Page 28 - EE Times Europe Magazine | February 2020

26 EE|Times EUROPE

ADVANCED PACKAGING AND ASSEMBLY
EU Project Targets Packaging methods, processes, and tools with one
objective in mind: high-volume and low-cost
for Low-Cost Manufacturing manufacturability.
Within the key technological building
blocks, the consortium will work on han-
By Anne-Françoise Pelé dling and packaging solutions for ultra-thin
wafers and dies, high-precision photonic
packaging, bonding technologies for sensitive
hat if the growing demand for wafer is in one piece. We are further devel- optics components, medical and biocom-
more complex systems and oping this and trying to integrate photonics patible photonic packaging, and molding
more advanced packaging, and optics interfaces into this process.” and 3D integration for optical component
Wincluding optics and photon- Coordinated by ICOS Vision Systems, the manufacturing. Also on the agenda is the
ics, could maintain — or rejuvenate — the APPLAUSE project has 31 partners from 11 development of test concepts and test
manufacturing and packaging value chain in countries, including 12 large enterprises, 11 equipment platforms and failure analysis to
Europe? With the Advanced Packaging for small to mid-size enterprises (SMEs), and accommodate the reduced device size and
Photonics, Optics and Electronics for Low eight research and technology organizations tightened alignment specifications. Members
Cost Manufacturing in Europe (APPLAUSE) (RTOs). The €34 million (approximately will also work on proof of high-volume, low-
project, the European Union has made its US$37.4 million) total budget is co-funded by cost manufacturing capabilities for optics and
ambitions clear. the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research will define metrology methods and tools for
The internet of things generates demand and innovation program as well as national advanced packaging.
for faster connectivity and expanded sensor funding agencies and industries in Belgium, The technologies will be piloted in six
capability. To meet the required perfor- Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Austria, industrial use cases, which will move
mance, multiple chips are integrated into France, Hungary, Latvia, Norway, Switzer- the technology building blocks toward
one package, together with optics (sensors) land, and Israel, as a part of the Electronics manufacturability. The first use case, led
and photonics (interconnects). The increas- Components and Systems for European by Austria-based ams AG, is a substantially
ing heterogeneity of components results Leadership joint undertaking. smaller 3D integrated ambient-light sensor
in higher complexity, and eventually, the The three-year project demonstrates for mobile and wearable applications. The
package itself becomes an integral part of Europe’s ambition to be at the forefront of second, led by Integrated Detector Electronics
the system: Its mechanical, electromagnetic, sensor research and technology develop- AS, is a high-performance, low-cost, uncooled
and thermal behaviors have an impact on ment. Its results aim to enable smaller and thermal IR sensor for automotive and surveil-
the overall system’s performance, reliability, more cost-efficient sensors and photonic lance applications.
and cost. interconnects, Stoerring told EE Times For the third use case, Israel-based DustPho-
“Heterogeneous integration is a key topic,” Europe. “Europe is doing well in sensors. A tonics Ltd. will be in charge of developing
said Moritz Stoerring, APPLAUSE project lot of MEMS, such as accelerometers, gyro- high-speed datacom transceivers with reduced
coordinator and R&D external relations scopes, [and] light/camera, pressure, and manufacturing costs. Datacom transceivers
manager for ICOS Vision Systems N.V., a RF MEMS, are designed and manufactured are used to receive and transmit signals, noted
division of KLA Corp. “Before, you would in Europe.” Stoerring. “Optical fibers need to be aligned to
usually have your wafer with all the chips — a laser die out, and this alignment is usu-
not only for sensors but for anything — then EASIER, FASTER, CHEAPER ally done actively. Here, this should be done
you would cut the wafer into pieces, pick The APPLAUSE project focuses on advanced passively, which would make the production
up each die one by one, and put them into packaging and assembly technologies for process much easier and faster.”
packages. With wafer-level packaging, you combined electronics, optics, and photon- On the medical front, Precordior OY and
do most of the packaging process when the ics. The consortium members will develop Cardiaccs AS are respectively leading use
cases for the development of a flexible patch
for cardiac monitoring and miniaturized
invasive cardiac sensors. The sixth use case,
led by Finnish company Vaisala Oyj, targets
optical humidity measurement modules with
cost-effective packaging of components.

TECHNOLOGY READINESS
Developed at NASA, technology readiness
levels (TRLs) are a method for estimating the
maturity of technologies during the acquisi-
tion phase of a program. TRLs are based on
a scale from 1 to 9, 9 being the most mature
technology. The APPLAUSE project, depend-
ing on the use case, is between 5 and 7, said
Stoerring. “The developments, ongoing
here, are not basic research but are oriented
toward products,” he said. “There are several
risks in this work therefore, it is difficult to
Research sites for the EU’s Advanced Packaging for Photonics, Optics and Electronics for say how far from commercialization the use
Low Cost Manufacturing in Europe project. (Image: APPLAUSE) cases will be.”

FEBRUARY 2020 | www.eetimes.eu