Category: Nanotechnology

MEMS Testing and Reliability 2012 – Session 4

Can reliability and production testing keep pace with the explosive growth in  microelectromechanical system (MEMS) based product volumes? Soon it will be the rare consumer product that does not include a MEMS device bringing us closer to the possibility of a $1 trillion MEMS market. In order to achieve greater adoption of the technology, cost and quality goals will need to be met through testing and reliability. This was the focus of the MEMS Testing and Reliability 2012 conference produced by MEMS Journal and MicroElectronics Packaging and Test Council (MEPTEC).

 

Session 4

Mervi Paulasto-Kröckel (Professor, Aalto University) in “On the Reliability Characterization of MEMS Devices” examined the current methods for reliability assessment in MEMS devices and identified necessary improvements. Currently, the reliability of MEMS devices are evaluated in the functioning state. A sensor is tested by applying a known stimulus and comparing the sensor output while varying the test conditions such as temperature, humidity, etc. MEMS actuators are similarly tested by providing a known input and measuring the output of the actuator over the range of test conditions. Significant deviation between the expected and measured result indicates a failure. Simple functional test is appropriate for manufacturing quality testing however it is inadequate for measuring and improving device reliability.

Professor Paulasto-Kröckel compared these processes commonly used to estimate MEMS reliability to those used in the microelectronics industry. She identified major methodology changes required  Continue reading “MEMS Testing and Reliability 2012 – Session 4”

MEMS Testing and Reliability 2012 – Session 3

Can reliability and production testing keep pace with the explosive growth in  microelectromechanical system (MEMS) based product volumes? Soon it will be the rare consumer product that does not include a MEMS device bringing us closer to the possibility of a $1 trillion MEMS market. In order to achieve greater adoption of the technology, cost and quality goals will need to be met through testing and reliability. This was the focus of the MEMS Testing and Reliability 2012 conference produced by MEMS Journal and MicroElectronics Packaging and Test Council (MEPTEC).

 

Session 3

Pavan Gupta (Vice President of Operations, SiTime) provided a cautionary tale in “Packaging and Reliability Qualification of MEMS Resonator Devices”. Historically many MEMS companies have failed to start the device and package co-design as early as possible even though packaging was upwards of 80% of the product cost. [Perhaps they aren’t really using a concurrent engineering methodology?] Even though the cost of packaging has dropped significantly, the complexities and risks related to packaging remain high.

There are many challenges related to MEMS packaging since without a reliable and qualified package, it is not possible for one’s customers to easily and confidently integrate a MEMS product into their end product. In SiTime’s case they had a double challenge of Continue reading “MEMS Testing and Reliability 2012 – Session 3”

MEMS Testing and Reliability 2012 – Session 2

Can reliability and production testing keep pace with the explosive growth in  microelectromechanical system (MEMS) based product volumes? Soon it will be the rare consumer product that does not include a MEMS device bringing us closer to the possibility of a $1 trillion MEMS market. In order to achieve greater adoption of the technology, cost and quality goals will need to be met through testing and reliability. This was the focus of the MEMS Testing and Reliability 2012 conference produced by MEMS Journal and MicroElectronics Packaging and Test Council (MEPTEC).

Session 2

Mårten Vrånes (Director of Consulting Services, MEMS Journal) in “A Test-centric Approach to MEMS ASIC Development” discussed alternatives to the traditional co-design of the MEMS element and application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). As many MEMS devices require an ASIC to control and/or sense the MEMS element the most logical approach is to design both parts in parallel. However the scope of such a development effort is often beyond the resources – both in terms of talent and funding – for many companies especially startups.

Mr. Vrånes started with the challenges and pitfalls of ASIC development for MEMS devices. There are challenges regardless of Continue reading “MEMS Testing and Reliability 2012 – Session 2”

Green on the Industrial Scale

Molecular Layer Deposition of Polymers – George, Yoon & Dameron [4]

Many exotic materials or materials with special properties are processed using extreme temperature and pressure often with toxic starting materials. In semiconductors, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) to build single crystal structures and sputtering are common methods of physical deposition to deposit thin films. Both are done using a very high vacuum. MBE heats the atomic materials until they sublimate and land on the desired surface. Sputtering uses a gas plasma to knock a few atoms of material off a “target” and onto the desired surface. There are also different chemical deposition processes including electroplating which uses metal salts dissolved in a solution bath, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) which uses high vacuum, and atomic layer deposition (ALD) which is similar to CVD but uses two half-reactions of gas phase precursors. 

Limitations imposed by extreme temperature, extreme pressure, and toxic materials combined with a typically slow deposition rate make it is difficult to economically run these processes on an industrial scale for high volume manufacturing. But what if there was a process that  Continue reading “Green on the Industrial Scale”

Memory Technology – Off to the Races!

Speed and Power

If we were focused on just these two parameters, we could be talking about horses, cars, or airplanes. But throw in density, endurance, and price and it is a horse race of different color. Not only does the winning technology have to balance speed and power, it needs to pack more functionality per area at a lower cost than existing solutions. Along with the endurance to last ten or more years.

With annual revenues once exceeding $60 B and now running $45 B due to dropping demand and prices, the global market for semiconductor memory is an exciting race. It is hard to believe that NAND Flash has grown to Continue reading “Memory Technology – Off to the Races!”

IEEE Nanotechnology Symposium – Session 1 – Energy Generation and Storage

US Energy Flow 2009 (LLNL)

Here are the highlights from Session 1 – Energy Generation and Storage of the recent IEEE San Francisco Bay Area Nanotechnology Council Symposium:

Dr. Dania Ghantous, V.P. Technology of Qnovo: “Lithium-Ion Batteries: Opportunities and Challenges”

Dr. Ghantous provided an overview of lithium-Ion (Li-ion) battery technology and market since Qnovo is still in “stealth mode”. She did say that battery life, charge time, and cost are Continue reading “IEEE Nanotechnology Symposium – Session 1 – Energy Generation and Storage”

IEEE Nanotechnology Symposium 2011 – Keynote

Dr. Narayan
The IEEE San Francisco Bay Area Nanotechnology Council held their 7th annual symposium this week. As in the past, the council presents an excellent program. This year’s program focused was “Nanotechnology – Consumer Applications.”

Here are my notes from the keynote presentation by Dr. Spike Narayan, Functional Manager IBM, “Nanotechnology: Leveraging Semiconductor Technologies to Address Global Challenges.”

He asks: can we leverage semiconductor technology to address global challenges of environment, energy, healthcare, and water? Others have made a compelling argument that Continue reading “IEEE Nanotechnology Symposium 2011 – Keynote”

SolFocus: Focused on System Economics

At Tuesday’s IEEE Nanotechnology Forum, Phil Metz, Director of Business Development for SolFocus, discussed their technology in his presentation “SolFocus Concentrator Photovoltaics – An Introduction“. Though I enjoyed learning about their concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology (the presentation was appropriately focused for the audience), I had a greater appreciation for their integrated system approach including the economics. This was evident in the non-technical details he shared. As an early adopter with a residential photovoltaic (PV) system, I was surprised when comparing systems beyond the core technology.

Both CPV and PV systems convert the energy radiated from the sun to direct current (DC) power. Most “grid tie” systems then use an inverter to convert the DC power to alternating current (AC) power which is then fed into the power grid. Beyond these basic similarities, there are large differences in technology, complexity, and economics between the systems.

Continue reading “SolFocus: Focused on System Economics”

IEEE Nanotechnology Symposium – Session 7 – Nano-Enabled Energy II


Here are the highlights from Session 7 – Nano-Enabled Energy II from day two of the IEEE San Francisco Bay Area Nanotechnology Council 6th Annual Symposium“Nanotechnology: State of the Art & Applications”

Presentation archive for talks not linked below. Updated as the council receives the presentations.

Dr. David Predergast, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) Molecular Foundry, “Nature of Nano-Scale Interfaces and Mechanisms for Solar Energy Conversion.”

IEEE Nanotechnology Symposium – Session 6 – Nano-Electronics


Here are the highlights from Session 6 – Nano-Electronics from day two of the IEEE San Francisco Bay Area Nanotechnology Council 6th Annual Symposium“Nanotechnology: State of the Art & Applications”

Note: I will post the the link for the slides once it becomes available.

Vijendra Sahi, VP Corporate Development and GM of the QD Soleil division, Nanosys, Inc.

“From Concept to Creation: The Journey from R&D to Everyday Products.”

IEEE Nanotechnology Symposium – Day Two – Plenary


Here are the highlights from the Plenary session on day two of the IEEE San Francisco Bay Area Nanotechnology Council 6th Annual Symposium“Nanotechnology: State of the Art & Applications”

Dr. Burton Lee, Stanford University, “State of European Nanotech.”

IEEE Nanotechnology Symposium – Session 5 – Nano-Processes


Here are the highlights from Session 5 – Nano-Processes from day two of the IEEE San Francisco Bay Area Nanotechnology Council 6th Annual Symposium“Nanotechnology: State of the Art & Applications”

Note: I will post the the link for the slides once it becomes available.

Dr. Hans Stork, VP and CTO Applied Materials, “Nanotechnology in Semiconductor Industry.”

IEEE Nanotechnology Symposium – Session 4 – Nano Materials

Here are the highlights from Session 4 – Nano Materials from day two of the IEEE San Francisco Bay Area Nanotechnology Council 6th Annual Symposium“Nanotechnology: State of the Art & Applications”

Presentation archive for talks not linked below. Updated as the council receives the presentations.

Eric Granstrom, General Manager and V.P. of R&D, Cima NanoTech – “Self Aligning Nano Technology for Electronics.”

  • First product Self Aligning Nano Technology for Transparent Electronics (SANTE) is transparent conductive film produced by self aligning silver nanoparticles.
  • For the same transparency, it has 1/10 the resistance of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO).  Also doesn’t yellow shift the color.
  • Based upon current consumption, it is projected that there is only a 7 year supply of ITO.  China controls 80% of this supply.
  • Largest initial market is displays which have one or more (LCDs have two) conductive films.

    • Continue reading “IEEE Nanotechnology Symposium – Session 4 – Nano Materials”

IEEE Nanotechnology Symposium – Day One (Sessions 1 – 3)

Here are today’s highlights from the IEEE San Francisco Bay Area Nanotechnology Council 6th Annual Symposium“Nanotechnology: State of the Art & Applications”

Presentation archive for talks not linked below. Updated as the council receives the presentations.

Dr. Michael Liehr, VP Strategy CNSE Albany, “State of US Nanotech.”

  • College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CSNE).  Not organized around traditional degrees (ME, EE, Chem-E, etc.) but around nanoscience, nanoengineering, nanobioscience, & nanofinance.
  • Due to R&D increasing as a percentage of revenue, very few companies will be able to continue making the investments in process development on their own.  Therefore, over time there will be a migration to 2 or 3 technology clusters (or “camps”) worldwide.

    • Continue reading “IEEE Nanotechnology Symposium – Day One (Sessions 1 – 3)”