Singapore is building a practical route from semiconductor research to commercialization across several deep-tech fields, including silicon carbide power devices, silicon photonics, advanced packaging, RF1. radio frequencyHigh-frequency electromagnetic oscillations used, for example, to excite plasmas.2. resonance frequencyQuantity describing a signal’s frequency, bandwidth, spectral behavior or transmission rate. GaNgallium nitrideGaN is another material platform mentioned for use in different power delivery roles., piezoMEMS, flat optics, and IC1. integrated circuitIC is the common term for an integrated circuit.2. ion chromatographyAnalytical method that separates and identifies the components of a mixture. design. The common thread is not only technical development, but also the infrastructure needed to validate, scale, and transfer those technologies into industry.
Three cases stand out: SiCsilicon carbideSiC is one of the power semiconductor materials being assigned a distinct role in the power delivery chain. power device work at A*STARsimultaneous transmitted and reflected’s Institute of Microelectronics, metalens manufacturing at Singapore startup MetaOptics, and the growth of silicon photonics foundry Advanced Micro Foundry into an industrial asset later acquired by GlobalFoundries. Together, they show three different stages of the same path: research, startup validation, and manufacturing scale-up.
At A*STARsimultaneous transmitted and reflected IME, senior scientist Chien Yu-Chieh focuses on SiCsilicon carbideSiC is one of the power semiconductor materials being assigned a distinct role in the power delivery chain. power MOSFET1. metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistorVoltage-controlled field-effect transistor with an insulated gate, widely used in integrated circuits.2. metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistorA common transistor type used here as the layout and technology reference.s, including device structures, process development, electrical characterization, and reliability. He is working on next-generation device structures and fabrication processes beyond conventional device development, with an emphasis on technology translation. Trench MOSFET1. metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistorVoltage-controlled field-effect transistor with an insulated gate, widely used in integrated circuits.2. metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistorA common transistor type used here as the layout and technology reference.s can lower on-resistance, but they also create challenges in gate oxide integrity, defects at the SiCsilicon carbideSiC is one of the power semiconductor materials being assigned a distinct role in the power delivery chain./SiO2 interface, and long-term reliability.
The work depends on repeated validation across design, fabrication, measurement, and reliability testing, which is why access to a single research environment with equipment and cross-disciplinary expertise matters. At A*STARsimultaneous transmitted and reflected IME, device design, process development, and electrical characterization can be carried out in one R&D setting, shortening development cycles and supporting the move toward commercial applications and intellectual property creation.
MetaOptics, founded in 2021 and headquartered in Singapore, is manufacturing metalenses on glass substrates. Its approach uses nanoscale structures to control light directly and forms nanoscale pillar features on 12-inch glass wafers with semiconductor manufacturing methods. The company is using deep ultraviolet immersion lithography to advance wafer-level metalens manufacturing for applications such as smartphone cameras, wearables, machine vision, and other sensing systems.
For MetaOptics, the key hurdle is not proving that a metalens can form an image, but demonstrating that it performs reliably in real-world use. Customer validation, process consistency, yield, and manufacturing scale are central issues as nanoscale optics and lithography move toward volume production.
Advanced Micro Foundry shows a more mature stage of that same process. The Singapore-based silicon photonics foundry emerged from A*STARsimultaneous transmitted and reflected’s technology translation efforts and operates a 200-mm manufacturing platform for prototyping, fabrication, and testing. In November 2025, GlobalFoundries acquired AMF, bringing its manufacturing capability, silicon photonics IP1. image placement2. Internet protocolInterface or communications concept for transmitting data between devices and systems.3. Intellectual PropertyIP denotes licensable semiconductor design blocks or technology elements., and talent into GlobalFoundries’ global operations.
GlobalFoundries said AMF was expected to contribute more than $75 million in revenue in 2026 and help support a target of more than $1 billion in annual silicon photonics revenue by the end of the decade. The company also plans a silicon photonics R&D center of excellence in Singapore with A*STARsimultaneous transmitted and reflected, focused on next-generation silicon photonics technologies and materials for 400 Gbps data transmission. AMF’s existing 200-mm platform is intended to serve long-haul optical communications, computing, LiDAR, and sensing, with a possible move to 300-mm manufacturing as demand increases.
The broader model is technology translation: building the equipment, talent, and technical capabilities needed to move research into industrial deployment. In Singapore, that model now spans SiCsilicon carbideSiC is one of the power semiconductor materials being assigned a distinct role in the power delivery chain. devices, wafer-level metalenses, and silicon photonics, with A*STARsimultaneous transmitted and reflected and GlobalFoundries among the named industrial and research anchors.