OTHER ELECTRONICS & NANOTECHNOLOGY
INDUSTRY UPDATE
March 2021
McIlvaine Company
Laser Components Detector Group Opens High-Tech ISO Class 7 Cleanrooms
New Plant to Manufacture Graphene Electronics
InfraTec Expands Primary Facility
Laser
Components Detector Group Opens High-Tech ISO Class 7 Cleanrooms
US-based company has opened the over 12,000 sq. ft. facility with cleanrooms
occupying almost half of the space and airlocks in the entrance area and in the
passageways for material transfer.
After almost a year of construction, Laser Components Detector Group has moved
into its new, significantly larger building in Arizona, US.
Optoelectronic components for key technologies such as medical technology and
autonomous driving will be manufactured in the new building, which measures
approximately 29,000 sq. ft.
In single-shift operation, the production facility comfortably accommodates 80
employees; approximately 200 in a three-shift rotation.
The floor, workstations, and cleanroom clothing are protected against
electrostatic discharge in accordance with IEC 61340-5-1 and ANSI/ESD S20.2
At over 12,000 sq. ft., ISO Class 10,000 (Class 7) cleanrooms occupy almost half
of the facility. Airlocks in the entrance area and in the passageways for
material transfer ensure strict particle control. In addition, the floor,
workstations, and cleanroom clothing are protected against electrostatic
discharge in accordance with IEC 61340-5-1 and ANSI/ESD S20.20.
During the planning stages of the building, great importance was assigned to
elements that have been tested and proven at the headquarters in Germany:
spacious social rooms such as a cafeteria with open areas and ultra-modern
offices that support working in small teams. The design of the facade is also
unmistakable for Laser Components.
The work performed includes all steps in the development and manufacture of
semiconductor detectors. The company specializes in a wide variety of
technologies: In addition to silicon and InGaAs avalanche photodiodes for the
detection of the smallest amounts of light, their product range also includes
pyroelectric detectors for flame detection and PbS/PbSe-, InAs, and InGaAs
photodiodes, which are mainly used for gas measurement.
"For us, the new production center is also a clear commitment to the Phoenix
metropolitan region," said CEO Patrick Paul. "In recent years, Chandler, in
particular, has developed into a center for future technologies such as
autonomous driving. We look forward to continuing to operate in such an exciting
and dynamic environment."
"With this building, we are able to meet the rapidly increasing demand for our
technologies and create a basis for growth in the coming years," says Raj
Chakraborty, who recently took over management of the site from co-founder
Dragan Grubisic. Grubisic will continue to be available to the company for
special developments.
New Plant To Manufacture Graphene Electronics
The European Commission (EC) has announced a €20 million investment in the next
generation of electronics and semiconductors. The 2D Experimental Pilot Line
(2D-EPL) was announced officially on February 4, 2021, as the first graphene
foundry to integrate graphene and layered materials into semiconductor
platforms. The new project aims to keep Europe at the forefront of this
technological revolution.
Born within the innovative ecosystem pioneered by EU-funded project, the
Graphene Flagship, the 2D-EPL will cover the entire value chain, from tool
producers and chemical and material providers to manufacturing lines. This
collaborative project will integrate several Graphene Flagship members to
pioneer the fabrication of new prototype electronics, photonic devices and
sensors integrating graphene and layered materials.
The 2D-EPL will offer comprehensive prototyping services to companies, research
centers and academics, so they can develop and test their innovative
technologies based on 2D materials.
“By developing a European pilot line for the processing of graphene and layered
materials, we aim to bring these innovative materials from the academic
laboratories to the semiconductor production lines, making them compatible with
the standards in the industry,” explained Cedric Huyghebaert, technical leader
for the 2D-EPL project, and program manager for exploratory material and module
integration at imec, Belgium.
“Moreover, we want to offer early access to experimental pilot line production
to the innovative graphene community in Europe. The pilot line will allow them
to scale up the production of their innovative devices based on graphene and
layered materials.”
Combining graphene and 2D materials with silicon could enhance the potential of
electronic technologies, traditionally based on silicon. Nevertheless,
integrating both materials at a large scale has been challenging, and up to now
advances have progressed at a slow pace, due mostly to a lack of infrastructure.
The 2D-EPL will address this challenge, allowing manufacturers to control the
interfaces between silicon semiconductors and 2D materials on a large scale.
The 2D-EPL will develop the tools, chemistry and materials required for the
integration of graphene and layered materials on established semiconductor
platforms, which use silicon technologies. The ecosystem and procedures will be
validated in state-of-the-art cleanroom environments all around Europe, such as
AMO and iHP, Germany; VTT, Finland; and imec, Belgium.
In a later phase, the project will also develop modules to manufacture the basic
building blocks for graphene and layered material-based technologies in the
fields of optoelectronics, photonics and electronics. These modules will be
publicly available for European users through multi-purpose wafers. This
strategy will guarantee that these novel technologies are widely available and
accessible at a reasonable cost.
The ultimate goal of the 2D-EPL is to build demonstrators and achieve low volume
production of innovative graphene and layered material-based technologies
integrated with traditional semiconductors, working closely together with
leading Graphene Flagship partners across Europe, including SMEs, industrial
companies, research institutions and academic partners.
“For many applications, the wafer scale integration of graphene and potentially
other 2D materials is required for products to appear on the market,” explained
Lilei Ye, Business Developer for Electronics Applications at the Graphene
Flagship. “The 2D-EPL will accelerate the manufacture of new prototypes for
electronics, photonics and optoelectronics with integrated graphene and layered
materials.”
”The 2D-EPL really highlights how the European Commission, through projects like
the Graphene Flagship, can make an impact in European research, development and
industry,” said Graphene Flagship Director Jari Kinaret. “We identified a
challenge - upscaling the production of graphene electronics — and the European
Commission heard us, finding funding to address this challenge.”
A large number of partners participating in the new adventure, the 2D-EPL, are
also active members of the Graphene Flagship, one of the largest research
initiatives ever funded by the European Commission.
The 2D-EPL will work closely with the Graphene Flagship to understand the
fundamentals of graphene and layered materials and establish a plan to bring
these materials to the market.
STMicroelectronics Establishes World’s First “Lab-in-Fab”
STMicroelectronics Establishes World’s First “Lab-in-Fab” to Advance Adoption of
Piezoelectric MEMS in Singapore in Partnership with A*STAR and ULVAC
Collaboration with A*STAR’s Institute of Microelectronics (IME) and Japanese
manufacturing tool vendor ULVAC, focuses on Piezo MEMS technology
First-of-its-kind concept aims to accelerate the transition from proofs of
concept to volume production, and advance the adoption of piezoelectric (Piezo)
MEMS in new applications like AR/VR, medical, and 3D printing.
First wafers expected in Q2 2021, with volume production forecast at the end of
2022.
Singapore, October 28, 2020 – STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global
semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics
applications and a world leader in Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS)
technology, announces a collaboration with A*STAR’s IME, a research institute in
Singapore, and ULVAC, a leading Japanese manufacturing-tool vendor, to jointly
setup and operate an 8-inch (200mm) R&D line focused on Piezo MEMS technology
within ST’s existing manufacturing facility in Singapore. The first of its kind
in the world, this “Lab-in-Fab” R&D line brings together three partners with
leading-edge and complementary competencies in Piezo materials, Piezo MEMS
technologies, and wafer-fab tools to boost innovation and accelerate development
of new materials, process technologies, and ultimately, products for industry
customers.
The Lab-in-Fab consists of a new cleanroom area within ST’s Ang Mo Kio campus
and will host tools and dedicated resources from the three parties, which
include MEMS R&D and process scientists and engineers. IME’s knowledge base and
industrial drive in piezo-MEMS device design, process integration, and system
integration will add value to the development of the line. IME will also
contribute state-of-the-art tools to help ensure a smooth product flow through
to production, all within the same location. The new R&D line will also leverage
existing ST resources, benefiting from the economies of scale of ST’s wafer fabs
on the same campus. The “Lab-in-Fab” facility is forecast to be ready and
operational with first wafers in Q2 2021 and volume production at the end of
2022.
“We want to build the world’s leading R&D center for Piezo MEMS materials,
technologies, and products with IME and ULVAC, with whom we have been working
for a long time. This world first will be hosted in our Singapore site, a
strategic location for ST,” said Benedetto Vigna, President, Analog, MEMS and
Sensors Group, STMicroelectronics. “The Lab-in-Fab will offer our customers the
capability to more easily go from a feasibility study to product development and
high-volume manufacturing.”
This collaboration enhances the existing manufacturing-process portfolio of ST
Singapore and will accelerate the adoption of Piezo MEMS actuators in promising
new fields of application, including MEMS Mirrors for Smart Glasses, AR Headsets
and LIDAR systems, Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (PMUT) for
emerging medical applications, and Piezo Heads for Commercial and industrial 3-D
Printing.
“The public-private partnership between IME, ST and ULVAC has led to the
creation of a unique R&D line, which will bring about novel products using piezo
materials, and boost the competitiveness of our partners. These efforts will
continue to anchor high-value R&D activities in Singapore and demonstrate that
Singapore continues to be an attractive environment for industry leaders to
innovate and grow their businesses. A*STAR is also committed to helping local
SMEs tap into our technologies. We welcome companies to collaborate with IME and
leverage our Lab-in-Fab facilities for proof of concept,” said Prof. Dim-Lee
Kwong, Executive Director of IME.
“We are proud of being a “Lab-in-Fab” partner of ST and IME in developing
advanced Piezo-MEMS for numerous promising future applications. This is also a
strong proof of ULVAC’s leadership in providing manufacturing technology
solutions to the Piezo-MEMS industry. We are looking forward to working closely
with our partners for a successful collaboration,” said Dr. Koukou SUU,
Executive Officer and Senior Fellow of ULVAC.
Piezo-based components have been widely used for decades to build actuators or
sensors out of bulk piezo material. Over the past years, innovations in process
technologies have allowed the MEMS industry to design and manufacture products
at the wafer level using thin piezo films, opening the door for continued
miniaturization, performance improvements, and cost reduction.
The “Lab-in-Fab” facility comes a year after ST celebrated its 50th anniversary
in Singapore in 2019, in conjunction with the opening of its brand new 8-inch
(200mm) wafer fabrication facility (SG8E) in Singapore.
About STMicroelectronics:
At ST, we are 46,000 creators and makers of semiconductor technologies mastering
the semiconductor supply chain with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities.
An independent device manufacturer, we work with our 100,000 customers and
thousands of partners to design and build products, solutions, and ecosystems
that address their challenges and opportunities, and the need to support a more
sustainable world. Our technologies enable smarter mobility, more efficient
power and energy management, and the wide-scale deployment of the Internet of
Things and 5G technology. Further information can be found at www.st.com.
About the Institute of Microelectronics (IME):
The Institute of Microelectronics (IME) is a research institute of the Agency
for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). Positioned to bridge the R&D
between academia and industry, IME's mission is to add value to Singapore's
semiconductor industry by developing strategic competencies, innovative
technologies and intellectual property; enabling enterprises to be
technologically competitive; and cultivating a technology talent pool to inject
new knowledge to the industry. Its key research areas are in Heterogeneous
Integration, System-in-Package, Sensor, Actuators and Microsystems, RF & mmWave,
SiC/GaN-on-SiC Power Electronics, and MedTech. For more information on IME,
please visit www.ime.a-star.edu.sg.
About ULVAC:
ULVAC, Inc., founded in 1952, contributes to the development of industry through
its comprehensive vacuum technologies. We created ULVAC SOLUTIONS based on these
unique technologies and long years of research, development and production
innovation. We offer these solutions, for equipment, materials, vacuum
components, analytic evaluation and various other services, to manufacturers of
electronic components, semiconductors, solar cells, flat panel displays and
other industrial equipment. For more information, please visit
www.ulvac.co.jp/en/.
For Press Information Contact:
Mr. Dennis Tan
Manager, Integrated Marketing & Communications
STMicroelectronics
Tel: +65 6216 5598
Email: wddennis.tan@st.com
Ms. Lydia Sum
Assistant Head, Corporate Communications, A*STAR
Tel: +65 9825 3600
Email: sumcll@hq.a-star.edu.sg
ULVAC, Inc.
Advanced Electronics Equipment Division
TEL: +81 467 89 2139
Email: elec@ml.ulvac.com
InfraTec Expands Primary Facility
To meet rising demand for sensor products and detectors, InfraTec has expanded
its production complex with a €10 million investment. The company has added
cleanrooms for production, with particular focus to enhancing its facilities and
equipment for thin-film technologies, wafer production, and automated assembly
and contacting processes.
The Dresden, Germany-based company’s production area now covers 1500 sq m.
InfraTec manufactures custom single- and multichannel IR detectors for flame and
fire detection, gas analysis, and spectrometry, as well as IR thermographic
systems.
Jenoptik Expands Production Capacity
Jenoptik’s facility in Jupiter, Fla., expanded its production capacity with the
addition of a new Class 5 cleanroom and an expanded production area, as well as
new equipment. The cleanroom is equipped with advanced molecular filtration
technology to support applications with demanding cleanliness requirements such
as extreme-UV (EUV) and vacuum applications.
A
separate part of the 70,875-sq-ft facility houses an expanded flexible
manufacturing area, providing room for additional test stations. The space is
equipped with a dedicated modular Class 7 cleanroom and raised ceilings that can
accommodate an overhead lift to move products.
McIlvaine Company
Northfield, IL 60093-2743
Tel: 847-784-0012; Fax:
847-784-0061
E-mail:
editor@mcilvainecompany.com
Web site:
www.mcilvainecompany.com