Annual Report 2013 - Loughborough University · 2014-04-08 · Ian Fox Alastair McGibbon Rob Haase Andrew Rimmer Martin Goosey Charles Cawthorne Bob Newman Chris Hunt Roger Wise Paul

innovative electronicsManufacturingResearch Centre

Annual Report 2013

ii IeMRC Annual Report 2013

Professor Paul P ConwayAcademic Director

Professor Martin GooseyIndustrial DirectorDr Darren Cadman

Research CoordinatorMrs Kate Van-Lopik

IeMRC SecretaryDr Derek Gillespy

Professor Chris BaileyProfessor C Mark Johnson

Professor Marc P Y DesmulliezProfessor Andrew Richardson

Dr Linda NewnesProfessor David Harrison

Loughborough University




EPSRCUniversity of GreenwichUniversity of NottinghamHeriot-Watt UniversityLancaster UniversityUniversity of BathBrunel University

IeMRC Executive

Industrial Steering Group

Graham FerryNick ChandlerJames Vincent

Steve PaynePaul Taylor

Nigel PriestleyIan Fox

Alastair McGibbonRob Haase

Andrew RimmerMartin Goosey

Charles CawthorneBob Newman

Chris HuntRoger WisePaul Cooper

Alstom T&D BAE SystemsCeruleanCirfl ex TechnologyDynex Semiconductore2vAero Engine ControlsNMIInternational Rectifi erKyoceraLoughborough UniversityMBDAMidlands Aerospace AllianceNational Physical LaboratoryTWIWaymark Technology

IeMRC Governors

Peter SilverwoodGeoff McFarland

Professor Mike Kearney

Clann AssociatesRenishawUniversity of Surrey

Vision & Executive membership

The vision of the IeMRC is to be

the UK’s internationally recognised

provider of world class electronics

manufacturing research. It will focus

on sustaining and growing high value

manufacturing in the UK by delivering

innovative and exploitable new

technologies, highly skilled people

and strategic value to the electronics

industry.

IeMRC Annual Report 2013 1

Executive summary

Management and organisation

Boundaries

Outreach

IeMRC research portfolio themes

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5

6

8

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10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

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21

Rear cover

Manufacturing business processes

Sustainable manufacturing, products and processes

Challenging environments: new application areas

Design for X

Materials, manufacturing processes and technology

Project summaries

Flagship 1: SMART Microsystems

Flagship 2: Roll to roll vacuum processed carbon-based electronics

WHISKERMIT

Thermosonic adhesive fl ip chip assembly for advanced microelectronic packaging

The formation of micro-interconnects using mono-sized polymer microspheres

Electrochemically assisted integration of organic semiconductors on CMOS & MEMS

Current project summary table

People - Academics, RAs, PhD students

Collaborating companies

Contact details

2 IeMRC Annual Report 2013

Executive Summary

2012 was an exceptionally busy

year for the IeMRC, during which we have

completed two calls for proposals, developed a view to the longer future for research

supporting electronics manufacturing, and

have seen some of our community successfully

deliver a major new initiative in power

electronics.

Our academic partners are closely engaged with

industry in developing new products, processes,

industry practices and an increasingly valuable

skills base from which to support high value-

added manufacturing for the UK.

Call for Proposals 2012 The IeMRC’s last general call for proposals was completed early in 2012. From this we saw 14 out of 67 ‘Expressions of Interest’ selected to be developed to full proposals; from these 6 were allocated funding. Following a review of our then standing portfolio, a subsequent call for proposals was launched that specifi cally aimed to populate our ‘Sustainable Manufacture, Products and Processes’ research theme. This call saw 22 ‘Expressions of Interest’ submitted, from which eight were invited forward to full proposal submission, and a subsequent four projects were selected for funding. These two calls were the last major activities for commissioning research as we have now allocated all of our research funding except for a small contingency allowance and, with only two years to the end of our funding period, there is insuffi cient time to deliver critical mass research activities.

As we move forward into the last two years of research activity we have now put in place £9 million to support a total of 22 projects across 19 institutes that together bring to bear a resource comprising 109 person years of research staff and student effort.

Innovative Electronics ManufacturingPerspectives and OpportunitiesDuring 2012 the IeMRC was invited by EPSRC to refl ect on potential areas for future support that could build and expand upon our research portfolio. To this end we have created a document intended to serve as a reference to assist the Council in the formulation and planning of its ongoing engagement with research supporting the electronics manufacturing sector. Input to the creation of this document was received through an IeMRC research

community consultation and workshop, followed by an Industrial Steering Group consultation and prioritisation check, a review of UK and overseas literature and industry roadmaps, and revisiting of worthy, yet ex-budget, IeMRC project proposals. The process concluded with an overall assessment from the international experts of the European Technology Platform EPoSS 1 via guided discussion and their feedback on our core discussion document. During the consultation, fi ve primary themes were identifi ed, each being tested and refi ned through the consultation exercise.

The fi ve themes identifi ed during the IeMRC consultation:

1. Dealing with Complexity: Complexity of function, materials combinations and interfaces, supply chain, packaging and value of complexity.

2. From Concept to Embodiment: Tools to better enable design of increasingly complex products and processes to create them.

3. Nature Inspired Manufacturing: Deriving new manufacturing processes and materials opportunities inspired by, or mimicking, natural phenomena.

4. Dealing with Limited Resources: The challenges of resource constraints in energy, materials and supply chains and including this in the design of products and processes.

5. Electronics Manufacturing for Services: Supporting the move from the manufacture and sale of products, towards the manufacture, sale and lifetime support of such products.

The document was presented to EPSRC’s Manufacturing the Future Strategic Advisory Team meeting in October 2012. The document shall form part of the Research Council’s considerations for future funding in our area, although it is competing with several other potential initiatives and might also be reconsidered following the current competition for EPSRC Centres of Innovative Manufacture that could see new centres in future electronics supported.

1 European Technology Platform on Smart System

Integration http://www.smart-systems-integration.org


New Projects in Sustainable Manufacture, Products and ProcessesPrincipal

Investigators and Institutions

Recycling & sustainable remanufacture of computer PSUs into MPPT solar interfaces for battery charging

Dr Martin Foster, Sheffi eld University

Sustainable solder fl ux from novel ionic liquid solvents: greener, cleaner and cheaper Prof Karl Ryder, University of Leicester

Intelligent sensor system for condition monitoring through additive manufacture of ceramic packages

Dr Robert Kay, Loughborough University, David Flynn, Heriot-

Watt University

Silver Minimisation and Replacement in Electronics Manufacture (Ag-Remin) Mr David Whalley, Loughborough University

“Innovative Electronics Manufacturing, Perspectives and Opportunities, A Reference Document” is now available on the IeMRC website in an abridged, short form and as a longer discussion document.(http://www.iemrc.org/downloads.html)

Power Electronics: A strategy for SuccessPower electronics and electrical machines have been important areas supported by the IeMRC as they are key components in a low-carbon future, enabling energy-effi cient conversion and control solutions for a wide variety of energy and transportation applications. The strength of the UK manufacturing base and its strategic importance to the UK was highlighted in the UK Government’s strategy document1 “Power Electronics: A Strategy for Success”.This calls for concerted action across the industrial and academic communities to ensure that the full potential of this growing global market can be realised for the UK economy.

Power Electronics Strategy recommendations to UK academics:• Development of a co-ordinated strategy

for postgraduate training;

• Support for research focusing on underpinning the core technology areas, whilst ensuring that the national capability in Power Electronics remains internationally leading;

• Establishment of a Virtual Centre linking world-class UK universities with each other and with industry.

1 “Power Electronics: A Strategy for Success”, UK

government Department for Business Innovation and

Skills, October 2011.

During 2012In direct response to this strategy, EPSRC announced a call for underpinning research in power electronics that will be delivered by a virtual centre of excellence with funding totalling £18 million over 6 years. Institutional expressions of interest were submitted in March, from which a leadership team was established, comprising representatives from the universities of Bristol, Imperial College, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Warwick.

The fi nal proposal is currently being developed and will include core funding for 10 universities with further opportunities available to the whole research community through calls issued by the new centre. The submission made in October 2012 to EPSRC should see a commencement of activity during the second quarter of 2013.

2013 This coming year shall see the IeMRC switching focus from commissioning a body of research activity to delivery from all of its research and outreach activities.

We now know the outcomes of EPSRC’s recent competition for new Centres of Innovative Manufacture, which has selected four new Centres to receive £21 million, including one under the Future Electronics theme of the call.

In parallel, one of the largest EPSRC competitions for funding will be opened to academic institutions for the establishment of Centres for Doctoral Training, which shall no doubt see many of our community involved in building consortia and proposals to support innovative electronics manufacturing in the UK.

We wish all our colleagues well and ‘good luck!’ in the Centres for Doctoral Training

competition and also look forward to reporting the successful delivery of our ongoing research outputs to the UK.

The recently announced EPSRC Centres of Innovative Manufacturing in:

• Large Area Electronics – led by Mr Chris Rider at the University of

Cambridge – starting October 2013. Grant value £5.6 million.

• Food – led by Dr Tim Foster at the University of Nottingham – starting

September 2013. Grant value £4.5 million.

• Laser-based Production Processes – led by Prof Duncan Hand at Heriot-Watt

University – starting October 2013. Grant value £5.6 million.

• Medical Devices – led by Prof John Fisher at the University of Leeds –

starting October 2013. Grant value £5.7 million.

Draft Call& schedule

ResearchPriorities,

Criteria

Call forProposals

Assi

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Periodic

Centre audit

Quarterlyreviews

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Centre audit

Quarterlyre iviews

ISG

Executive

IeMRC Hub

Universities

Proposals

Prioritisationpanel

Projects

ReportsFinal

EMPCIeMRC

Monitoring


Management and Organisation

Management and Organisation

The Innovative Electronics Manufacturing Research Centre has a hub at Loughborough that manages the operational activities of the Centre, with the research direction and prioritisation being provided by the Industrial Steering Group. These management and consultation functions are embedded in a framework of governance that endorses the operational processes, ratifi es transparency of processes and has the authority to impose sanctions if required. The Governance Function resides with the IeMRC Board of Governors; the IeMRC Executive delivers the Management Function and the Industrial Steering Group provides the Consultation Function.

Electronics Manufacturing Peer College (EMPC)

Assurance of the quality and international standing of the research themes and projects is provided by our own Electronics Manufacturing Peer College (EMPC). This has been formed by nomination and selection of internationally regarded peer reviewers, who are engaged to provide independent, objective judgement of the IeMRC’s research themes and outputs. The EMPC has been formed initially out of the self-assessment of the research themes during the IMRC benchmarking exercise in 2008/9. The IeMRC Executive and ISG also nominate additional members to fi ll gaps and provide balance across the themes. The membership shall be refreshed or added to on a continual basis, including the use of proposer nominated reviewers. The EMPC will be used for assessment of proposals seeking funding as well as assessment of research project outcomes and involvement in Centre-level research audits.

Research project assessments: At least two members of the EMPC as well as one referee nominated by the proposers themselves shall review every proposal received by the IeMRC. Large-scale proposals (>£1M) shall be considered by fi ve referees. The proposers will have the right to respond to the reviews. At the subsequent Prioritisation Panel two speakers will be nominated to speak about each proposal considered at the fi nal prioritisation panel, where the proposal, referees’ comments and response to referees will be assessed against the original call criteria in order to draw up a ranked list of proposals for funding. In the case of large-scale proposals (>£1M), a

presentation by the proposers to the panel.

shall also form part of the assessment process. Following award of funding, the IeMRC Project Monitoring function shall see attendance at the kick-off, each quarterly and the fi nal project review meetings by the IeMRC Coordinator and/or one or more of the IeMRC Directors (or members of the IeMRC Executive if available and appropriate to the specifi c project). Finally, each project is required to hold a fi nal review meeting and submit a satisfactory Final Report in order to draw down the last 20% of its funding. The IeMRC Final Reports consist of completion of a tailored Grant Review Proforma (GRP) and a detailed report. The reporting requirements will require grantees, reviewers and

those attending a Final Review to provide assessments of: the technology readiness level (TRL) of the research deliverables; the level of achieved and anticipated future impact of the research and the standing of the research relative to international research standards. A fi nal review package shall be compiled, consisting of the Final Report, the GRP completed by the grantees and the review completed by the visiting panellists at the fi nal review meeting. This package shall be sent to three members of the EMPC related to the relevant research theme of the project as well as to the reviewers of the original proposal.

Centre-level assessment: A periodic research audit shall see the collation by theme of Final Reports and assessments

Research proposal generation and assessment processes

Building the community• Community meetings

Consultation, road mapping.

• Annual ConferenceInternational, networking, dissemination, sharing ideas, fl agship event.

• Quarterly workshopsDissemination, collaboration, themed, partnership activities, research showcase.

• Project reviewsLinkages, technical brokerage, broadening impact.

• Other events (Conferences, shows, exhibitions)PR, visibility, networking, collaboration, sponsorship.


Boundaries

from the EMPC and other reviewers. This material shall be accompanied by Centre-level reviews of the research themes, similar to that produced for annual and renewal reports as well as any relevant background material. This package will be sent to an invited postal panel for their overall assessment of the IeMRC’s research standing. The panel will be offered the opportunity to ask for additional material for clarifi cation or to aid their assessment of the quality of research outputs, e.g. key publications.

Prioritisation Processes

The Industrial Steering Group, with guidance on resource allocation, identifi es research questions and problems and produces a list of prioritised topics. This process also considers previous funding decisions and seeks to balance the portfolio of supported research activity. The research priorities guide the IeMRC Executive in developing the scope and extent of each Call for Proposals. This will dictate the research priority areas, remit of the IeMRC research landscape, criteria upon which proposals shall be assessed and the time frame for the call. The IeMRC hub operates the process of launching the call for proposals, receipt of proposals, assignment of proposals to reviewers, management of the review process and operation of the subsequent prioritisation panels.

To attract a large number of applications and to reduce the upfront burden on the proposers, the IeMRC operates a two-stage selection process. The fi rst stage initiated by the publication of the Call for Proposals, invites outline proposals. This is submitted for review against the published criteria by an IeMRC prioritisation panel. Successful outline proposals are invited to submit full proposals comprising a standard EPSRC responsive mode proposal package with an IeMRC equivalent of the JeSRP1 form. The full proposal packages are received and progressed through the reviewing process and are fi nally considered at the Prioritisation panel for that Call. The overall process for each call is recorded and ratifi ed by the IeMRC Governors prior to publication of the fi nal results. Following the outline stage, opportunities for brokerage of consortia in common areas of research are discussed. The Research Coordinator is the lynchpin in this process and serves to establish communication between groups to benefi t from potential synergies and also to prevent replication of research and proposal writing efforts.

The proposal prioritisation processes used by the IeMRC are under constant review by the IeMRC Executive, ISG and Board of Governors and are therefore subject to changes to improve the process. The Board of Governors has endorsed the prioritisation processes described in this report.

Boundaries of the Centre

The IeMRC does not follow the standard model for an IMRC, where the research activity is located at a single or pre-defi ned group of institutions. Rather, the IeMRC is established as an end-user oriented ‘Virtual Centre’, consisting of a number of institutions collaborating under a central ‘hub’ and a core management structure. The IeMRC executive function is shared between seven universities that provide a focus for the Centre that is distinct and separate from the supported research activities. Populating the research themes with activity has drawn in a large number of academic researchers from a wide variety of disciplines and backgrounds, refl ecting the breadth of EPSRC’s portfolio. Based on past and current EPSRC support, the total number of active academics supporting the sector is approximately 200, excluding existing IeMRC grantees, located in 35 institutes. IeMRC research activity is distributed throughout the UK and includes projects in 24 different institutes. The funding is distributed to these groups or individuals who have between them varying levels of research activity. In all cases the IeMRC funding forms only a part of the recipients’ research portfolio. This sees the IeMRC’s portfolio placed within a virtual centre enjoying more than £90 million background support of which more than £75 million is derived from the EPSRC. The research currently engages 84 investigators of which 73 are IeMRC grantees and IeMRC supported research staff that amounts to 32 research associates, 25 research students, 4 technical and support staff, all spread across 24 institutes. These groups currently engage 97 different companies in their research projects.

Community building The IeMRC provides a visibility, focus and identity for a thriving, cohesive and increasingly networked community that has been created out of a previously fragmented, uncoordinated collection of disparate research groups. The level of collaboration between groups has been substantial (>40% of the projects involve more than one group), with new

partnerships formed where they have never existed. In parallel to this we have built on the strength of researchers previously not focused on electronics, to bring their experience from other sectors. The community building and broader networking activities, as well as a continual refresh of the Industrial Steering Group (ISG), continue to encourage a growing number of companies to engage with the Centre, creating new partnerships with projects and collaborative ventures such as road mapping and workshops.

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Developing the IeMRC Community:

Promoting Research to a Broader Audience


Outreach

Since its formation, two key challenges and opportunities for the IeMRC have been to develop its own community throughout UK academia and industry and to promote its research to a broader audience.

During the past year, the IeMRC has therefore continued to undertake and grow its ‘Impact and Outreach’ activities both directly and through the individual projects it has supported.

There have been numerous opportunities to promote the IeMRC’s work within the UK and abroad. Use has been made of conferences, seminars, trade shows, technical journals, trade magazines, industry associations and the Knowledge Transfer Networks.

One important ongoing role for the IeMRC in this area is the programme of dissemination activities that it organises in collaboration with related organisations that also have an interest in promoting new technology to the UK electronics industry.

2012 Events

During 2012, the IeMRC was again involved in organising and participating in a number of such events.

The fi rst of these was a seminar entitled “Plastic and Printed Electronics: Interconnects & Manufacturing Challenges”, which was held at the Henry Ford College on 19th March. This well attended event gave the IeMRC’s researchers a chance to present their work to broad audience from industry and academia, while also giving the academics an opportunity to learn about related work taking place in industry.

The IeMRC supported and provided a speaker for NMI’s seminar on “3D packaging” which was held at TWI’s conference centre in Granta Park, Abington, Cambridge on 23rd May. This networking event had the objective of presenting delegates with details of the latest technology roadmap developments, as well as information on the challenges and opportunities associated with 3D packaging.

In the summer the IeMRC, in collaboration with iMAPS UK, organised a conference called “Research to Industry Conference: R2i”, which had the aim of enabling academic researchers to present their work and to network with industrialists in order to forge new links that could help move their work towards commercial exploitation. This was held on the 19th June and approximately 100 delegates attended the conference held at the Henry Ford College in Loughborough.

The event was structured around a series of short presentations from researchers and there were also keynote presentations offering advice and guidance from people actually involved in taking research into industry. There was also a wide range of posters providing additional information and table top exhibits from industrial sponsors.

The biggest and most important annual event organised by the IeMRC is its Annual

Conference and, for 2012, it was held at the Henry Ford College in Loughborough on 5th September.

The Annual Conference is now well established as a popular showcase for the IeMRC’s work, and an internationally recognised networking opportunity for academics and industrialists.

As in previous years, a large audience had the opportunity to learn of progress on a range of IeMRC funded research projects and to hear from UK industrialists engaged in the development of leading edge technologies. The conference itself was accompanied by a table top and poster exhibition.

7th Annual IeMRC ConferenceAxel Bindel, Loughborough University

During the Autumn the IeMRC announced funding for several new projects addressing issues related to sustainability in electronics. Sustainability and related environmental impacts are a key underpinning theme of the IeMRC’s work and the IeMRC was thus pleased to be able to support Electronics Yorkshire with its ‘Essential updates on RoHS and REACH” seminar held in Pontefract on 20th November.

With its provision of funding for research

Printed and Plastic Electronics EventDarren Cadman, IeMRC

Individual IeMRC supported projects have also undertaken their own outreach and dissemination activities via similar routes and, in some cases, further research and development work has received additional support from sources such as the Technology Strategy Board and the European Commission’s Framework Programme.


IeMRC has also maintained its involvement with other key industry trade organisations such as the European Institute of Printed Circuits, Intellect, the Electronic Components Supply Network (ECSN) and the Institute of Metal Finishing (IMF).

In addition to regular participation in meetings with these organisations, updates on the IeMRC’s activities have been provided both by presentation and in written form for dissemination to their members.

7th Annual IeMRC ConferencePaul Green, BAE Systems

Martin Goosey represents the IeMRC on the IMF’s Science Policy Committee and he is also a member of the Leadership Council of the ECSN. Strong links have also been maintained with the UK’s Technology Strategy Board, which has proved useful in terms of advising and encouraging IeMRC researchers to apply for funding to move their work up the technology readiness level scale.

A large number of papers have been produced by the various projects supported by the IeMRC and, additionally, individual articles on the IeMRC’s activities have been published in technical journals, trade magazines and newsletters.

into the study of tin whiskering in electronics, it was appropriate that the IeMRC was also able to support and attend the 6th International Symposium on Tin Whiskers, which was held at Loughborough University’s Henry Ford College on 27th and 28th November.

This Symposium was jointly organised by Loughborough University and CALCE, Maryland, and again provided an excellent networking opportunity for both academics and industrialists. It also enabled the IeMRC’s work on tin whiskers to be presented to an international audience.

Since it was formed, the IeMRC has provided extensive support for research into various aspects of power electronics and, for the second successive year, it again supported the iMAPS iPower Conference. This was held at Warwick University on 28th and 29th November and provided a showcase for UK Power Electronics work including that undertaken by members of the IeMRC community.

The IeMRC also provided inputs and speakers at a number of other important events held during the year. These included an Intellect event held at the MTC in Ansty to promote industrial engagement and collaboration in R&D, which took place on 9th October. Presentations on the IeMRC’s work were also given to a meeting of the ECSN Council in Malvern on 1st November and the IeMRC was one of only two invited speakers at the AFDEC press lunch held in London on 6th December, which was attended by key members of the UK’s electronics industry press.

The IeMRC has long established links with the Institute of Circuit Technology, the organisation representing over 350 individuals interested in interconnection and printed circuit board technology. Many members of the IeMRC community are also members of the ICT and Martin Goosey, the IeMRC’s Industrial Director, was re-elected as Chairman of the ICT during 2012, for a second two year term.

In addition, Dr Andy Cobley, a recipient of IeMRC funding, continues as ICT Vice Chairman. The co-operation between the IeMRC and the ICT has again included IeMRC support for the ICT’s annual one-week training course, through the provision of a number of tutors. During the year, the

Examples include the journals Circuit World, Soldering and Surface Mount Technology and the Journal of the Institute of Circuit Technology, magazines such as Circuitree and Short Circuit, the newsletter of the trade association Intellect, the EIPC’s SpeedNews and the online magazine, PCB007.

The IeMRC maintains particularly close links with Circuit World and Soldering and Surface Mount Technology via their editor Martin Goosey.


Research Issues:• Through life management• Supply chains• Cost Management Through Life• Uptake of disruptive

technology• Innovation• Legislation• Business Modelling

IeMRC Research Portfolio Themes

Vision: to address the aspects of managing products for life, in particular the through life implications from the concept design stage to in-service. This vision applies across all IeMRC themes and considers the competencies that make for a successful response to changes, threats and opportunities. The objectives are to:

1. Build practical industrially applicable models and tools for responsive design and manufacture in the electronics sector;

2. Provide rules for optimising agility and responsiveness in managing novel product development, team working and remote working through the value chain;

3. Encompass cost modelling throughout the value chain;

4. Optimise the ‘refresh’ of products, services and business direction and strategy in response to changing markets, performance specifi cations, new technologies, legislation, regulation and certifi cation;

5. Capture, assessment and, if appropriate, implementation of disruptive technologies.

Projects at Bath and Loughborough Universities have developed rules which optimise agility and responsiveness in managing novel product development, multidisciplinary team working and remote working throughout the value chain. This included maturity / competency models such as those for total Supply Chain cost effi ciencies and the use of responsive design methodologies. The models provide tools by which industry can respond and be proactive to the use of electronics in new and challenging environments, legislative changes and multi-disciplinary activities. The transfer and management of complex data, the DfX models and handling confl icts within the design and manufacturing environment are closely integrated with

Manufacturing Business Processesthe proposed tools. The manufacturing business processes are integrated from initial concept design, where 70% of the costs are already built in, to product end of life.

The tools encompass cost modelling throughout the value chain, enabling designers to make decisions based on manufacturing sustainability, end of life, and regulatory constraints. In the context of lifecycle management, this work has provided a cost modelling framework for the fi nancial prediction, evaluation and monitoring of new “sustainable” technologies.

The IeMRC research framework comprises 5 research themes that have been formulated into the IeMRC Calls for Proposals. Many of the IeMRC projects address more than one theme since there are a wide range of issues populating these themes.

Sustaining Electronic Industry through managing uncertainty in contract bidding,

Dr L Newnes, University of Bath.


SEM image of electroless copper deposit plated under ultrasound.ULTIEMet Project, Dr A Cobley, Coventry University.

Research Issues:• Energy• Green electronics• Single unit manufacture• Sustainable manufacture• DfAssembly• DfDisassembly• Process control• Partitioning• Power management• DfRecycling• Business modelling

SustainabilityFrom its inception, the IeMRC has acknowledged the growing importance of environmental issues and the need for society as a whole to behave more sustainably. For industry, this means fi nding ways of satisfying our current requirements without compromising the ability to meet the needs of future generations. This is particularly true in the electronics sector, where depletion of valuable and fi nite resources and the use of hazardous materials and manufacturing processes, coupled with increasing volumes of diffi cult and expensive to treat waste, have been the catalyst for a raft of global legislation aimed at making the industry more sustainable.

Cleaner ProcessesSonochemistry research at the University of Coventry has used ultrasound for the surface modifi cation of key materials found in electronics fabrication. This has led to the demonstration of more benign and lower temperature processes for surface modifi cation. With ultrasonic assistance, aggressive chemicals and high temperature processes can be replaced with near-room temperature dilute solutions and processing times can be reduced. Since being supported by the IeMRC, this work has moved towards industrial implementation via a multi-partner European Commission supported ‘fi rst application and market replication’ eco-innovation project.(www.susonence.eu)

End-of-LifeIndustry faces increasing challenges around the management of products at end-of-life. A key objective is to make recovery and recycling economical by providing qualifi ed materials for reuse. Recycling of polymers from waste electrical and electronic

equipment has been limited because of the diffi culty in rapidly and economically identifying and separating individual polymer types from mixed shredded waste. The University of Surrey has developed a rapid assessment technique enabling better separation and use of recycled polymers. The method developed uses broad wavelength spectroscopic techniques with multivariable statistical analysis to identify rapidly the type and quality of thermoplastics found in mixed plastic recyclate streams.

Novel ProductsBrunel University has investigated thermoelectric devices grouped as thermoclusters for converting heat into electricity. These are potentially well suited to harvesting ‘low grade’ heat energy. An application would be via the integration of such thermoclusters with photovoltaic panels, removing heat from the panels,

maintaining their photovoltaic conversion effi ciency and generating additional power. Brunel has developed a simple three-step process for making the thin-fi lm thermoelectric arrays and it has been designed for high-volume production using a reel-to-reel deposition and patterning process.

The IeMRC’s RoleThe IeMRC balances future technological objectives with the broader societal goals of sustainability. Establishing and maintaining this balance is increasingly challenging as electronics move outside established application areas. However, there are numerous opportunities to provide the novel solutions needed for future generations of new and enhanced performance products, whilst also enabling them to meet the stringent legislative and societal demands around minimised environmental impact and sustainability.

Sustainable Manufacturing, Products and Processes


VisionFor the IeMRC and the UK electronics industry, this means supporting the development of new processes and manufacturing technologies that will underpin the continued growth of the sector via the use of more innovative materials, reduced energy consumption and which generate less waste while complying with increasingly stringent environmental legislation. The desire to embrace environmental and sustainability aspects of electronics manufacturing has played an important part in the success of much of the IeMRC’s research porgramme. Several IeMRC supported projects have had a key focus on addressing these issues. Specifi c examples include the work carried out by Brunel, Coventry and Surrey Universities, while several other projects have included sustainability as an important underlying theme.

3-D profi lometry image of the surface of an electroless copper deposit plated in an

ultrasonic fi eld, ULTIEMet Project,Dr A Cobley, Coventry University.


Wire Bonding Integrity Assessment for Combined Extreme Environments Project,M Mirgkizoudi, Prof Conway, Prof Liu, Loughborough University.

SEM Analysis of failed bonds and wires: wire distortion:Wire Bonding Integrity Assessment for Combined Extreme Environments Project,

Prof Liu, Prof Conway, M Mirgkizoudi, Loughborough University.

Research Issues:• Security• Low volume DfM• Thermal management• Integrated optics• Reliability• Test data for reliability• Qualifi cation strategies• DfManufacture (DfM)• Multiphysics tools• Harsh/new environments

Vision: to provide underpinning research that will enable the UK electronics industry to retain its competitive edge in high added value sectors such as healthcare, aerospace and energy, where there are signifi cant demands for sophisticated electronic products that can operate reliably in new or challenging environments.

Electronics are being embedded in new areas to add value, provide additional or novel functionality or improve safety. The ‘Intelligent Environment’ is a rapidly developing reality and presents opportunities in low-cost, miniaturised packaging; fault tolerant electronic control and data processing; low-cost manufacture and realisation of robust wireless capabilities and integrated modules with RF, passive and active devices.

Integration of electronics is also occurring in environments previously considered ‘harsh’ or into areas where electronics have not been exploited that have unusual survival demands. Examples include: in vivo electronics for diagnosis, therapy and healthcare management and in space and defence systems where compact and highly reliable systems must operate in extreme conditions.

The objectives of this theme are to establish a portfolio of projects that investigate materials, processes,

technologies, design methodologies, reliability testing and qualifi cation strategies for key application areas in new or challenging environments, and to provide an applications-led focus for other IeMRC themes.

The drivers for future research into electronics manufacturing for new and challenging environments will come from healthcare, energy management for transport applications and the power generation sector.

Challenging Environments:New Application Areas



Research Issues:• Test strategies• Collaborative design• Partitioning• Multi-physics tools• High frequency• DfAssembly• DfDisassembly• Power management• DfRecycling• Thermal management• Reliability• DfManufacture• Low volume DfManufacture• Tests for reliability

Loughborough & Nottingham Trent Universities - Patch antennae from the High Performance Flexible, Fabric Electronics for MegaHertz Frequency Communications Project.

Vision: to provide underpinning research into design methodologies that will enable the UK electronics industry to retain and enhance its competitive edge in high added value and low-volume sectors. Objectives for this theme are to deliver research into design methods that support existing strengths and underpin the development of future markets for UK electronics and to support other IeMRC themes in developing solutions in challenging environments.

The complexity of next generation systems, coupled with their sensitivity to confl icting factors, is creating demands on design and manufacturing. Solving these confl icts requires a transition from performance-driven design to design where manufacturability, sustainability and manufacturing effectiveness (e.g. agility) are driving forces of an integrated process. At present, much of the design within an organisation and through its supply chain is disjointed. At each stage in the process from chip through to PCB then system, designers optimise their own segment, oblivious to the impacts on other stages. Solutions involve combinations of mathematical modelling, rules for resolving confl icts, structured partitioning and hierarchical decomposition, which must link to many design tools to provide the supportive environment needed to produce complex designs.

Projects supported under the DfX theme have dealt with a number of emerging topics in electronics manufacturing including: design methodologies for system in package (SiP); design methods for complex, low volume electronics; Physics of Failure (PoF) models for power electronic modules; prognostics and health management and through life cost estimating within defence systems.

Design for X

Highlights include:

• Multi-physics models that integrate prediction of electric fi elds, temperature, cure kinetics and stress have been developed to aid in the development of a novel micro-engineered microwave oven in the FAMOBS project. The results have formed the basis for an EC funded FP7 project

• A novel methodology for design for manufacture for SiP has had an impact on industrial partners NXP Semiconductors (optimising solder joint design) and SELEX (qualifying products for application)

• PoF based lifetime models for SnAg solder joints have been developed in the Power Electronics Flagship. Comparisons between predicted failures and experimental results showed good agreement. The PoF work fed into the TSB-funded MPM project to develop a PoF-based design tool for power electronic modules

• A model for the evolution of the microstructure in SnAgCu solders has been developed and differences observed experimentally in the size and morphology of intermetallic compounds can now be explained.



Vision: to deliver research in materials, manufacturing processes and technology to secure the future competitiveness of the UK in providing the foundations for new and emerging markets that could be nurtured within the UK electronics community. The objectives of this vision are to:

• Develop a portfolio of research that promotes the adoption of new materials in a manufacturing-led, applications-focused context;

• Support research into new and improved manufacturing processes;

• Explore the potential of new (potentially disruptive) technologies to deliver step-changes in electronics products;

• Provide support for other IeMRC themes.

The theme covers a broad range, from materials developments to new ways of optimising production processes for higher variety but lower volume production demands. The growth of pervasive electronics in new environments and the need for sustainable products provides a rich seam of research activity into assembly and disassembly technologies, robust packaging and associated materials developments. There are also issues with the introduction of new materials providing environmental benefi ts, since these are replacing well understood materials. There is also a need to provide design tools that capture the impact of these disruptive technologies.

Example projects have dealt with a number of new and emerging topics in electronics manufacturing including nano-composites applied to solders, conductive polymers and energy storage; printable electronics; laser and microwave processing; sonochemistry; nano-scale lithography; optical interconnections and packaging for power modules. Highlights include:

1. New nano-composite materials, including the project “Nanoparticle Stabilized Solder Materials for High Reliability Applications” which has successfully demonstrated gold- and palladium-coated ceramic nano-particles for strengthening solders and the project “Development and manufacture of

transparent, electrically conductive, fl exible plastics” which demonstrated the manufacture of carbon nanotube-polyurethane nanocomposites;

2. New and improved manufacturing process projects dealing with printed electronics and displays, exemplifi ed by the project “Manufacturing Electronic Devices Using Embossing & Microcontact Printing” which established micro-contact printing as a viable technique for manufacturing reduced-voltage electroluminescent light sources. Two other projects are “The Evaluation of Sonochemical Techniques for Sustainable Surface Modifi cation in Electronic Manufacturing” which has highlighted the versatility of ultrasonically assisted processing and “Chemically Amplifi ed Molecular Resists for Electron Beam Lithography” which developed world-leading high resolution resists for the microelectronics industry;

3. New technologies to deliver step-changes in electronics products as exemplifi ed by the “Power Electronics Flagship”, which demonstrated signifi cant mass and volume reductions by the application of direct substrate cooling of power modules and “Novel high energy density, high reliability capacitors”, which demonstrated world-leading energy densities from a polymer-ceramic nanocomposite.

Research Issues:• Qualifi cation strategies• Packaging power electronics• Single unit manufacture• Lead-free• Direct imaging processes• Lean technologies• Integrated optics• Bio-applications• Integrated MEMs• Smart materials

3D Microwave & Millimetre-Wave System-on-Substrate using Sacrifi cial Layers for Printed RF MEMS ComponentsI Robertson, N Kapur, University of Leeds; S Lucyszyn, Imperial College; P Conway and D Hutt, Loughborough

University

Materials, ManufacturingProcesses and Technology

IeMRC Research Themes


Project Summaries - Flagship 1

BackgroundThe Smart Microsystems concept promises to extend the functionality of standard Integrated Circuit (IC) technology by combining it with a wide variety of different materials, sensors and actuators. The integration of novel microsystems technologies with the processing power of modern silicon electronics has the potential to transform a wide variety of application areas ranging from medical diagnostics and sensing to consumer electronics. Post processing of CMOS (the standard technology for silicon electronics) involves the addition of new structures and materials on top of ICs to add value and extend functionality. Although the UK is very strong in the fi eld of IC design most of the advanced CMOS fabrication is now performed in silicon foundries in the Far East. However, the move to foundries means that the ICs have become a commodity where the added value can come from bespoke post-processed technologies.

AimsThe aim of the Smart Microsystems project is to explore and exploit the use of post-CMOS processing technologies by integrating additional materials, sensing and actuation technologies with IC technology to create innovative electronic products.Specifi c objectives of the project are to:

• Research, develop and validate CMOS-compatible magnetic, piezoelectric and magnetostrictive materials, as well as their associated deposition processes;

• Characterise equipment for post- processing CMOS or compound semiconductor wafers, either at the

SMART Microsystems

manufacturing or the packaging stages;• Develop and validate silicon based

optical sensing technology integrated with microfl uidics for healthcare and bio-medical applications;

• Develop and validate advanced actuation technologies for microfl uidics, which are fully compatible with CMOS;

• Integrate sensor technology with silicon carbide ICs;

• Investigate the integration of IR sensors, microphone technology and hybrid optical elements;

• Develop printed materials for integration with silicon based CMOS;

• Research and develop the integration of sensing technologies with IC-based signal processing;

• Transfer and disseminate to our industrial partners and the community at large the validated technologies, materials studied in this project as well

START DATE October 2010END DATE October 2013PROJECT VALUE £1.3m

ACADEMICSUNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGHProf Anthony WaltonProf Ian UnderwoodProf John StevensonDr Robert HendersonDr Stewart SmithHERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITYProf Marc DesmulliezDr David Flynn

STAFFEdinburgh: Dr Jonathan TerryHeriot-Watt: Dr Robert Kay & Gerard Cummins

COLLABORATORSNational SemiconductorMemsstarQinetiqST MicroelectronicsSELEX GalileoWolfson MicroelectronicsMicroStencilCeimigSemefabPyreos

as the foreground IP generated for UK plc.

DeliverablesThe key deliverables from the project are:• Characterisation of the new materials;• Characterisation of the processes used to

deposit such materials;• Production of demonstrators to help

provide exploitation routes for the research programme;

• IP, products, services, people and educational material created by the project;

• Generic technologies that can be exploited by other industries;

• Creation of a critical mass with expertise in post-processing new materials and a range of technologies on CMOS.

Dual layer stencil for the simultaneous deposition of metal tracks and fi lling of vias alongside 50 micron wide Ag lines using the dual layer stencil.

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as the foreground IP generated for UK plc.

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BackgroundThis Flagship project is focused on the manufacture of ultra-low cost simple transistor array devices for tagging applications for industries such as food packaging where there is huge potential to deliver services including item level tracking, dynamic pricing, product verifi cation and brand protection. Roll-to-roll vacuum processing is already widely used in food packaging, capacitor manufacture and holography applications. Within these industries there is a large existing infrastructure and know-how for generating extremely low cost products. The biggest challenge for roll-to-roll organic electronics is the development and demonstration of optimised combinations of design, materials and manufacturing expertise.

AimsThe consortium aim to extend the basic proof of concept transistor to explore the manufacturing routes to improved device performance and hence functional circuits. Critical issues include the manufacturing ability to create an array of transistors with high yield with appropriate circuit design, novel routes to improved dielectric constant, optimised vacuum deposition of semiconductor materials for high electrical performance, vacuum-based patterning of the semiconductor and insulator, and the process and mechanical robustness of resulting devices.

Objectives 1. To create electronic devices based

Roll-to-roll vacuum processed carbon-based electronics

on transistor arrays using organic semiconductors and insulator materials deposited in a vacuum R2R environment exploiting our capability for solventless polymer and organic-nanocomposite deposition;

2. To link manufacturing parameters and materials with circuit design for the optimised outcome of device structures;

3. To develop the manufacturing conditions to exploit new materials and vacuum-based thin-fi lm processes to allow good transistor performance;

4. To create 2D semiconductor and insulator patterning within a vacuum R2R process;

START DATE July 2010 END DATE December 2013PROJECT VALUE £1.3m

ACADEMICSUNIVERSITY OF OXFORDDr Hazel Assender & Prof Patrick GrantBANGOR UNIVERSITYProf Martin TaylorUNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTERProf Steve YeatesUNIVERSITY OF LEEDSProf Long Lin

STAFFBangor: Dr Aled Williams, Eifi on PatchettManchester: Dr John MorrisonOxford: Dr Gamal Abbas, Ziqian Ding

5. To address the mechanical and electrical robustness of the devices on plastics, and any protective layers, for their capability to withstand the R2R process and subsequent application.

Progress1. High level of cure of dielectric with a

single-pass roll-to-roll process. 2. Optimisation of manufacturing process

of the dielectric layer providing good mobility and hysteresis-free devices with high yield and a consistent performance.

3. Novel evaporable semiconductors synthesised.

4. Good TFT performance with new semiconductor, DNTT.

5. Fabricated devices still operational after bending below 13mm radius.

COLLABORATORSAxess TechnologiesScott BaderDalmatian TechnologyCamvacSilvaco EuropeGeneral Vacuum EquipmentDuPont Teijin FilmsNampak HealthcareParksideProctor & Gamble

Project Summaries - Flagship 2

Transistors from roll to roll vacuum processed carbon based electronics.


Project Summaries

START DATE November 2010END DATE October 2013PROJECT VALUE £260K

ACADEMICSDr G D WilcoxDr R HigginsonDr R HeathDr C LiuLoughborough University

WHISKERMIT

BackgroundTin (Sn)-based metal coatings, such as those produced by electroplating, are widely used in electronics manufacture as solderable surfaces and as general protection to guard against corrosion and oxidation of underlying metal surfaces.

Tin (along with zinc and cadmium) can produce hair-like growths often exceeding 5 mm in length. The propensity for these growths to cause inherent shorting failures in electronics, particularly with very small inter-component spacings, is very marked. In the past the capacity of electroplated tin coatings to produce tin whiskers was signifi cantly reduced by the alloying of tin with in excess of 3% lead (Pb).

Recent environmental laws banning the use of lead in electronics have removed this safeguard. Consequently, the occurrence and threat posed by tin whiskers has risen to worrying levels, particularly where manufacturers have used bright tin fi nishes which are renowned for tin whisker formation.

AimsThe WHISKERMIT project examines tin whisker mitigation through a dual approach. Firstly the project is characterising a commercial bright tin electroplating

electrolyte and using it as a baseline onto which modifi cations of compressive stress-relieving additions can be made. These additions are in the form of co-deposited nano-particulates which have been shown to reduce internal stresses in other composite electroplating systems. Accelerated whisker testing is being undertaken using in-house and industrial partner facilities to measure whisker reduction. The second phase of the project is formulating a new whisker mitigating polymeric coating through structural and compositional modifi cation.

This involves examining how whiskers interact with known polymer fi lms and which chemical formats and physical properties produce true reductions in whisker emergence through such fi lms. Data from these trials will be utilised to produce novel nanostructured polymer coatings (NNPCs) with inherent properties to stem tin whisker growth. Their effi cacy in terms of tin whisker mitigation will be examined via accelerated environmental testing. The duality of a combined modifi ed tin electroplating system and a NNPC will also be assessed.

ProgressThe project has fully characterised the commercial Tinmac tin electroplating

STAFFDr Mark Ashworth

COLLABORATORSRolls-RoyceNPLMBDA Missile SystemsMacDermid Industrial SolutionsGen3 SystemsAero Engine ControlsPark Air Systems

solution. This has been achieved in terms of electrodeposit structure, composition and morphology on substrates comprising copper, brass and alloy 42. The propensity and type of whisker growth at ambient and elevated temperature/humidity has also been documented.

The Tinmac system is currently being modifi ed to examine methods of alleviating whisker growth. To date the system has been successfully operated under a pulse plating regime (as opposed to conventional DC). Work has commenced into modifying the tin electrodeposit further through the co-deposition of particulate species.The Sn-Mn alloy electrodeposition system has been successfully utilised to produce a whiskering surface for rapid assessment of polymeric conformal coating. Preliminary trials have been undertaken on acrylic, polyurethane and epoxy coatings. However, it has been found that thin (~3 μm) tin coatings on brass can produce whisker growth in a rapid and reliable fashion with the advantage of a simpler deposition system.

Focused ion beam cross section for tin deposit

on copper.

Whiskers penetrating thin conformal coating.

Thermosonic adhesive fl ip chip assembly for advanced microelectronic packaging.


Project Summaries

Background & AimsThe aim of this project was to improve the performance and reliability of fl ip chip assembly methods based on anisotropic and non-conductive adhesives (ACAs and NCAs).

Flip chip assembly is a technique used in advanced electronics manufacturing. It allows unpackaged integrated circuits or “chips” to be attached to a substrate in a face-down confi guration, with electrical connections between the contact pads on the chip and the substrate being provided by conducting “bumps”.

In adhesive fl ip chip processes, the chip is bonded to the substrate by a layer of adhesive which is deposited on the substrate before the chip is placed in position.

The NCA approach relies on direct metal-metal contact between the chip bump and substrate pad, while in ACA fl ip chip this

Thermosonic adhesive fl ip chip assembly for advanced microelectronic packaging

connection is mediated by small conductive particles dispersed in the adhesive. Both ACA and NCA processes offer advantages over more traditional fl ip chip methods based on soldering, including scalability to higher interconnect densities, lower process complexity, and lower temperature processing. However, they rely on purely mechanical contacts for electrical connectivity, and these tend to have higher resistance and lower reliability than solder joints. As a result, these technologies are considerably less pervasive than they should be, and are found in only a relatively small number of applications. The key idea in this research was to introduce thermosonic bonding into adhesive fl ip chip processes in order to replace the mechanical contacts by welded metal-metal joints.

Objectives The project objectives were to:1. Develop an adhesive fl ip chip assembly process that incorporates thermosonic

bonding;2. Establish the optimum process parameters and their dependence on the adhesive properties;3. Develop a fl ip chip bonder suitable for implementing thermosonic-adhesive (TA) fl ip chip processes;4. Examine the electrical performance and reliability of the newly developed assembly method and compare it with traditional adhesive fl ip chip assembly;5. Apply the newly developed fl ip chip technology in a demonstrator that can be functionally tested.

Activities & OutcomesWithin the project we carried out a major upgrade of an existing custom-built thermosonic bonder to add capability for rapid temperature cycling of the bond tool. Extensive assembly trials were then carried out to identify suitable process parameters for a working TA assembly process. The assemblies produced were subjected to reliability testing alongside conventional ACA/NCA assemblies. In the course of this work we demonstrated for the fi rst time a purely thermosonic fl ip chip process suitable for fl exible substrates, and also developed a method for making tailored ACF materials using transferred particles. Finally, a working demonstrator was realised using a live chip supplied by one of the industrial partners.

ImpactThis research has led to the fi rst demonstration of a next generation fl ip chip technology. The results have been passed to the industrial partners for evaluation and are already being exploited in follow-on research at Imperial College. For example, the TA process will be used in an ongoing project to develop miniature wireless biometric monitors.

STAFFDr Guangbin Dou

COLLABORATORSGE Aviation SystemsSony Chemicals Europe BV.Henkel Loctite Adhesives Ltd.

START DATE April 2010END DATE October 2011PROJECT VALUE £170K

ACADEMICSProf Andrew HolmesImperial College London


Project Summaries

Background & AimsChallenges and bottlenecks remain in the endeavour to deliver ultra-fi ne pitch interconnects for BGA and fl ip-chip devices. There are two major factors that are of particular concern in the acquisition of such future generation technologies: i) the complexity associated with the micro-scale deposition of materials, and ii) the achievement of acceptable yields. This project carried out a feasibility study to enable ultra-fi ne pitch interconnects through the use of novel materials and processes. The project work used monosized metal coated polymer based micro-spheres to achieve ultrafi ne pitch interconnects by replacing traditional solder joints and without the need for their dispersion within an adhesive. Objectives1. Investigation of assembly processes to enable controllable manipulation of metal coated microspheres for die attachment and bonding;2. Characterisation of the joints obtained to evaluate assembly yields, interfacial characteristics and reliability;3. Investigation of metallisation of polymer microspheres suitable for low temperature bonding.

ProgressThe particles used in this work consisted of a 9.5 μm diameter polymer core with a Ni/Au surface metal layer with a smooth surface morphology. These polymer particles have an extremely mono-disperse size distribution and their size and mechanical properties can be tailored to suit the needs of the application.

When immersed in an acidic solution, charging of the particles occurs due to the oxidation of the nickel that is exposed

The formation of micro-interconnects using mono-sized polymer microspheres

through pinholes in the Au coating. The immersion time was optimised to ensure minimal damage to the surface metal layers.

The charged microspheres were then deposited directly upon bond pads through the process of electrophoresis - the movement of charged particles in an electric fi eld to the oppositely charged electrode, which in this case was the integrated circuit. Post rinsing these particles were permanently bonded in place using thermocompression methods.

Using the electrophoretic deposition technique it has been possible to demonstrate the selective deposition of particles onto bond pads of integrated circuits down to a 75 μm pitch.

This deposition process has been carried out without the need to apply seed layers or resist patterns and successfully performed over a full 6” wafer.

Thermocompression bonding trials have been carried out and shown to be successful for temperatures as low as 160°C.

Future workFurther studies will be carried out on the thermocompression bonding of the particles. The bonds formed will be characterised in terms of their electrical and mechanical shear properties. Finer pitches and smaller pad sizes are thought to be achievable using this technique with the vision of being able to deposit a single particle per bondpad.

STAFFDr Mark Sugden

COLLABORATORSSTFC-RALConpart ASNational Physical LaboratoryIrisys Ltd

Successful selective particle deposition on 75 m pitch bond pads on die on a 6”

wafer.

Thermocompression bonding: microsphere particle compressed between a bond pad

and gold coated Si substrate.

START DATE January 2011END DATE December 2012PROJECT VALUE £167K

ACADEMICSProf Changqing Liu,Dr D A Hutt,Mr D C WhalleyLoughborough University

STAFFDr Robert Blue

COLLABORATORSSemefab (Scotland) Ltd


Project Summaries

BackgroundHigh sensitivity detection of explosive compounds is required for increased security of public transport and venues. Due to their excellent sense of smell and the ability to discern individual scents, this task is usually given to sniffer dogs. Training these animals costs tens of thousands of pounds, and only a relatively small number can be trained. Consequently, only limited coverage can be generated by using these animals. Widely deployed, low cost, compact electronics ’sniffers’ for explosives incorporating advanced sensor and communications technologies are thus needed as additional safeguards for the public. The development of such sensors requires progress in materials chemistry and sensing technology to deliver small, low cost, stand alone devices that can be routinely deployed.

AimsThis 12 month feasibility study investigated the electrochemically assisted integration of organic semiconductor fi lms with MEMS in order to develop low-cost, environmentally friendly manufacturing processes for advanced CMOS/MEMS sensors and actuators.

Objectives1. Determination of the most responsive polymer structure, and optimisation of the electrodeposition chemistry and process conditions in order to achieve good uniformity and reproducibility of the localised electrodeposited semiconductor layers/structures.

2. To design the hybrid sensors and the transduction scheme (e.g. capacitive,

Electrochemically assisted integration of organic semiconductors on CMOS and MEMS

resistive, resonant sensing) that will be used in the sensing devices.

3. To fabricate demonstrator MEMS sensor devices comprising silicon/organic semiconductor hybrid architectures obtained through localised electrochemical polymerisation.

4. To evaluate the performance of the hybrid sensors, assessing their sensitivity, selectivity, noise performance and repeatability.

5. To investigate the integration of the electrodeposition process with the commercial foundry fabrication processes operated by the industrial partner.

OutcomesThe research has resulted in the synthesis of proprietary and novel monomers based on 3,4-propylenedioxythiophene (ProDOT) designed to have an increased affi nity for nitro compounds which are closely related to explosives and thereby making them of interest in the development of sensors for explosive devices.

These monomers are grown as a polymer thick fi lm of thickness approx 500 nm on gold coated substrates using electrochemistry.

The new monomers have been used to form miniature capacitative sensors on gold interdigitated electrodes using electrochemical deposition techniques. Fabricated capacitive sensors were then tested under controlled conditions for response to vapours of nitro-bearing compounds and other volatile compounds

commonly found in the atmosphere.

The sensors were demonstrated to have a signifi cantly greater response to vapours from nitro compounds than to common VOC vapours i.e. they demonstrated excellent selectivity to the target vapours. In addition, sub-20 ppm nitro sensitivity with full sensor reversability has been obtained from this fi rst generation of nitro sensors.

ImpactIP protection envisaged upon completion of further tests funded by University of Strathclyde.

START DATE August 2010END DATE August 2011PROJECT VALUE £108K

ACADEMICSProfessor Deepak UttamchandaniProfessor Peter SkabaraUniversity of Strathclyde

Electrochemically grown polymer localised to electrodes


Current Project Summary Table

Project title Institutes (FEC) Value

Flagship: Roll-to-roll vacuum processed carbon based electronics OxfordManchesterBangorLeeds

£1,377,326

Flagship: SMART microsystems EdinburghHeriot-Watt

£1,470,834

High performance fl exible, fabric electronics for MHz frequency communications LoughboroughNottingham Trent

£465,249

Costing for avionic through life availability BathLoughboroughUWE

£513,568

WHISKERMIT: Manufacturing & in-service tin whisker mitigation strategies for high value electronics

Loughborough £404,900

High performance low-cost power modules for energy smart network applications Nottingham £442,347

Sustainable ultrasonic electroless & immersion plating processes for photovoltaic & PCB manufacture (ULTIEMet)

Coventry £339,942

3-D Microwave & mm-wave system-on-substrate using sacrifi cial layers for printed MEMS components

LeedsImperial College LondonLoughborough

£377,483

Design for increased yield for the electronics manufacturing supply chain Loughborough £263,286

Thermosonic adhesive fl ip chip assembly for advanced microelectronic packaging Imperial College London £210,674

Micro-interconnects using mono-sized polymer microspheres for large format high resolution sensor packaging

Loughborough £167,833

Electrochemically assisted integration of organic semiconductors on CMOS & MEMS Strathclyde £107,843

Sustaining Electronic Industry through managing uncertainty in contract bidding BathLoughborough

£149,650

Robustness design & health management in power electronics using damage mechanics based models

NottinghamGreenwich

£528,474

Conductive resists for nanofabrication on insulating substrates Birmingham £344,401

Carbon nanotube composite surfaces for electrical contact interfaces Southampton £489,345

Functionalisation of copper nanoparticles to enable metallisation in electronics manufacturing

Coventry Loughborough

£383,662

Recycling & sustainable remanufacture of computer PSUs into MPPT solar interfaces for battery charging

Sheffi eld £145,769

Sustainable Solder Flux from Novel Ionic Liquid Solvents; Greener, Cleaner and Cheaper Leicester £239,724

Intelligent sensor system for condition monitoring through additive manufacture of ceramic packages

LoughboroughHeriot-Watt

£366,270

Silver Minimisation and Replacement in Electronics Manufacture (Ag-Remin)

Loughborough

£246,324


IeMRC Academic InvestigatorsProfessor David Harrison

Professor Marc DesmulliezDr David Flynn Dr Ian Cotton

Professor Stephen YeatesDr David Hutt

Professor Paul P ConwayProfessor Andrew West

Mr David WhalleyProfessor Changqing Liu

Dr Geoff WilcoxDr Emma Rosamond

Dr Rebecca HigginsonDr Dick Heath

Dr Mey GohProfessor Yiannis Vardaxoglou

Dr Robert SeagerDr Robert Kay

Dr William WhitlowDr Larysa Paniwynk

Dr Andrew CobleyDr Alex Robinson

Professor Jon A PreeceProfessor Andrew Richardson

Professor Chris BaileyDr Hua Lu

Professor Patrick GrantDr Hazel Assender

Professor Mark JohnsonDr Alberto Castellazi

Dr Linda NewnesDr Glenn Parry

Dr Martin FosterDr David Stone

Professor Martin TaylorProfessor Long Lin

Professor Ian RobertsonDr Nikil Kapur

Professor Anthony WaltonProfessor Ian UnderwoodProfessor Tom Stevenson

Professor Rebecca CheungDr Robert Henderson

Dr Stewart SmithProfessor Andrew Holmes

Dr Stepan LucyszynProfessor Deepak Uttamchandani

Professor Peter SkabaraProfessor Tilak Dias

Professor David HarveyDr Weidong Zhang

Professor John McBrideProfessor Mark Spearing

Dr Liudi JiangProfessor Karl Ryder

Brunel UniversityHeriot-Watt UniversityHeriot-Watt UniversityUniversity of ManchesterUniversity of ManchesterLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityCoventry UniversityCoventry UniversityUniversity of BirminghamUniversity of BirminghamLancaster UniversityUniversity of GreenwichUniversity of GreenwichUniversity of OxfordUniversity of OxfordUniversity of NottinghamUniversity of NottinghamUniversity of BathUniversity of West of EnglandUniversity of Sheffi eldUniversity of Sheffi eldBangor UniversityUniversity of LeedsUniversity of LeedsUniversity of LeedsUniversity of EdinburghUniversity of EdinburghUniversity of EdinburghUniversity of EdinburghUniversity of EdinburghUniversity of EdinburghImperial College LondonImperial College LondonUniversity of StrathclydeUniversity of StrathclydeNottingham Trent UniversityLiverpool John Moores UniversityLiverpool John Moores UniversityUniversity of SouthamptonUniversity of SouthamptonUniversity of SouthamptonUniversity of Leicester

Post doctoral researchersDr John GravesVeronica Saez

Bilal MkhlefAmirah KassimDr Jianfeng Li

Dr Pearl AgyakwaDr Mahera Musallam

Li YangDr Jonathan Terry

Dr Gerard CumminsAled Jones

Dr John MorrisonDr Gamal AbbasDr John Topping

Dr Guangbin DohDr Mark Sugden

Kate CliftDr Alford ChaurayaDr Mark Ashworth

Dr Guy BanwellDr Robert Blue

Dr Chunyan YinDr Melanie Kreye

Dr Ettore SettanniDr Weidong HeDr Adam Lewis

Dr Andrew BallantyneTessa Acti

Coventry UniversityCoventry UniversityCoventry UniversityCoventry UniversityUniversity of NottinghamUniversity of NottinghamUniversity of NottinghamUniversity of NottinghamUniversity of EdinburghHeriot-Watt UniversityBangor UniversityUniversity of ManchesterUniversity of OxfordUniversity of OxfordImperial College LondonLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityUniversity of StrathclydeUniversity of GreenwichUniversity of BathUniversity of BathUniversity of LeedsUniversity of SouthamptonUniversity of LeicesterNottingham Trent University

Researchers - PhD studentsEihion Patchett

James ClareSwetha Narayana

Dilshani Rathnayake-ArachchigeMaria Mirgkizoudi

Shiyu ZhangMario D’Auria

Ayodeji SundayNeil Barnett

Nils ThenentFarhan HasanDavid BowyerMichael Down

Ross WalkerAleksandr Tabasnikov

Bangor UniversityUniversity of GreenwichLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityImperial College LondonUniversity of LeedsUniversity of West of EnglandUniversity of BathUniversity of BirminghamUniversity of BirminghamUniversity of SouthamptonUniversity of EdinburghUniversity of Edinburgh

People - Academics, RAs, PhD students


Collaborating Companies

Accelonix Ltd

Adcal

Advanced Therapeutic Materials

Aero Engine Controls

Alstom Grid

Amantys Ltd

Antenova M2M

Antrum Ltd

Areva

ArjoWiggins Fine Papers Ltd

Axess Technologies Ltd

BAE Systems

Support Limited

Baker Hughes

Blue Ventures

Cadence Design Systems Ltd

Calce

Camvac Ltd

Cashs’ Ltd

Ceimig

Chestech Ltd

Circatex

C-MAC Ltd

Conpart AS

Conventor

Converteam UK Ltd

Corporate BAE Systems (AUS)

CRDM

Cressington Sci Instruments Ltd

Custom Interconnect Ltd (CIL)

Dalmatian Technology

Datalink Electronics Ltd

DE&S (MOD)

Defence Marine Systems Ltd

Defence Procurement Agency MOD

Dow Corning S.A

DuPont Teijin Films Ltd

Dynex Semiconductor Ltd

e2v Technologies

EADS Astrium Ltd

EcoXchange

E-IMRC

EIPC

Eltek Semiconductor

EM Systems Support

Exitech Advanced Laser Technology

Exxelis Ltd.

Finetech

Flomerics

GE Aviation

Gen3 Systems

General Vacuum Equipment

Georgia Tech

Goodrich

Graphic Circuits Ltd

Gwent Electonic Materials

Hallmark Cards

Henkel Technologies

Hydrogen Solar

IDMRC

iMAPS

INEX

Institute of Circuit Technology

Intel Corporation

Intellect

International Rectifi er

Intrinsiq Materials Ltd

Invotec Group Ltd

IQE Europe

Irysis Ltd

ITRI Innovation

Kelan Cicuits Ltd

Loughborough Surface Analysis

MacDermid Industrial Solutions

MacTaggart Scott

Mapper Lithography

MBDA Missile Systems

Memsstar (Point 35 Microstructures)

Merlin Circuit Technology Ltd

Micro Circuit Engineering

Micro-Materials Ltd.

MicroStencil

Morgan Technical Ceramics

Moulded Circuits Ltd

Nampak Healthcare

Nanion

Nano KTN

NAREC Solar

National Industrial Symbiosis Programme

(NISP)

National Physical Laboratory

National Semiconductor

Norfolk Capacitors Ltd

NP Aerospace

Oxford Instruments PLC

Park Air Systems

Parkside

Parlex Europe

Philips Semiconductors

Plextek

Poly-Flex Circuits

Precision Micro

Printed Electronics Ltd

Proctor & Gamble

Prosonix Ltd

Pyreos

QinetiQ

Renishaw Plc

RFMD (UK)

Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials

Rolls-Royce Plc

RSL Power and Control

RSoft Design UK Ltd

Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

Sarbe (Signature Industries)

Scionix Ltd.

Scott Bader

Scottish Microelectronics Centre

Institute of Integrated Micro and Nano

Systems

SELEX Galileo

Semefab (Scotland) Ltd

Semelab Plc

Silvaco Europe Ltd

Sincrotrone Trieste

Smith Aerospace Ltd

Sondex Wireline Ltd

SONY

SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden

ST Microelectronics

STI

Strip Tinning Automotive

Surface Engineering Association

Surface Technology International Ltd

Switched Reluctance Drives Ltd

TaiCaan Technologies Ltd

Technic UK

Teer Coatings Ltd

Thales

The Institute of Metal Finishing

The Manufacturing Technology Centre

The Smart Group

Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co. Ltd

Torishima Service Solutions Europe

TRW Automotive

TT-electronics Semelab

TWI

UK Displays and Lighting KTN

Ultimet Films

Ultra Electronics

Université de Franche-Comté

Vistec

Whitfi eld Solar

Wolfson Microelectronics

Xaar Plc

Xyratex

Zettlex

Wolfson School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering

Loughborough UniversityLeicestershire

LE11 3TUUnited Kingdom

Tel: 01509 22 76 14 Fax: 01509 22 76 48

[email protected]

Documents

Annual Report 2013 - Loughborough University · 2014-04-08 · Ian Fox Alastair McGibbon Rob Haase Andrew Rimmer Martin Goosey Charles Cawthorne Bob Newman Chris Hunt Roger Wise Paul