F R A U N H O F E R I N S T I T U T E F O R R E L I A B I L I T Y A N D M I C R O I N T E G R AT I O N I Z M

DEPARTMENT SYSTEM INTEGRATION AND INTERCONNECTION TECHNOLOGIES

FRAUNHOFERIZM

SYSTEM INTEGRATION & INTERCONNECTION TECHNOLOGIES

The Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration

IZM develops and implements new concepts for the assembly

of highly integrated electronic systems. Its application-oriented

research bridges the gap between the microelectronic com-

ponent providers and technical system manufacturers for a

broad range of industries, such as automotive, energy, safety,

security and medical technology.

The range of services provided by the department System Inte-

gration and Interconnection Technologies (SIIT) with its roughly

150 employees spans from consultation to process develop-

ment, right through to technical system solutions. Developing

processes and materials for interconnection technologies on

board, module and package levels and the integration of elec-

trical, optical and power-electronic components and systems

are at the forefront of our activities.

We assist companies with application-oriented pre-competitive

research, as well as the development of prototypes and small

volume production. Our services include application advice,

technology transfer and further qualification of personnel

through practical training.

We cooperate closely with the Technical University of Berlin

(Center for Microperipheric Technologies), especially within

European joint projects and on basic research into materials

for packaging technology.

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Our focus is on interconnection and encapsulation technology

for electronic packaging, including:

New packaging materials:

solder, wires, bumps, adhesives and encapsulants

Bumping techniques (electroless Ni / (Pd) /Au, stencil printing,

mechanical stud or ball bumping)

SMD, CSP, BGA, POP and bare die precision assembly

Flip-chip techniques (soldering, sintering, adhesive joining,

thermo-compression and thermosonic welding)

Die attachment (soldering, sintering and adhesive joining)

Wire and ribbon bonding (ball / wedge, wedge / wedge,

heavy wire and ribbon)

Flip-chip underfilling and COB glob topping

Transfer molding of sensor packages and power modules on

lead frame devices

Wafer level & panel level molding up to 600 450 mm

Potting and conformal coating

Embedding of chips and components

Fiber coupling and optical interconnection to planar wave-

guides, fiber lenses and laser joining

Thin-glass and silicon photonic packaging

Power electronics: Electrical / electromagnetic /thermal /

thermomechanical design, component selection, prototype

manufacturing

We focus in particular on the challenges of optical and power

electronics, as well as the requirements of high-temperature

and high-frequency applications and enabling technologies,

e. g. for medical devices.

MODULAR MICROSYSTEMS

Modular microsystems provide a high degree of flexibility and

variety. The set of suitable sensors can be quickly set up to

capture properties and to regulate or control individual para-

meters of an application-related system. The chief attraction of

the system is that all its sensor elements are interchangeable.

The diversity of system types possible for this technology is

based on individual modules with specific sensors that are able

to preprocess captured measurements. Each module transmits

the data to the base module using a standardized protocol.

All modules contain one or more sensors and are equipped

with power management, a microcontroller, and several

passive components. The microcontrollers serve as interface

to the overall system and perform the data pre-processing. All

components are integrated into the circuit board using PCB

embedding technology. This method allows replacing of single

or multiple modules, due to the even and identical top and

bottom surfaces. The module selection as well as the order

depends on the application. For permanent usage they can

be soldered or sintered. However, for temporary or variable

usage requirements, the modules can be stacked with specially

designed connectors.

Modular microsystems have the following advantages:

Optimized processing and material selection

Miniaturization and flexibility

Improved performance and reliability

Faster time-to-market

Easy to test and adapt

PHOTONICSYSTEMS

Photonic integration technologies are becoming indispensable,

from chip level through board and module level to complete

systems. In data communication and telecommunication such

technologies are pushed forward by rapidly increasing band-

widths and energy efficiency needs, while simultaneously being

subject to the demands for miniaturization and increased pack-

aging density. In the area of solid state lighting high functional-

ity and low costs are required, while laser modules for material

processing are designed for high performance and long term

reliability. Optical sensors, on the other hand, need maximum

functionality combined with minimum space requirements. At

Fraunhofer IZM we exceed the simple combination of discrete

components up to highly integrated systems using state-of-

the-art technologies, such as silicon photonics and plasmonics.

Key technologies in module packaging:

Optoelectronic chip assembly:

Flip-chip, self-alignment, CTE adjustment

Photonic module packaging:

Optical design, fiber lensing, laser fusing of fibers, fiber-

to-chip coupling, automatic active/passive alignment of

micro-optics and PIC, silicon photonic packaging

Optical backplane & EOCB:

Integrated optical waveguides (polymer and ion exchange

in thin glass), optical out-of-plane coupling

Sensors:

Biomedical sensors, microfluidics, fiber gyroscopes,

integration of micro resonators and PIC

Photonic and plasmonic systems:

Design, simulation, characterization

LED modules: Simulation, process development, assembly,

characterization, failure analysis

Modular microsystem with embedded components Large area LED packaging

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W-band radar module with 94 GHz MMIC and free-standing Vivaldi-antenna based on a cost-effective and RF-compatible organic substrate

Textile display based on thermoplastic adhesive bonding of RGB-LEDs

SYSTEM-IN-PACKAGE (SIP)

Highly integrated, smart systems (sophisticated cell phones

are a classic example) are reaching into more and more areas

of everyday life. In parallel, the components that comprise

such systems have to become increasingly affordable,

miniaturized and robust. For packaging technology, this means

cost-efficiently integrating diverse parts, including sensors/

MEMS, -controllers and discrete components into a robust

system-in-package (SIP), which feeds into a larger system via

standard electrical and wireless interfaces. Two buzz terms

that are often heard in the discussion of this development

trend are cyber-physical systems and Internet of Things.

The power of SiP solutions is the ability to bring together

different IC and interconnection technologies to create highly

integrated products with optimized cost, size and perfor-

mance, which can be combined as required to create solutions

specifically for individual applications:

Smaller size than individually packaged components

Improved electrical performance thanks to shorter intercon-

nects and local electrical shielding

Integration of innovative sensors, e.g. gas or particle sensors,

increasingly also in microfluidic applications

Development of high-temperature resistant systems for

industrial and automotive applications

We provide a wide range of technologies for the effective

realization of SiP solutions, including:

Fine-pitch flip-chip with ultra-thin interconnects on

flex substrates

Embedding of active chips and passive components

into organic substrates

Encapsulation of leadframe- board-, wafer and

panel-based systems with sensor exposure

ELECTRONICS IN TEXTILES

Textiles are an indispensable part of everyday life. Woven,

knitted and non-woven fabric is found everywhere, from

clothing to technical textiles. Moreover, composites are being

included in more and more applications that require light but

very strong materials.

Fraunhofer IZM develops modular system concepts for smart

textiles and bus structures that have been optimized for tex-

tiles. One focus is on the development of new interconnection

technologies for a variety of materials in different application

areas. We use microelectronic processes for this research, such

as gluing with conductive adhesives and low-temperature

soldering. However, our focus is on techniques developed

especially for textile integration.

One simple but extremely robust technique, which also meets

high reliability requirements, is gluing using non-conductive

thermoplastic adhesives. Mechanical joining techniques at