CAMBRIDGE MICROELECTRONICS LTD

Their core work

Cambridge Microelectronics (Camutronics) is a UK-based SME specialising in advanced semiconductor devices built on wide-bandgap materials — specifically diamond and silicon carbide (SiC). Their work sits at the intersection of materials science and power electronics: designing and developing transistors and power devices that can operate in conditions — extreme heat, radiation, high voltage — where conventional silicon simply fails. In GreenDiamond they contributed to diamond-based power devices aimed at dramatically reducing energy losses in electronics. In SaSHa they worked on silicon layers grown on SiC substrates for space applications that must survive the harsh radiation environment of orbit.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Cambridge Microelectronics' two H2020 projects ran almost simultaneously (2015–2020 and 2016–2018), which means there is no meaningful temporal evolution to observe within their EU-funded portfolio. What the pair of projects does reveal is a deliberate dual-track strategy: applying the same wide-bandgap semiconductor competence to two distinct high-value markets — energy-efficient green electronics on one side, and radiation-hardened space electronics on the other. No keyword data is available to trace any finer-grained shifts in their research themes.

Their trajectory points toward specialist supplier roles in high-reliability electronics markets — aerospace, defence, and high-efficiency power conversion — where wide-bandgap materials are rapidly displacing silicon and where Cambridge Microelectronics holds rare process know-how.

How they like to work

Camutronics has participated in every H2020 project as a partner, never as coordinator, which is consistent with an SME playing a highly focused technical role rather than managing large consortia. With 19 unique partners across just 2 projects, they have worked in moderately large research consortia (roughly 9–10 partners per project), typical of RIA projects. This suggests they are brought in as a specialist contributor — the team that knows how to work with diamond or SiC — rather than as a generalist integrator.

Camutronics has built a network of 19 unique consortium partners spread across 7 countries, all within a two-year window of project starts. The Cambridge location places them naturally within the UK's semiconductor and photonics cluster, and their European partners likely include universities and foundries with complementary materials or fabrication capabilities.

What sets them apart

Very few SMEs in Europe work with diamond as an active semiconductor material — it is one of the most demanding substrates to process, and the number of companies with genuine device-level expertise is small. Cambridge Microelectronics occupies that rare position: a private company, not a university spinout still in lab phase, with hands-on fabrication experience in both diamond and SiC power devices. For a consortium that needs a credible industrial partner to bridge advanced materials research and manufacturable devices, they are a distinctive choice.

Highlights from their portfolio

• GreenDiamond
  Longest project in their portfolio (5 years, 2015–2020) and directly addresses the commercial case for diamond power electronics — a market with significant long-term growth as power density requirements increase.
• SaSHa
  Demonstrates cross-sector versatility by applying wide-bandgap semiconductor expertise to space-grade electronics, a market with stringent qualification requirements that few SMEs can meet.