HQ-Dielectrics GmbH

Their core work

HQ-Dielectrics GmbH is a German specialty materials SME focused on dielectric materials and processes for semiconductor manufacturing. They contribute technical expertise to advanced wafer fabrication projects — first in next-generation fully depleted silicon substrates, then in the industrial scale-up of Silicon Carbide (SiC) wafers to 8-inch format. Their involvement in REACTION, the first European SiC 8-inch pilot line, signals that their core value is bridging materials science and manufacturable production processes. For consortium builders, they represent rare SME-level expertise in a niche critical to Europe's semiconductor independence.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

HQ-Dielectrics entered H2020 through WAYTOGO FAST (2015–2017), working on fully depleted silicon substrates — a mainstream advanced CMOS direction at the time, associated with FDSOI and finFET architectures. By 2018 their focus had shifted decisively to Silicon Carbide, a wide-bandgap material that conventional silicon cannot match in high-voltage and high-temperature power electronics. This is not a minor pivot: it reflects a deliberate move from the crowded silicon scaling race into a materials space where European industry was urgently trying to build domestic supply chains, driven by EV adoption and energy transition demand.

HQ-Dielectrics is positioning itself in the SiC power semiconductor supply chain — a segment under intense European industrial investment due to EV and power conversion demand — making them a relevant partner for any consortium targeting wide-bandgap semiconductor manufacturing.

How they like to work

HQ-Dielectrics has never coordinated a project — they enter large industrial consortia as a specialist contributor, which is typical for SMEs in ECSEL Innovation Actions where dozens of industrial and academic partners share manufacturing infrastructure work. With 65 unique partners across just 2 projects, each engagement placed them inside very large pan-European consortia averaging over 30 partners. This suggests they are valued for a specific technical input rather than project management capacity, and that they are comfortable operating as one node among many.

Their 65 consortium partners across 18 countries — drawn from only 2 projects — reflects the scale typical of ECSEL Joint Undertaking programs, which aggregate Europe's semiconductor industry. Their network likely spans major German and European chip manufacturers, research institutes, and equipment suppliers within that ecosystem.

What sets them apart

HQ-Dielectrics occupies a narrow but strategically important niche: a small German company with hands-on dielectric materials expertise embedded in Europe's flagship semiconductor manufacturing scale-up programs. Most SMEs in ECSEL projects are equipment or software providers; a materials specialist at this level is uncommon. Their early entry into SiC 8-inch wafer work — before it became a mainstream investment area — suggests they track where manufacturing bottlenecks are forming ahead of the wider market.

Highlights from their portfolio

• REACTION
  Europe's first 8-inch SiC wafer pilot line — a landmark industrial scale-up project running five years (2018–2023) with the highest funding of the two projects, placing HQ-D at the center of a critical supply chain gap in European power electronics.
• WAYTOGO FAST
  Early ECSEL participation in fully depleted advanced substrate research, demonstrating HQ-D's established presence in mainstream advanced CMOS development before their pivot to wide-bandgap materials.