NMRC: Partnership with Industry - International Collaboration

NMRC has an extensive network of clients throughout Europe and the US with whom it has established a track record for effective and productive R&D collaborations. These encompass multinational consortia funded directly by industry or within various European and international research programmes, as well as research undertaken for individual clients. The output from these programmes has ranged from consultancy reports to transfer of intellectual property and technologies developed at NMRC.

This international R&D profile has been recognised during 1999 with NMRC hosting the IEEE VLSI Packaging Workshop and the European Solid State Devices Research Conference (ESSDERC) in Cork, Ireland in May and September 2000 respectively.

The following detail some of the highlights of the Centre's international collaborations during 1999.

• NMRC Develops European Industry Standards for Advanced Packaging
  During 1999, NMRC was involved in three EU funded projects that focused on the development of standards for use by industry in the characterisation and assessment of advanced packaging components and manufacturing processes. The outputs from these programmes are now being considered by the relevant standards bodies including both JEDEC and IPC. The relevant standards are focused on the following issues:-

  Non-destructive examination of plastic IC packages using scanning acoustic microscopy. Surface insulation resistance (SIR) for the measurement of electronic assembly contamination. Thermal resistance measurement of IC packages independent of the package test environment.

  Scanning Acoustic Microscopy images of delaminations in plastic IC packages

• Multi-Company Research Programmes
  During 1999, NMRC completed its first multi-company sponsored research programme with one European-based consortium and the other US-based. These programmes were initiated to address industry-wide technology issues that would be prohibitively expensive for a single company to fund but are cost-effective within a multi-client consortium.
  • Assessment of Liquid Encapsulants for Protection of Microelectronic Circuits
    Following more than a quarter of a million measurements, 36,000 wirebonds and 500 test boards, NMRC concluded its evaluation of a wide range of leading IC encapsulant materials for use in high reliability applications. The industrial partners included leading materials developers and end-users throughout Europe. The evaluation addressed a wide variety of material, process and assembly options and resulted in the generation of an extensive database of applications information for the participating companies.
  • US Consortium Funds NMRC to Assess Development of Power Packaging Roadmap
    STATPEP is a ground-breaking international initiative to address the development of a technology roadmap for packaging in power electronics. NMRC has, over the last two years, participated in this initiative with the PSMA (The Power Sources Manufacturers Association) and leading players in the power electronics industry. NMRC undertook a benchmarking exercise to define best practice in power supply manufacturing in two of the main growth markets, DC-DC converters in the 50 to 200 Watt range and AC- DC converters in the 300 to 500 Watt range. In a follow-on phase, NMRC collaborated on defining experience curves of the key developments in power electronics over the last 10 to 15 years.

• NMRC Provides European Industry and Academics with Access to Advanced Technology
  • Europractice Promotes Access to Advanced Technology Solutions
  
  The Europractice programme was funded to establish a European-wide, self-funding infrastructure to provide access to advanced technologies. NMRC has participated in both the high-density packaging (EP-MCM) and the microsystems (MST2000) programmes. In the EP-MCM programme, NMRC engineers are playing a crucial role in the development and design of many new products for European industry based on high density packaging technologies. In the MST2000 programme, the activity has focused on direct marketing and promotion of MST technology for emerging microsystem applications.
  • NMRC Recognised as a Key European Resource for Academic Research
  
  NMRC established the European Large Scale Facility for Microelectronics Reliability, Failure Analysis and Reverse Engineering funded by the EU in 1992. The facility enables academic researchers throughout Europe to gain access to specified NMRC laboratories. To date, a total of 58 researchers have taken the opportunity to use NMRC laboratories to further their research. We are pleased to announce that, following international review and successful funding in the recent EU Fifth Framework Programme, the facility will run for a further three years with an extended range of laboratories available to potential users, encompassing microelectronics, photonics, microsystems and nanotechnology research.
  • NMRC Provides European E-Commerce Assessment Capability
  
  

  Over the next 4 years, over half of all payment cards in Europe will be smart-cards. Apart from the use of smart-cards for e-purse, transit, loyalty, telephony and access, the Internet is reinforcing the role of smart cards as a key entry point in accessing network-based business services. NMRC is actively involved in this technology area and conducts independent security evaluation of smart cards for this industry.

  Microsection of SMART Card EEPROM