible Substrates
For research groups participating in foundry MPW runs (e.g., IMEC, CEA-Leti, IHP, TSMC University Shuttle, GlobalFoundries MPW), we supply substrates that meet the specific incoming specifications required by these programs — including precise wafer thickness and flatness requirements, backside treatments, and specific cassette/packaging requirements for foundry automation compatibility. Let us know your MPW provider, and we'll ensure your substrates meet their acceptance criteria.
From Lab to Fab
The transition from research prototype to volume production is often the most challenging phase of semiconductor innovation. Process recipes developed on benchtop tools don't directly translate to production equipment; substrate specifications that worked for 5-wafer lots may not be economically available at 5,000-wafer volumes. Our engineering team has extensive experience bridging this gap — optimizing processes for manufacturability, qualifying alternate substrate sources for supply chain resilience, and documenting process windows for technology transfer. When your research is ready to scale, we're ready to help.
Starting a New Research Project?
Tell us about your device concept and material requirements — our engineers will provide substrate recommendations, a feasibility assessment, and a quotation within 24 hours.