Category Archives: MEMS

by Dr. Philip Garrou, contributing editor

October 4, 2010 – The recent SEMICON Taiwan 3D Technology Forum (Sept. 9) shed some insight into what several foundries, assembly houses and customers are thinking about the timing for 3D interposers and full 3D IC.

Dr. Ho Ming Tong, GM and chief of R&D for ASE, commented that he expects the commercialization of interposers, what’s being called 2.5D, to arrive "in two years" and that interposers "will not be a simple transitional technology…[but will allow] the smooth transition from 40nm to 28nm." Concerning full 3D IC, he expects to see large-scale implementation "in three to five years." Others have interpreted these remarks as an indication that ASE has pushed back full 3D IC several years from their previously released roadmaps. After checking with ASE, it appears that the comments should not be taken as a slowdown in the ASE roadmap, but rather an indication of when 3D IC will be used in a widespread manner.

Kauppi Kujala, senior technology manager for Nokia, indicated that the company has been using devices with through-silicon vias (TSV) such as MEMS microphones and CMOS image sensors since 2006 and 2007, respectively. "For memory stacking, TSV can offer clear miniaturization opportunities and also [higher] performance and power reduction," he noted. He expects to see 3D silicon interposers "soon," driven mainly by low-k mechanical limitations. These will be single-chip packages, i.e., the chips will be bonded to a silicon interposer which will subsequently packaged in a standard package such as a BGA.

(Source: Nokia)

Kujala predicts wide-bandwidth memory on logic 3D IC stacks will be available 2012-2013, noting that "costs will be critical and standards still need to be put in place." Nokia’s first target for a wide IO package will be a package with four DRAM chips, targeting high-end smartphones and later migrating to mid-segment and lower-category phones. Nokia expects wide IO standards will be ready in late 2011.

Qualcomm’s Nick Yu, VP of engineering, also sees smart phones driving their interest in 3D IC. Yu emphasized that increased activity in standards is needed to mitigate risk and simplify the supply chain.

Shan-Chieh Chien, VP of advanced technology development at UMC, called 3D stacking with TSV the "big elephant" technology for foundries. UMC, which recently announced an alliance with Elpida and Powertech, commented that logic + wide IO DRAM stacking will occur in 2011-2012 consistent with the comments of Nokia and others. UMC also sees a significant future for silicon interposers with and without integrated passive components.

Carl Chen of Siliconware’s R&D group emphasized SPIL’s interposer 2.5D solutions, and showed their roadmap which calls for interposers late this year and memory stacking in 2011-2012:

TSV technology roadmap. (Source: SPIL)

A compilation of recent roadmaps from these and other major players shows a consensus on the commercialization timing expected for 3D IC.

 

Dr. Phil Garrou is a contributing editor for Solid State Technology and Advanced Packaging, and a frequent blogger with his Insights from the Leading Edge.

Steve Lerner, Alchimer S.A., Massy, France

Consolidation has been a mega-trend in the chipmaking world in recent decades. Dozens of EDA companies have been started and then acquired by the biggest two or three firms. Where there were once a half-dozen leading-edge lithography companies, now there are two – about the same number of leading players as most sectors of the equipment market.

This trend towards fewer, larger suppliers was predicted by many observers. It’s a function of the maturation of the semiconductor industry, as well as formidable barriers to entry into it. Among these barriers are long sales cycles (it can easily take five years for a tool to go from initial design to real revenue), the need for global support and service, and the very limited number of potential customers.

From a top-level business perspective, it’s worked out reasonably well. Chipmakers are designing and producing chips, equipment companies are starting to sell equipment again, and iPhones and DVRs are flowing nicely.

But from a more front-line perspective, there is cause for concern. Take the example of through-silicon vias (TSVs). This emerging technology is widely accepted as a basic enabler for current and future device generations, and also for the industry’s advance into the "More Than Moore" space, where electronic devices will go beyond raw computing power to incorporate sensors, wireless networking, and battery-free power.

If you’re a well-established supplier of chipmaking equipment or design software, you certainly want to play in the TSV market – but you want to do it in the way that’s most beneficial to your company’s bottom line. Very often, the best risk-reward combination is to adapt existing technology for a new application, rather than starting with a clean sheet of paper and identifying the best approach. As the risk of competition from startups decreases, the rewards of keeping R&D investments low increase. This is what we’re seeing in the TSV sector – and it’s starting to have negative effects on the industry’s ability to adopt TSV technology.

Today, the supply chain is trailing ITRS expectations for TSVs. While it’s possible to produce TSVs with an aspect ratio of greater than 20:1, circuit designers, always mindful of device manufacturability and cost, are limiting their designs to ratios of less than 10:1 to maintain compatibility with existing dry deposition processes.

Common sense tells us that device packaging should be relatively inexpensive, compared to front-end processing. But the available equipment for TSV production is very pricey because it was designed for dual damascene or MEMS applications, and there are insufficient incentives for the existing equipment leaders to redesign the equipment or lower its cost.

There are historic parallels to this issue, particularly bumping and wafer-level packaging. For years, wafer bumping was seen as a high-benefit solution for wafer-level packaging, but a lack of infrastructure was partly to blame for its slow adoption by offshore assembly and test houses. They couldn’t afford the equipment that IDMs were using for bumping. Smaller equipment makers, seeing the opportunity, eventually stepped in and provided that missing link in the supply chain with lower-priced deposition tools.

Something along these lines will happen with TSVs; the free market has a way of reconciling these mismatches. Yes, it takes more time in a highly consolidated market with steep barriers to entry. But that slowness creates ever-increasing opportunities for the packaging suppliers who want to be the first to offer high-aspect ratio TSV technology, and the suppliers who can help make it economically practical.

Steve Lerner is CEO, Alchimer S.A., Massy, France,  [email protected].

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(September 29, 2010) — Aerotech is offering the ANT95-R and ANT130-R direct-drive rotary stages, which are part of the company’s nano Motion Technology product line. They offer in-position stability (0.005 arc sec) and incremental motion (0.01 arc sec) using the company’s direct-drive technology, and are good for demanding high-throughput manufacturing applications such as disk-drive andMEMS manufacture and test, fiber-optic device alignment, as well as for super-high-precision laboratory R&D applications.

 

The ANT95-R and ANT130-R rotary stages incorporate Aerotech’s direct-drive for extremely smooth motion, and both are available in 20°, 180°, or 360° continuous travel. Maximum speed is 200 rpm and maximum acceleration is 400 rad/s2. Axial load capacity is 2 kg for the ANT95-R and 3 kg for the ANT130-R. These rotary stages also offer an 11 mm clear aperture that can be used for product feed-through, laser beam delivery, cable clearance, or application-specific requirements.

The ANT95-R and ANT130-R series are designed for compatibility and easy integration with Aerotech’s ANT linear stages.

The ANT95-R and ANT130-R were designed to operate in a 24/7 manufacturing environment while providing laboratory-grade accuracy. Unlike other extremely precise rotary devices, they require no periodic maintenance.

For more information, visit www.aerotech.com

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(September 30, 2010) — Military sensors specialists at the U.S. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) in San Diego are looking to microelectronics experts at the Smart System Technology & Commercialization Center in Canandaigua, N.Y., to fabricate micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) for military sensor systems.

Officials of the SPAWAR Systems Center Pacific announced their plans Tuesday to negotiate a sole-source contract with the Smart System Technology & Commercialization Center (STC) to provide MEMS sensor fabrication and diagnostic support for sensors, including starting wafer material and masks necessary to fabricate the devices. STC will handle wafer sizes as large as 150 millimeters in diameter.

SPAWAR will ask STC to fabricate intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors; inertial sensor components; acoustic sensor components; energy-harvesting components; opto-electro-mechanical systems; and-resistive heaters. Read more about MEMS sensors.

Located outside Rochester, NY, the 140,000-square-foot STC facility has more than 50,000 square feet of certified cleanroom space with 150-millimeter wafer production, plus a dedicated 8,000-square-foot MEMS and optoelectronic packaging facility. STC resulted from the 20 Sept. merger of the Infotonics Technology Center with the Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology at the College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering (CNSE) in Albany, N.Y.

More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=6635cb032ee99195cfbb8bd961a326c9&tab=core&_cview=0. For additional information contact the SPAWAR Systems Center Pacific online at www.public.navy.mil/spawar, or the Smart System Technology & Commercialization Center at www.itcmems.com.

Posted by John Keller, Military and Aerospace Electronics, and reprinted with permission.

(September 24, 2010) — SEMICON Europa will take place October 19-21 in Dresden, Germany. The SEMI Europe team is closely working with their supporting committees and the manufacturing and R&D organizations to tailor the SEMICON Europa programs. Program development is matched to the specific needs of the European semiconductor industry in the current environment.

  • 12 Technology conferences
  • 13 Free technology and standardization session
  • 4 Executive and networking events
  • 12 Courses

 

The MEMS/MST track will focus on MEMS in end-market applications, manufacturing and design techniques, and keynotes from industry leaders such as Analog Devices, STMicroelectronics, and Bosch.

The International MEMS/MST Industry Forum theme for 2010 is "MEMS Goes Everywhere!" The forum presenters ask (and answer) these questions: How do you successfully manage an environment with distributed operations, while best system know-how and short time-to-revenue cycles are essential? Which control systems and methodologies for low-cost test, steep learning curves, and quality assurance need to be in place? How do you develop, manufacture, and cost-efficiently integrate complex heterogeneous systems? What are the most recent developments in MEMS-enabled products: where lay the challenges and opportunities? What are most interesting new applications and use-cases, driving new technologies and providing for technology line utilization?

The MEMS exhibitor presentations will cover photoresist for MEMS and wafer-level package (WLP) manufacture, as well as chip/package co-design in changing IDM times.

MEMS keynotes include "Monolithic to Multi Chip: Smart Partitioning Adds Customer Value," presented by Rob O’Reilly, Senior Technical Staff, MEMS Sensor and Technology Group, Analog Devices; "Trends for Automotive Micromechanical Sensors," a talk by Jiri Marek, Senior Vice President Engineering Sensors, Bosch; "Revolution and Evolution of Consumer MEMS Applications," from Leopold Beer, Director Marketing, Bosch Sensortec; and a presentation from Benedetto Vigna, General Manager MEMS Business Unit, STMicroelectronics.

To view speaker times and agenda for any of the MEMS sessions, visit http://www.semiconeuropa.org/ProgramsandEvents/MEMSMST/index.htm

Program tracks (Click on the links to view a track overview): 

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(September 15, 2010) — Growth is back, but the MEMS industry infrastructure has changed: a limited number of companies (STM, Bosch, etc) are taking full benefit of the growth of the market, and foundries are attractive for a new set (think TSMC). Industry restructuration is now about to happen, said Jean-Christophe Eloy, CEO and GM, Yole Développement. Eloy predicted rapid growth for the MEMS industry during SEMICON West in July 2010.

Yole Développement updated its market and technologies study dedicated to the MEMS industry: Status of the MEMS Industry 2010, covering the evolution of MEMS applications and markets, with updated data on MEMS markets, analysis of the industry from manufacturing and innovation points of views, analysis of the strategies of the main players, etc.

MEMS business

MEMS business was almost flat since 2007: this is good news compared to the semiconductor industry that has collapsed during that time, but as many companies have made production infrastructure investments from 2006 to 2008, 2009 has been really difficult for several MEMS manufacturers.

Growth is back, but the growth has changed: only a few companies have 8" production infrastructure in place and it provides them a very strong cost benefit, helping them to target lower-price consumer electronics applications. STM, Bosch, and InvenSense (as a fabless) are taking full advantage of these changes. Now the question is: what will be the reaction of their competitors?

Business model, innovative devices, new applications are success factors

In parallel to this industrial situation, MEMS foundries are exiting stronger from the crisis: more system manufacturers have decided to stop internal MEMS manufacturing, so in addition to the organic growth of the MEMS fabless companies, these system companies are now working with MEMS foundries. As such, MEMS foundries are extremely active at the moment with new customers looking to outsource MEMS manufacturing. This growth is attracting new players in MEMS foundry business, like TSMC and UMC. In addition, the Si interposer business opportunities, wafer level packaging and the 3D chip stacking using through silicon vias (TSV) are also growth drivers for the MEMS foundries. MEMS foundries are facing a vigorous growth and more than 25% CAGR expected in the next 5 years.

Innovation in MEMS is changing: brand new devices are now launched on the market and a complete family of totally new MEMS devices are under development. The digital compass, the IR and thermography cameras, the oscillator, among others, are driving these new-generation MEMS products.

In addition, most new applications are linked to new usage of existing devices (human machine interface, replacement of existing technologies). Strong efforts are put into the packaging adaptation to have a cost-adapted structure (packaging is more than 40% of the cost of a MEMS device on average) and enter new applications (like mobile applications). New ways to package and integrate MEMS devices in a system are fueling the growth of MEMS industries.

MEMS market numbers

According to Yole Développement, the MEMS market reached $6.9 billion in 2009 and will be around $8 billion in 2010. So 2010 is the start of the re-growth of the MEMS business.

Companies cited in the report

ADI, AKM, AMS, Avago Technologies, Bosch Sensortec, Canon, Colibrys, Continental, Dalsa Semiconductor, Delphi, Denso, Discera, Flir, Freescale, GE, Honeywell, HP, IMT, Infineon, Kionix, Knowles Acoustics, Lexmark, Melexis, Memsic, Micralyne, Murata, Olivetti, Omron, Panasonic, Qualtré ,Rhom, Seiko Epson, Schneider Electric, Silex, Silicon Sensing Systems, Silverbrook, SiTime, STMicro, Systron Donner, TI, Ulis, VTI Technologies.

New growth is expected after 2010, with a CAGR of 13% in the next 5 years. At the same time, the production equipment market remained low in 2009 at $140 million and will restart in 2011: 2010 will be a better year, mostly in the second half.

Moreover the production infrastructure in place is sufficient to absorb the growth for the next 2 years. “We will have to wait until 2011 for a significant restart of the MEMS production equipment market”, explained Jean-Christophe Eloy.

Yole Développement is a market research and strategy consulting firm analyzing emerging applications using silicon and/or micro manufacturing. Visit the website at www.yole.fr

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(September 14, 2010) — Freescale Semiconductor today unveiled an advanced 3-axis accelerometer family designed to deliver enhanced battery life for smart mobile devices without compromising performance. Utilizing the MMA845xQ family, system designers can integrate standard functions like orientation detection as well as more advanced real time applications like pedometers and games. In addition, the new Freescale accelerometers dramatically extend the battery life of smart mobile devices such as smartphones, personal navigation devices, MP3 players, eReaders and netbooks.

The global MEMS market is expected to expand by 11% in 2010, propelled by strong sales in mobile handsets, gaming controllers and digital cameras, according to iSuppli Corp. The majority of these devices use motion sensing technology for features such as image stability, tap to control, anti-theft and orientation detection. As market demand continues to grow, advances in accuracy and battery life are necessary to further development of next generation devices.

In a podcast interview, Freescale’s Systems and Applications Engineer, Bryce Osoinach, describes how the company optimized the overall system power consumption for extended battery life in consumer electronics (CE). Podcast: Download or Play Now

As part of Freescale’s Xtrinsic sensing solutions line, the MMA845xQ accelerometer family offers a new level of sensor intelligence through embedded algorithms and computation in three advanced accelerometers. Together with the host processor, the embedded accelerometers help make decisions on contextual environmental sensing and enable the ability to record highly precise movement for a wide-range of consumer devices from smartphones to tablets to eReaders to remote controls.

Battery applications benefit from the accelerometer’s low current consumption at 1.7 microamps in standby mode and as low as 6 microamps in active mode and contain four power modes from high resolution to low power, offering best in class savings in supply current and extremely high resolution for very small motion detection.

The MMA845xQ accelerometers include a wide range of real-time motion detection features such as orientation, directional shake and tap and jolt and freefall. The devices are highly versatile to support low-end applications for basic gestures such as lasso and flick (10-bit), mid-range applications for more complex gestures such as position and 3-D gesture detection (10-or 12-bit), and high-end applications such as dead reckoning (14-bit).

In addition to the already released MMA8450Q, Freescale today introduced the 14-bit MMA8451Q, the 12-bit MMA8452Q and the 10-bit MMA8453Q. All of the devices within the MMA845xQ family are pin-for-pin compatible with register map alignment between the accelerometers to maximize hardware and software re-use between 10-, 12- and 14-bit designs requiring zero development cost to migrate thereby reducing time to market. To help support various applications, the MMA845xQ accelerometers offer increased bandwidth with user configurable sample rates ranging from 1.5 to 800 Hz and operate across a supply voltage of 1.7V to 3.6V.

The MMA8451Q accelerometer incorporates an on-chip FIFO (first-in/first-out) memory buffer that stores up to 32 sample sets of X, Y, and Z data. This improves overall system power savings and response time by offloading functions from the host processor. Utilizing the FIFO buffer along with the other embedded functions allows the host processor to analyze only the required data while at the same time, protecting from the possibility of data loss when multiplexing other sensors on the same IIC bus. The FIFO combined with the host processor contributes to a current consumption savings that can range from 78 percent up to 96 percent or higher depending on conditions of the microcontroller and output data rates chosen.

Accelerometer features:

  • 14-, 12- and 10-bit digital output
  • Low noise: less than 1 LSB RMS
  • Low power mode: 6 micro amps
  • Low voltage supply: 1.7 to 3.6 V
  • Output data rate: 1.5 to 800 Hz
  • Programmable 2 interrupt pins for 7 interrupt sources
  • Embedded motion detection features:
    Freefall or motion detection: 1 channel
    Pulse detection: 1 channel
    Jolt detection: 1 channel
  • Orientation (portrait/landscape) detection with hysteresis compensation
  • Automatic output data rate change for auto-wake/sleep
  • Self test
  • Embedded FIFO buffer on the MMA8451Q 14-bit accelerometer :
    32 sample FIFO for 14-bit or 8-bit data
    High pass filtered data available per sample and through the FIFO
  • Robust design, ability to survive shocks up to 10,000 g
  • Low-profile 3 x 3 x 1.0 mm QFN package

Freescale provides pressure, inertial and touch sensors. The company also recently announced a partnership with Nepes for RCP. For more information, visit www.freescale.com/xyz.

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(September 13, 2010) — In this podcast interview, Professor Muhannad Bakir and student Hyung Suk Yang of Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), discuss their TECHCON 2010 paper, “Marriage of CMOS and MEMS using Flexible Interconnects and TSVs.”

Podcast: Download or Play Now

With the two methods presented, the researchers note that any kind of MEMS sensor can be integrated with CMOS-based electronics. Key to their platform is the physical separation of the MEMS sensor from the electronics. The researchers independently fabricate the sensor and the electronics, optimize them separately, and then put them together. The researchers describe the interconnect challenges and their two solutions.

With the growth of the MEMS technology market — almost doubling between 2004 and 2009 — this work in 3D integration should be of special interest.

More research presentations from Techcon

September 8, 2010 – Outside of consumer/mobile electronics, the strongest growth for MEMS devices isn’t in autos or inkjet printers — it’s in "high-value" areas spanning industrial, medical, energy, and defense applications, according to a new report from iSuppli.

MEMS devices have found a sweetspot in consumer electronics and automotive applications, but there is a whole group outside of those markets which iSuppli calls "high-value" — including industrial, medical, energy, optical telecom, and aerospace/defense applications. This class of "high-value" MEMS will enjoy annual double-digit growth through the next five years, and a 19.7% CAGR from 2009-2014, to a $2.6B market, iSuppli projects.

These "high value" MEMS markets are diverse with many niche areas, where global trends "highlight the unique value proposition that the tiny devices bring" — iSuppli currently tracks 110 device and application areas says Richard Dixon, senior analyst at iSuppli, in a statement. Of these groups, the most activity is in industrial applications (building automation and semiconductor manufacturing), which will account for ~56% of high-value MEMS revenue in 2010 (followed by medical electronics, aerospace/defense, and wired communications). Other examples include:

  • MEMS microvalves, pressure sensors and flow sensors. Used to help reduce energy consumption in industrial processes, residential heating, and transportation systems.
  • MEMS sensors and actuators. For less invasive healthcare monitoring, and increasing the efficiency and comfort of drug delivery.
  • Telecommunications. Fiber deployments in China, for example, are helping stimulate the overall global optical MEMS market.

But while the overall MEMS market is dominated (79%) by the top 20 suppliers, the top 20 "high-value" MEMS suppliers take only 60% of that sector — and that spells more opportunities for other suppliers. These span everyone from large system companies with their own MEMS production (e.g. Honeywell, GE) to big semiconductor companies (e.g. Analog Devices, Freescale) to independent sensor suppliers (e.g. VTI Technologies, Omron) to specialized entities (e.g., MEMSCAP), startups, and fabless semiconductor companies.

Global high-value MEMS revenues and growth. (Source: iSuppli)

 

(September 3, 2010) — SEMI Europe Grenoble Office announced that 10 semiconductor equipment and product providers will present their latest technologies at SEMICON Taiwan, September 8-10, in the French Pavilion.

The pavilion is organized by UBI France in close collaboration with SEMI Europe Grenoble Office, as well as the worldwide competitive cluster MINALOGIC, which is devoted to IC design and fabrication and associated embedded software. Most of the exhibiting companies and organizations have co-development programs on 3D applications with CEA-Leti. The National Research Institute is co-exhibiting at SEMICON Taiwan to help them promote their products and services.

French exhibitors include:

CEA-Leti
CEA is a French research and technology public organization, with activities in four main areas: energy, information technologies, healthcare technologies and defense and security. Within CEA, the Laboratory for Electronics & Information Technology (CEA-Leti) works with companies to increase their competitiveness through technological innovation and transfers. CEA-Leti is focused on micro- and nanotechnologies and their applications, from wireless devices and systems, to biology and healthcare or photonics. Nanoelectronics and microsystems (MEMS) are at the core of its activities. As a major player in MINATEC campus, CEA-Leti operates 8,000-m² state-of-the-art clean rooms, on 24/7 mode, on 200mm and 300mm wafer standards. With 1,200 employees, CEA-Leti trains more than 150 Ph.D. students and hosts 200 assignees from partner companies. Strongly committed to the creation of value for the industry, CEA-Leti puts a strong emphasis on intellectual property and owns more than 1,500 patent families. www.leti.fr. Get all the latest research information from CEA-Leti in these interviews with SST senior technical editor Debra Vogler: Research updates on EUV, mask, cleaning, etc from Leti

FOGALE nanotech
FOGALE nanotech, a globally recognized reference in the field of high accuracy dimensional metrology, is introducing MEMSCAN, the first inspection and metrology solution fully dedicated to MEMS manufacturing. Developed in partnership with MEMS manufacturers, MEMSCAN fits perfectly with MEMS manufacturing requirements for surface micromachining and wafer-level packaging process control. Both metrology and IR inspection are performed in one shot with one tool. www.fogale.fr/~fogaleco/pages/home.php Fogale launched a North American initiative in 2007.

IBS
IBS recently introduced PULSION, the next-generation of plasma immersion ion implanter (PIII). Its unique polarization mode and pulsed-plasma configuration, using dual region chamber (CR) technology, delivers process stability, ultra-low energy and high throughput for advanced memory and logic applications. These applications include ultra-shallow junctions, without energy contamination; thin dielectric modification, nano- precipitates synthesis, hydrogen implantation, trench doping or conformal doping, and solar cells. IBS is partnering with Axcelis to deliver world-class support for PULSION. www.ion-beam-services.com/

LCP’S Consultants
LCP’S Consultants is a company created in 1996 to support SMEs, large enterprises and other organizations in establishing and following up on R&D projects. They concentrate on microelectronics, and micro- and nanotechnologies both for manufacturing and applications.

Presto Engineering
Presto helps IDMs and fabless customers improve new device predictability and speed to market by complementing their internal resources with comprehensive chip test and analysis. Supported by unique technical skills and extensive industry experience, Presto’s product-engineering services include RF and 3D integration and state-of-the-art ATE, reliability testing, failure analysis and fault isolation. www.presto-eng.com. Presto recently partnered with WIN to offer GaAs testing services.

Riber
Riber develops and manufactures molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) systems and evaporation sources and cells essential for manufacturing compound semiconductor materials used in numerous industrial, scientific and consumer applications, including new information technologies, OLED screens and new-generation solar cells. The company’s MPVD 300 offers all the benefits of the molecular beam deposition technology: atomic control, abrupt interfaces and low thermal budget for silicon-based novel devices. MPVD 300 also allows an innovative solution for introducing new materials and developing new structures to further improve CMOS-based Si devices. www.riber.com/ Riber has partnered with researchers at IMEC on Ge and III-V semiconductor work.

SET
Smart Equipment Technology is a world-leading supplier of high-accuracy die-to-die, die-to-wafer bonding and nanoimprint lithography (NIL) solutions. Its FC300 High Force Device Bonder is a new generation of high-accuracy and high-force system for populating wafers up to 300 mm. The FC300 features automated handling of chips and substrates up to 100mm from waffle packs, plus a robotic option that enables chip picking from diced wafers and automated handling of larger substrates. SET has developed a substrate chuck and a bond head with localized confinement that operates safely with reducing gases such as forming gas or formic acid vapor. This configuration has been successfully implemented on SET bonder models FC150 and FC300, especially in the case of chip-to wafer bonding applications. www.set-sas.fr/en/index.xml Smart Equipment Technology has collaborated with IMEC on 3D packaging

Satin Technologies

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Formerly known as Satin IP Technologies, Satin Technologies delivers software solutions for fact-based, design-quality monitoring and closure. Working within customers’ design flows, the company’s VIP Lane® turns customers’ design practices (for IP blocks, SoCs, embedded systems) into a robust and reliable set of quality criteria and metrics. These customer-based parameters are used to create automated, sharable dashboards and quality compliance reports. By providing an alternative to manually filled, time-consuming checklists and documents, VIP Lane delivers effective flow integration and on-the-fly quality monitoring at no overhead to design teams. www.satin-tech.com

FantastIC Sourcing
FantastIC Sourcing is a distributor and sourcing specialist of electronic components multi- brands focused on quality, cost efficiency and rapidity. Our team has provided service and expertise for more than a decade to OEMs, contract manufacturers, and industry majors around the world, as well as dynamic domestic actors, producers of consumer goods, wireless, telecommunication, automotive, robotics, computer, aerospace and medical assembled electronic systems. Our mission is to offer to our customer the best quality, service and products in the shortest lead time to prevent supply chain disruption. www.fantast-ic.com.

UBIFRANCE
UBIFRANCE, the French agency for international business development, comes under the aegis of France’s Ministry for the Economy, Industry & Employment. UBIFRANCE lies at the heart of France’s public-sector export support framework. With 64 Trade Commissions in 44 countries, UBIFRANCE offers a comprehensive range of products and services aimed at accompanying French-based companies in their development on export markets. www.ubifrance.com/

SEMI Europe Grenoble Office is the new association merging JEMI France and SEMI. Learn more at www.semi.org/eu

Global competitive cluster Minalogic fosters research-led innovation in intelligent miniaturized products and solutions for industry. For more information, visit www.minalogic.org