April 14, 2008 — /ENDICOTT, NY/ — The Center for Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing (CAMM) located at the Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc. facility was inaugurated on Monday, March 31 in a ceremony attended by business, political, and community leaders. Dr. Mark Poliks, director of research and development at EI and technical director of the CAMM, hosted the event. A collaborative effort by Binghamton University, Endicott Interconnect Technologies, and Cornell University, the CAMM will pioneer microelectronics manufacturing research and development in a roll-to-roll (R2R) format. These efforts will result in flexible, rugged, lightweight electronic components and innovative products that will be critical to next-generation applications in areas such as military and homeland security; lighting; energy and power generation; displays; and product identification and tracking.
Plans for the CAMM were initiated in 2005 when the United States Display Consortium (USDC) selected Binghamton University to manage this new initiative. The USDC provided $12 million in equipment to establish the CAMM, which is hosted by Endicott Interconnect Technologies and draws collaborative resources from Cornell University.
“Endicott Interconnect Technologies is proud to have a leadership role in the creation and development of this center that began with the first discussions with the USDC, the winning proposal written with Binghamton University, and continues each day as a unique working partnership,” states Poliks.
From this initial collaboration, the CAMM has grown into a facility that consists of a 10,000-square foot area and cleanroom. It includes an integrated roll-to-roll flexible electronics prototype manufacturing line and an associated microfabrication laboratory. CAMM facilities also include a precision lithography stepper, vacuum coaters, and an in-line defect inspection capability.
“Endicott Interconnect is very proud to serve as host to the CAMM. Our unique working partnerships with both Binghamton University and Cornell University have resulted in a truly impressive facility that offers the opportunity to develop new technology and manufacturing capability for low-cost, high function electronic systems on flexible substrates. This technology will be the backbone of tomorrow’s electronics, fueling job growth in the U.S. and in our industry,” comments Jay McNamara, president and CEO at Endicott Interconnect Technologies.
Currently, most advanced electronics components are produced on silicon or quartz wafers, or on plates of specialized glass in a “batch” process that has been the backbone of the integrated circuit and flat panel display industries. An R2R process, which integrates electronics on flexible plastic, means, in theory, that components can be produced more efficiently, at higher yields, and at a lower cost than is common practice today, and it opens up potential new application areas for flexible electronics.
Under professor Bahgat Sammakia, director of Binghamton University’s New York State Center of Excellence in Small Scale Systems Integration and Packaging Center, of which the CAMM is an integral component, and Poliks, the facility will evaluate equipment and materials developed under the auspices of USDC, industry, and its own research and development program that will be further developed into a fully-integrated prototype manufacturing line. The CAMM will also provide large-scale testing whereby academic and industrial research groups can test their work for manufacturing applicability without the high costs and risks typically associated with such activities.
Equipment is accessible to both the university community and private industry, which participates in the CAMM through paid membership fees and funded research programs. CAMM’s corporate members include Endicott Interconnect Technologies, General Electric, Kodak, Corning Incorporated, Texas Instruments, Plastic Knowledge, and Samsung Electronics Company. Additional partners and supporters include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; the Army Research Laboratory; and New York State Foundation for Science, Technology, and Innovation.