Research on Semiconductors and Chips at BUT: Connecting Faculties, Research, and Industry

At a time when semiconductors and chips are among the strategic priorities of the European Union and the Czech Republic, Brno University of Technology plays a significant role in educating experts and conducting research in this field. Intensive work on various aspects of semiconductor technologies is underway at several faculties and at the CEITEC BUT research center.

“There is a shortage of about three thousand experts in the Czech Republic and up to fifty thousand specialists across Europe,” warns Vilém Kledrowetz from the Institute of Microelectronics at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication (FEEC BUT) in a previously published article (in Czech language). “This is understandable because the expansion of chips is enormous. They are all around us, and both Europe and America are striving to reduce their dependence on Asia,” he adds.

Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication – Educating a New Generation of Experts

FEEC BUT plays a crucial role in preparing experts in semiconductor technologies. In response to current industry needs, a new bachelor's and master's degree program, Chip Design and Modern Semiconductor Technologies, has been created.

Vilém Kledrowetz stated that the new program is based on the existing Microelectronics and Technology program. He explained that this program has been taught for decades and required significant modernization. The core curriculum of general mandatory subjects was retained, but specialized subjects were updated and supplemented.

The program takes a progressive approach to teaching. It rejects outdated rote memorization in favor of methods inspired by international standards, such as colloquia and project-based learning. This way, students not only gain technical knowledge but also develop teamwork, presentation, and idea defense skills.

What it is like to study microelectronics and why technical fields should not be feared is explained in an interview by Veronika Junasová, a PhD student at FEEC BUT.

CEITEC BUT – Cutting-Edge Infrastructure for Research and Education

The CEITEC Nano laboratory, part of the large research infrastructure CzechNanoLab, serves as a key center for semiconductor research at BUT.

“The main advantage of our laboratory is that it provides all the necessary equipment ‘under one roof.’ Here, nanostructures, nanoscale components, and chips can be completely manufactured and analyzed in a single facility,” explains Michal Urbánek, head of CEITEC Nano and coordinator of CzechNanoLab. “As a national research infrastructure, we provide access to scientists from many institutions and companies, both Czech and international.”

CEITEC Nano also provides its cleanrooms and state-of-the-art equipment for teaching students of microelectronics and the newly established Chip Design and Modern Semiconductor Technologies program. “We are preparing a practical course for students where they will manufacture and test their own semiconductor chips in our laboratories,” adds Michal Urbánek, who in January 2025 received the City of Brno Award for significant contributions to technical sciences.

CEITEC BUT primarily focuses on fundamental research in “beyond-CMOS” areas—future technologies that could replace or complement those currently used in the semiconductor industry. The importance of this work is underscored by Professor Urbánek himself, who is personally involved in magnonics research.

“In my research, I focus on magnonics—a new technology that uses magnetic waves instead of electric current for information transfer and computation. Chips based on this technology could be more energy-efficient because they do not heat up due to electric current flow, which is a major limitation of current processors. This is largely fundamental research, where we discover and explore entirely new physical phenomena. I enjoy looking into the unknown and pushing the boundaries of human knowledge,” says Michal Urbánek.

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering – A Long Tradition of Industry Collaboration

At the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME BUT), semiconductor research has a long tradition, particularly at the Institute of Physical Engineering (ÚFI). According to Miroslav Kolíbal, the ÚFI team has collaborated with the semiconductor industry for over 25 years.

“Before 1989, Brno had teams working on technologies related to semiconductor manufacturing. Tomáš Šikola, after joining the Institute of Physical Engineering at FME from Tesla Brno, initiated research and instrumental development in this field. Natural partners included Tesla Sezam and Terosil in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, today the international corporation onsemi, with which ÚFI has collaborated for over 25 years,” explains Miroslav Kolíbal.

An important part of ÚFI's work is also the education of future experts through the study program Physical Engineering and Nanotechnology. "Students of the Physical Engineering and Nanotechnology study program at ÚFI particularly benefit from collaborations with companies, projects, and easy access to experimental equipment," adds Professor Kolíbal. "The study program also offers subjects in semiconductor technologies – both the fundamentals of semiconductor physics and technologies used in semiconductor manufacturing."

"At ÚFI, approximately 25 students graduate annually from the Physical Engineering program, and they almost immediately disappear into the job market. Expanding the capacity of this and similar programs at VUT is therefore a major challenge, calling for increased support for relevant study programs, their material and personnel resources," states Tomáš Šikola, Director of the Institute of Physical Engineering at FME BUT and Head of the Research Group for the Fabrication and Characterization of Nanostructures at CEITEC BUT.

"ÚFI will also be involved in teaching the new study program Chip Design and Modern Semiconductor Technologies. The subjects provided by ÚFI will enable students to better understand the physical principles of technology, characterization, and functional properties of semiconductors and their components," clarifies Professor Šikola regarding FME BUT's involvement in this interfaculty project.

Faculty of Information Technology – Managing Complexity

The Faculty of Information Technology at BUT (FIT BUT) also contributes to chip development, focusing primarily on higher levels of abstraction in chip design.

"FIT's mission in the field of semiconductor technologies is primarily to handle the complexity of modern chips. No single person has the capability to design, verify, and diagnose such intricate structures alone," explains Richard Růžička, Vice Dean for Master's Studies at FIT BUT. "FIT's role is primarily at higher levels of abstraction than individual transistors on a chip. In this way, our faculty contributes to the Chip Design and Modern Semiconductor Technologies study program, which is opening at FEEC."

Several research groups at FIT BUT work on projects directly applicable to chips. Among the most significant are the Evolvable Hardware Research Group, the Dependable Digital Systems Research Group, and the Accelerated Network Technologies Research Group. These groups focus on developing highly optimized hardware, designing and implementing modern digital systems with an emphasis on reliability and security, and hardware acceleration of network monitoring systems and devices.

FIT BUT also achieves excellent results in the field of developing ultra-fast chip cards based on FPGA technology. This technology was introduced to Brno over twenty years ago by Associate Professor Otto Fučík from FIT BUT after his internship in the USA. He laid the foundation for a successful ecosystem that has led to significant achievements and attracted the attention of major technology giants.

Interfaculty Collaboration and Industry Connection

A key aspect of the development of semiconductor technologies at BUT is the connection between faculties and industrial partners.

Experts from various BUT faculties, CEITEC BUT, and the industry participate in teaching. "Some courses will be taught by specialists from companies. Employees from Thermo Fisher Scientific, onsemi, and Codasip will contribute to the teaching. Students will gain knowledge directly from practice and university experts from various fields, while companies have the opportunity to observe students' work and potentially offer them employment," adds Vilém Kledrowetz.

Professor Šikola emphasizes the need for further deepening of this collaboration: "The interdisciplinary nature of the necessary education in these high-tech areas (ÚFI - primarily material research and instrumentation development, FEEC BUT - chip design) calls for the creation of a much more significant, unified platform."

International Collaboration and Student Opportunities

BUT is also a member of the Czech National Semiconductor Cluster – an association of companies, research organizations, and universities in the field of modern semiconductors. This opens additional opportunities for students.

"Thanks to this, our students have tremendous opportunities to travel to various foreign institutions. For example, in January, six of our doctoral students went to Taiwan, where they will learn about implementing artificial intelligence on chips and cybersecurity in the context of chips," concludes Vilém Kledrowetz.

Brno University of Technology thus represents a comprehensive ecosystem for research and development in the field of semiconductors and chips, connecting top laboratories, high-quality education, and industry collaboration. At a time when Europe is striving to strengthen its position in the semiconductor industry, BUT's role in preparing experts and researching new technologies is highly significant.