Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAFAs part of the APECS pilot line, Fraunhofer IAF has commissioned a new measurement station for on-wafer measurements of high-frequency electronics. The setup enables single-sweep measurements of S-parameters in the frequency range from 10 MHz to 250 GHz.
On-Wafer Measurement System up to 250 GHz Put Into Operation
8/21/2026 / Procurement as part of the APECS pilot line
Newly established test station at Fraunhofer IAF, used for characterizing the scattering parameters (S-parameters) of high-frequency electronic components between 10 MHz and 250 GHz. The equipment was procured as part of the APECS pilot line.
The configuration used to characterize the scattering parameters (S-parameters) of high-frequency components combines the commercial Evolvity 300 on-wafer measurement station from FormFactor, Inc. with a PNA-X-Pro vector network analyzer from Keysight Technologies. To the best of the knowledge of Fraunhofer IAF, this combination is currently unique for the frequency range from 10 MHz to 250 GHz. Fraunhofer IAF procured the new measurement system as part of the APECS pilot line and has successfully put it into operation. The acquisition took place as part of a public procurement process.
Researchers at Fraunhofer IAF have already successfully conducted initial measurements with the system. A distributed amplifier (DA) developed in-house was measured at the system’s performance limit (250 GHz). It achieves a gain of 11 ± 2 dB in the frequency range between 4 and 420 GHz. The amplifier is based on high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs), which were fabricated using the III-V semiconductor material system indium gallium arsenide and transferred onto silicon substrates (InGaAs-on-Si).
The new measurement station significantly expands the measurement capabilities of Fraunhofer IAF and enables a significantly more efficient characterization of state-of-the-art high-frequency components. Since single-sweep measurements up to 250 GHz are possible, the number of measurement setups required is reduced—in the case of the characterized 400-GHz amplifier, from three to two setups. The expansion of the measurement infrastructure at Fraunhofer IAF supports researchers in developing novel high-frequency chiplets as part of the APECS project.
Fraunhofer IAF will present the measured distributed amplifier at the European Microwave Week (EuMW) 2026 at Booth B35. The measurement setup will also be demonstrated there by the equipment manufacturer.
About APECS
As part of the EU Chips Act, the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD) is establishing the APECS pilot line (Advanced Packaging and Heterogeneous Integration for Electronic Components and Systems) in collaboration with European partners. The goal is to create an end-to-end platform for the development, integration and pilot-scale manufacturing of modern microelectronic systems, as well as to accelerate their transfer to industrial applications. By providing large industrial companies, SMEs and startups with easier access to cutting-edge technology, the APECS pilot line will lay a solid foundation for resilient and robust European semiconductor supply chains.
APECS is co-funded by the Chips Joint Undertaking and the national funding authorities of Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Austria, Portugal, and Spain, through the Chips for Europe Initiative.
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