South African university faculty a pioneer in micro and printed electronics

The University of Pretoria’s (UP) Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology (EBIT) is a trailblazer in research and development in microelectronics, photonics, and optoelectronics.

Within the Faculty is the Carl and Emily Fuchs Institute for Microelectronics (CEFIM), the oldest institute within the School of Engineering at UP.

Carl Julius Fuchs (1904–1984) and his wife, Emily, established the Carl and Emily Fuchs Foundation in 1969 to support charitable and educational initiatives in South Africa.

The foundation funded the Carl and Emily Fuchs Chair in Microelectronics at the UP in 1970. In 1973, Fuchs received an honorary doctorate for his contributions to the electronics industry, and in 1981, the foundation funded a microelectronics facility at the university.

“We considered the idea for some time and eventually decided to donate to the University of Pretoria. We saw a facility like this as a monument to Carl Fuchs’ dream of supporting training in the mainstream of technological progress,” said Emily.

“We also felt that this facility would generate multiple spin-offs in South Africa, ultimately improving many people’s standard of living.”

Since its founding, CEFIM has led the way in advancing research and development in the fields of microelectronics, photonics, and optoelectronics in South Africa.

MyBroadband was taken on a tour of the CEFIM, including their Nano-Micro Manufacturing Facility (NMMF).

The NMMF was launched by the Department of Science and Innovation, established as part of the South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap (SARIR), and managed by CSIR.

The NMMF develops low-cost devices, sensors, and diagnostics using nanomaterials and biotechnology, supporting researchers in printed electronics, biosensors, and diagnostics.

It advances technologies to higher readiness levels for faster commercialisation in South Africa. There are five specialised nodes across South African institutions.

• Electrochemical Sensor Node (University of the Western Cape).
• Paper-Based Diagnostics Node (Rhodes University).
• Bio-sensor Node (Stellenbosch University).
• Lab-on-Chip Node (CSIR).
• Printed Electronics Node (University of Pretoria).

Professor Trudi Joubert, Director of the CEFIM, told MyBroadband that the facility “is at the forefront of printed electronics research in South Africa, developing solutions for real-world challenges.”

Equipped with advanced printing technologies from a R70 million investment, the facility specialises in producing flexible electronic devices, circuits, and sensors.

It uses techniques such as screen printing, functional inkjet printing, and aerosol jet printing to achieve these goals.

The Nano-Micro Manufacturing Facility

Joubert explained that a key focus of their node includes the development of flexible substrates, which enable applications in wearable technology, diagnostics, and environmental monitoring.

The facility produces printed batteries, RFID tags, and biosensors using materials like silver, carbon, and gold, which enhance biological interfacing.

Additionally, integrated circuits are designed with alternative packaging methods for improved flexibility, paving the way for innovations such as wall-mounted solar panels and large-area electronics.

It houses highly specialised printing equipment, including ultrasonic dispensers and pipette-based printers, which ensure precise material deposition.

The recently acquired aerosol jet printer enhances capabilities by allowing multi-directional printing on complex shapes and a wider range of materials.

With the first phase of establishing its advanced infrastructure completed, the next phase focuses on scaling up device production for real-world impact.

“Importantly, students at the NMMF gain hands-on experience from their second year through to PhD level, working with this state-of-the-art technology,” said Joubert.

Research spans various applications, including biodegradable sensors for precision agriculture, water quality monitoring, and electrochemical and optical sensing for diagnostics.

Projects include eutrophic sensing in South African dams, gas sensor development for agricultural pest detection, and RF and millimetre-wave sensor research.

“Collaborations are very important, and our students are being exposed to working in interdisciplinary teams from early on,” she said.

“It just makes sense. I often say engineering and the kind of technology that we work on is like a service to applications that work at a higher level.”

The facility works closely with departments such as chemical engineering, veterinary science, physics, and chemistry.

These partnerships have enhanced research in fields such as environmental sensing, animal health monitoring, and the development of specialised printable inks.

Such research has resulted in successful spin-off companies and patents.

Spin-off companies and patents

“Scaling up in terms of making devices and getting them to make an impact in the real world is important in this project and aligns with what the University of Pretoria and the CEFIM are trying to accomplish,” said Joubert.

Research from within the institute has been spun out into successful companies. For example, INSiAVA, founded in 2005, originated from research at CEFIM to address chip-to-chip and on-chip interconnect challenges in microelectronics.

The company was established to commercialise injection-enhanced silicon light-emitting technology developed by Prof. Monuko du Plessis in 1990.

Securing private investment in 2007, INSiAVA focused on optimising silicon light emission within standard CMOS processing, ensuring compatibility with large-scale chip manufacturing.

Dr. Jannes Venter, involved since inception as a former lecturer in the Department, became CEO in 2014, leading research into applications like opto-isolation, microdisplays, microfluidic sensing, and chip-to-chip communication.

INSiAVA holds over 65 patents globally, covering silicon light emission in indirect band gap semiconductors, CMOS applications, and specialised circuits for analogue and mixed-signal designs.

Since 2017, it has expanded into power and sensor integrated circuits, driven by IoT market opportunities.

In 2021, the company launched INSiAVA Sensor ICs (Pty) Ltd to develop smart sensor products, including passive infrared (PIR) motion detection and thermopile sensor applications.

This move streamlined sensor product development while preserving INSiAVA’s core light-emission technology.

“We envision being on the forefront of specialised integrated circuit design, providing the competitive edge to customers globally,” said Venter.

“This is by building and delivering products of a superior quality with best-in-class performance for real-world applications through our array of expertise and years of experience in the field of semiconductor engineering,” he added.

Future plans for INSIAVA include expanding the smart sensor business to achieve a sustainable volume of devices sold in order for the company to be self-sustaining.