Category Archives: Materials and Equipment

BY PETER ANTOINETTE, N

Concepts from the textile industry may soon infiltrate thermal management in advanced packaging, in the form of manufactured spun threads and felted mats composed of single-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs). These CNTs are grown in lengths of hundreds of microns for fabrics that are highly conductive, thin, light weight, and as strong as carbon steel. Initially developed as advanced fabric for military applications, the nonwoven sheets and yarns have the potential to become heat pipes, thermal interface materials (TIMs), integrated antennae, and even inter-die thermal material in 3D stacked-die packages.

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CNTs are grown in tube furnaces in a continuous-flow process, using custom chemistries and metal-based catalysts. Then, manipulated with the aid of magnetic fields, the CNTs form a spun yarn with electrical and thermal conductivity, which is essentially a conductive “wire.” Nonwoven sheets are produced similarly but use a moving belt to capture CNTs into flat mats. Thinner than paper, the resulting fabricated CNT textile mat is shiny, black, flat, and flexible in thicknesses from 40 μm down to less than 10 μm. Several square feet of the textile are produced every few hours. The figure shows nanotube fibers in a CNT yarn under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) spun as CNT thread; the product is flexible enough to be tied into a knot. Manufacturing techniques have been developed on semi-automated batch systems, which will become continuous automated production, shifting CNTs from laboratory applications to volume processes, in a similar manner as early semiconductor chip fabrication.

The composition of CNTs for these textiles can be varied with additives and process-condition changes to produce CNTs that match specific properties. CNTs are generally grown as 100% pure single-walled structures for the majority of applications. However, the process can dial in double- or multi-wall CNTs for high yields of clean, pure CNTs. Adding different metals to the material can adjust conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), mass, and other properties.

The felted CNT sheets suit conventional pick-and-place systems, inserted as an interface between die and package lid, between a package and heatsink, or integrated into molded caps. CNT conductive threads offer the potential of a woven thermally and electrically conductive fabric, and may replace metal wires, antennae, or heat pipes. Integrating this technology could generate a new format of thermal dissipation in which CNT fabrics pipe heat laterally to a dislocated heatsink attached in a less-dense or cooler region of a module.

Laminating CNT wires and sheeting into other structures could add thermal, electrical, and EMI-shielding capacity in new areas around electronic assemblies. For example, using CNT fabric around the die would dissipate heat, then wrapping the package with CNT sheeting would provide enough EMI shielding to move packages closer together on a module, with CNT wires acting as heat pipes to carry excess heat away to a distant heatsink. Replacing heavy-metal conductors, transformers, antennae for wireless devices, and electro-storage components with CNT materials facilitates the construction of lighter-weight, lower-power packages.

However, CNT fabrics and wires face several challenges in the advanced packaging space. While the material is thin enough for insertion between dice in a high-power/high-heat 3D package, no information is currently available about whether this would offer enough mass to move heat in channels away from the dice. While the fabric is thin and flexible, it does not stretch, which may limit applications within or outside the package, such as wrapping a mobile-phone casing with a CNT sheet. Scale is everything; manufacturing CNT fabric and threads in high yields – with a cost-effective process and few or no post-processing purification steps – will open viable end markets. The materials potentially will serve applications with high heat and limited space, entering end products in gaming, laptop, cell-phone, and related markets. With EMI shielding, thermal conductivity, light weight, ease-of-integration, and beneficial electrical properties, CNT wires and sheets could infuse thermal management into many stages of the packaging process, enabling denser, higher-power, smaller-form-factor assemblies on a high-volume production level using existing equipment.

Peter Antoinette, president and CEO, may be contacted at Nanocomp Technologies, Inc., 162 Pembroke Rd. Concord, NH; 603/442-8992; E-mail: [email protected].

Taking into consideration the statistics on hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), it’s no wonder that the health care industry is looking for simple and cost-effective ways to reduce the number of these infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control, proper hand hygiene is the single most effective method for preventing HAIs. And that’s where Ecolab Inc., a global provider of cleaning, sanitizing, food safety, and infection control products and services, steps in with its recently announced Hand Hygiene Monitoring Compliance Program.

The Minnesota-based company’s program for hospitals and health care facilities is intended to provide an intervening approach that combines appropriate hand hygiene products, a step-by-step implementation process, patient empowerment education and training materials, ongoing measurement, and benchmarking to increase and sustain hand hygiene compliance.

Ecolab has partnered with Dr. Maryanne McGuckin, a leading authority in the measurement of hand hygiene compliance, for the design of the program, baseline measurement, and ongoing reporting analysis services.

“Comprehensive hand hygiene compliance monitoring programs like that created by Ecolab enable health care facilities of all sizes to assess compliance rates at their facility and help meet the guidelines and recommendations for improving patient safety set by the Joint Commission (JC) and World Health Organization,” explains McGuckin.

Studies show that improved hand hygiene compliance and the associated reduction in HAI rates lower hospital operating costs. According to data from the Pennsylvania Hospital Cost Containment Council, the average hospital charge without an HAI is nearly six times less ($31,389) than for patients who experienced HAI ($185,260).

“Simply put, proper hand hygiene enables hospitals to provide better patient care and to reduce costs,” says Tim Mulhere, vice president and general manager of health care at Ecolab. “The Ecolab Hand Hygiene Compliance Monitoring Program provides all the tools and resources hospitals need to drive hand hygiene compliance and reduce health care-associated infections.”

Elements of the program

Patient empowerment. These programs increase awareness of the importance of hand hygiene and encourage patients and their families to ask their health care provider to wash or sanitize their hands prior to any direct contact. Ecolab has developed a complete set of materials, including brochures, posters, buttons, and a video (under a program entitled “It’s OK To Ask”), that encourages patients to actively participate in their care. According to recent studies (1999-2006) in the American Journal of Infection Control and Journal of Hospital Infection Control, patient empowerment and measurement have been shown to increase and sustain compliance on average 56 percent.

Measurement. Measurement of compliance data establishes an accurate, current baseline compliance rate against which progress can be tracked. Ongoing measurement and reporting further supports compliance by enabling hospitals to objectively measure the progress of programs and promote improvements.

Benchmarking. Confidential reporting of data and analysis helps hospitals to validate their hand hygiene programs as they grow. In addition, ongoing compliance can be compared against data from similar sized hospitals and units including in-patient/out-patient sites from acute care, pediatrics, ER, ICU, and non-ICU.

Editor’s Note: For more information on other current measures being taken to promote hospital infection control, see “New Approaches to Infection Control in Hospitals” on page 44.

June 29, 2007 — NASA recently tested the first nanotechnology-based electronic device to fly in space. The test showed that the “nanosensor” could monitor trace gases inside a spaceship. This technology could lead to smaller, more capable environmental monitors and smoke detectors in future crew habitats.
NASA’s Nano ChemSensor Unit hitched a ride to Earth orbit on March 9, 2007, as a secondary payload experiment on the U.S. Naval Academy’s MidSTAR-1 satellite. The sensor test was powered on May 24.

The experiment sought to prove that sensors made of carbon nanotubes and coated with sensing materials could withstand the rigors of space flight. It also helped scientists learn how well a nanosensor could endure microgravity, heat, and cosmic radiation.

“The nanosensor worked successfully in space,” said Jing Li, a scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center and principal investigator for the test. “We demonstrated that nanosensors can survive in space conditions and the extreme vibrations and gravity change that occur during launch,” she said.

To conduct the test, nitrogen gas containingI20 parts per million of nitrogen dioxide was injected into a small chamber. The chamber also held a half-inch computer test chip withI32 nanosensors. The test measured the change in electricity passing through the nanosensors after theInitrogen dioxide and the sensing materials made contact.

June 12, 2007 — Warrington, PA — Tiger Optics, LLC, a manufacturer of laser-based trace gas analyzers, today announced that it has expanded its worldwide presence by forging new distributor partnerships in Europe and South Africa. Tiger Optics added three new distributors to its strong global network, which will enable the company to enhance local presence and increase opportunities in these markets. Tiger Optics’ new distributors include cmc Instruments, GmbH, as its representative in Germany, Process Analyser Systems, Ltd. (PAS), as its representative in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and Online Analytics (PTY) LTD, as its representative in South Africa.

“We selected our new distributors based on their deep and proven expertise in gas analysis, and strong presence in their respective markets,” says Lisa Bergson, CEO of Tiger Optics. “We are confident that together with cmc Instruments, Process Analyser Systems, and Online Analytics, we can help our customers meet the most demanding gas analysis challenges for semiconductor fabrication, laboratory analysis, gas manufacturing and industrial process control.”

“We believe that the addition of the Tiger Optics family of gas analyzers, which provide absolute accuracy, millisecond response time, and low cost of ownership, will give us a decided edge in providing the most comprehensive solutions for gas analysis available,” says Timothy Butler, managing director of Process Analyser Systems. “We look forward to a long and successful partnership representing Tiger Optics in the United Kingdom and Ireland.”

Tim Butler and Phil Moyes formed PAS moe than 10 years ago. Both executives have more than 30 years experience providing comprehensive solutions for the most demanding gas analysis challenges. PAS is located at Grove Technology Park, Wantage, Oxfordshire, OX12 9FF, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 12357 69841. Fax: 44 12357 70290. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.pasuk.com

Online Analytics has been solving gas analysis challenges for a host of demanding customers in the chemical, petrochemical, industrial and natural gas, and laboratory markets for over 10 years. Online Analytics is located at Plot 7, Rietfontein, Vaalpark, Sasolburg, Free State, 1947, South Africa. Phone: +27 (016) 971 3800. Fax: +27 (016) 657 6523. Email: [email protected]

cmc Instruments GmbH, comprised of highly qualified engineers and chemists, provides leading-edge solutions including systems integration and products including trace gas analyzers, generators, and filters. They provide a full range of support services as well from their Rhein-Main base. cmc Instruments GmbH is located at Hauptstrasse 388, Eschborn, D-65760. Phone: 0 6173 320078. Fax: 0 6173 65050. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.cmc-instruments.de

About Tiger Optics, LLC:
Founded in 2001, Tiger Optics, LLC is known worldwide as an innovator of gas analyzers based on patented Continuous Wave Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CW CRDS) technology. Free of moving parts and calibration down-time, Tiger’s cutting-edge gas analyzers offer absolute accuracy, real-time response, and low cost of ownership for the most demanding applications in a host of industries, including: semiconductor, laboratory, process control, automotive, industrial and specialty gas. Headquartered in Warrington, PA, Tiger Optics is represented in the United States and Internationally by a select group of organizations highly experienced in gas analysis and well versed in the advantages of CW CRDS technology. For additional information, visit www.tigeroptics.com

Contact:
Elissa Ehrlich
Bite Communications for Tiger Optics
Tel: 212-857-9397
E-mail: [email protected]

June 5, 2007 — PEABODY, MA — Continued customer demand for Technical Manufacturing Corporation’s (TMC) precision floor vibration isolation systems has fueled the company’s fourth building expansion in the last 15 years.

The additional 9,000 sq. feet of manufacturing space includes large clean assembly areas to assemble, clean, and package systems bound for semiconductor factories and semiconductor equipment makers, pharmaceuticals, medical research labs, and advanced photonics facilities. The addition also includes a state-of-the-art welding facility and increased manufacturing space.

“With few exceptions, TMC products are conceived, developed, and manufactured at our Peabody, MA, factory,” says Steve Ryan, vice president of marketing. “Our world-class R&D and state-of-the-art manufacturing processes stimulate constant innovation and new product introductions that solve our customers’ most difficult building floor vibration problems.”

TMC purchased the present site in Peabody, MA, and constructed the original 35,000-sq.-foot building in 1984. The current expansion brings the building to 80,000 sq. feet on an 11-acre site. Dedicated to manufacturing TMC’s precision vibration isolation systems, the facility was specifically designed and built to include many custom features that enable the efficient manufacturing, handling, assembly, testing, and packaging of TMC’s growing product line.

TMC designs and manufactures precision vibration isolation systems for sensitive research and manufacturing processes worldwide. The ISO 9001-certified company’s products are standards in the semiconductor manufacturing, life sciences, and photonics industries and are also used in academic, industrial, and military research projects.

June 25, 2007 – BASF and IBM have signed a joint development agreement for electronic materials to be used in 32nm IC manufacturing by 2010, leveraging IBM’s semiconductor process development and BASF’s expertise in chemicals and nanotechnology. Research will be done in IBM’s facilities in Yorktown Heights, NY, and BASF’s headquarters in Ludwigshafen, Germany.

“Chemistry will increasingly play an important role in the development of the next-generation (32nm) IC products,” and the BASF partnership brings in “extensive and interdisciplinary background that only a major chemical company can offer,” said Ronald Goldblatt, Distinguished Engineer and senior manager, IBM Research, in a statement.


Phenom is FEI’s commercially available version of its Phenom-Ed. (Photo: FEI Co.)

June 25, 2007 — Following FEI Company‘s earlier unveiling of Phenom-Ed for the education market, the company has now officially launched the commercially available version of its small-size, low-cost scanning electron microscope (SEM). About the size of a tower PC (11″ x 22″ x 19″), Phenom bridges the gap between optical scopes and traditional SEMs: It provides magnification up to 20,000x — about 20 times higher than most advanced optical microscopes.

Yet its pricing is competitive with high-end optical systems, at approximately one-third the price of a traditional SEM (which typically runs more than $200,000 plus the costs of additional personnel and facilities). And its touch-screen interface promises highly intuitive and interactive operation – meaning that the Phenom does not require specialized facilities or highly skilled operators.

“The Phenom represents a technology jump similar to that of moving from CDs to MP3s. This is FEI’s iPod — it’s beautiful to look at and has a simple, intuitive interface. Its ease of use makes it extremely inviting, even to those who have never before operated a microscope,” said Dr. Steven Berger, vice president of the Phenom development group for FEI. “This new microscope makes high-resolution electron microscopy imaging practical and affordable, providing cost effective solutions for a wide range of imaging challenges that can no longer be solved with optical technologies.”

Applications of the Phenom are unlimited, and include materials research and development, pharmaceuticals, energy, forensics, semiconductor (MEMS) quality control/inspection, and higher education. For instance, inspection and quality assurance is key to production of reliable microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), where 3D imaging at 100-5000 magnification is required and low cost is a significant advantage. Similarly, size, distribution, and morphology of particles and powders are critical parameters for industries such as pharmaceuticals, composites, cosmetics, and catalysts, where high-end SEMs have traditionally been used. But now, users don’t have to buy more imaging power than they need and anyone can image the samples.

The Phenom is expected to bring high-resolution imaging to a much broader base of users and accelerate scientific discovery and new product development. And according to FEI, it represents new low-cost platform for future products from the company.

The Phenom is now available for purchase in Europe and North America. Sales to the rest of the world will be rolled out in 2008.

June 25, 2007 — MFIC Corp. has announced the opening of the Microfluidics Technology Center, a state-of-the-art research and discovery facility located at MFIC headquarters in Newton, Mass. MFIC is known for fluid formulation processing equipment to produce small, uniform liquid and solid particles for the biotech, pharmaceutical, chemical, personal care, and food industries.

“The Microfluidics Technology Center will house our highly-specialized research team, dedicated to advancing the formulation field by developing new applications for Microfluidics’ technology and pursuing groundbreaking work in the field of nanotechnology,” said Dr. Thomai Panagiotou, Vice President of Research and Development.

The Microfluidics Technology Center will provide customers full access to the Company’s R&D engineers and complete product suite to prepare, characterize and optimize formulation samples. Engineers will also assist customers in improving their existing products through reformulation using proprietary Microfluidizer materials processors.

June 21, 2007 — nCoat, Inc. Whitsett, NC, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire all the capital stock of Metallic Ceramic Coatings Inc. (MCCI), doing business under the brand of JET-HOT Coatings. The combination of MCCI/ JET-HOT and other nCoat operating companies, at current annual revenue levels, should achieve approximately two times nCoat’s current revenue run-rate.

MCCI/JET-HOT, headquartered in Philadelphia, develops, produces and applies a variety of high performance coatings products that include insulation, corrosion resistance, and abrasion and impact resistance, as well as lubricity properties. According to Paul Clayson, CEO of nCoat, the deal “creates a highly competitive force” in coating technologies for automotive, trucking, and aerospace.

Anticipated key synergies resulting from the deal include:
1. nCoat will integrate proprietary nano-formulated coatings into the JET-HOT product mix;
2. nCoat and HPC will gain significant aftermarket branding and name
recognition via the JET-HOT brand;
3. nCoat doubles its consolidated revenue base;
4. nCoat will add immediate aftermarket cash flow to its current receivables oriented OEM revenue stream thus increasing margins, reducing customer concentration risk and leveraging the market position of both companies in motorsports and automotive markets;
5. JET-HOT formulations will enhance nCoat’s (non-nano) high performance intellectual property coatings portfolio;
6. JET-HOT will offer corrosion protection, thermal management and abrasion resistant coatings on internal engine parts to its significant aftermarket customer base. To date, JET-HOT has offered only external engine coatings to its customers;
7. HPC will strengthen its market position in diesel engine manufacturing and over-the-road trucking markets.

nCoat signed a stock purchase agreement to buy all capital stock in MCCI for $5 million cash and $1 million in nCoat common stock, or roughly one times projected 2007 revenue. Under the agreement, the acquisition is scheduled to close on June 29, 2007.

(June 21, 2007) SAN JOSE, CA &#151 North America-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers posted $1.67 billion in bookings and billings in May, based on a three-month average, bringing the book-to-bill to 1.00 for the month, according to SEMI’s report. Values in both segments are up from May of 2006 and from April 2007.