High-speed material for data transfer

Low-cost materials and processes for the assembly and interconnection of electronic, optical and optoelectronic circuits are being developed through a joint project. The result: concepts which do more than just accelerate computer data transfer.

It doesnt add up: error-free data rapidly transmitted thousands of kilometers, but within the computer - a bottleneck. Circuit boards and connectors are the limiting factor in computer processing speeds, explains Dr. Michael Popall of the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg. With standard interconnect technology, computer chips cannot be directly connected to one another or directly onto the circuit board. There is also the risk of crosstalk and other interference because of the high chip density on the board, especially with high-frequency signals. In the DONDODEM project, a group of 16 partners from European industry and research have discovered ways to transmit data at high speed and without error both inside and outside the PC. Their work has been rewarded with this years German science foundation (Stifterverband) prize.
The solution are ORMOCER®s, an extremely high-performance class of materials whose properties can be tailored through chemical design. They have a high optical transparency and low-loss optical transmission characteristics, making them well suited for use in assembly and interconnection. They are good insulators and both thermally and chemically robust, and thus able to withstand the conditions of standard integrated-circuit and circuit-board manufacturing techniques. Using a multilayer technique and a series of process steps, we can produce high-performance 3D conductor networks on low-cost polymer board substrates, comments Popall. The project partners have managed to produce conductor paths and contact-through holes measuring less than 50 micrometers in width or diameter. One result of the project is one of the worlds smallest Pentium multichip modules, which serves as a demonstrator model for the compact multilayer technique that may well lead to further developments in such products as mobile phones, notebook PCs and PDAs.
ORMOCER® multilayer techniques also enable the manufacture of extremely compact optoelectronic boards, including the insertion and extraction of optical data streams by incorporating diffractive / refractive optics and optical waveguides into the ORMOCER® layers. Work has also begun on the use of these new materials in high-frequency signaling applications, such as mobile phones and anti-collision radar systems. Its also hoped that the modestly priced, compact circuits can be deployed in Bluetooth technology - an emerging short-range radio standard designed to provide communication links between a wide variety of electronic devices.
Wissenschaftspreis des Stifterverbands (German science foundation award)
The Stifterverband is a non-profit organization created with the aim of encouraging ties between academic and industrial science. Each year, it invites proposals from within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft for a prize valued at 50,000 euros. This prize is awarded for scientifically outstanding joint projects in the area of applied research, carried out by Fraunhofer institutes in collaboration with industry and / or other research organizations.
DONDODEM partners are,Fraunhofer-Institute für ,- Silicatforschung ISC, Würzburg: http://www.isc.fraunhofer.de/ ,- Angewandte Optik und Feinmechanik IOF, Jena: http://www.iof.fraunhofer.de/german/index.html ,- Zuverlässigkeit und Mikrointegration IZM, Berlin: http://www.izm.fraunhofer.de/ ,- ACREO AB, Schweden ,- Bull S.A. Frankreich ,- Chalmers University of Technology, Schweden ,- CSEM Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology S.A. Schweiz ,- Ericsson, Schweden ,- Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Jena ,- MicroResistTechnology, Berlin ,- Motorola Ltd., Großbritannien - Robert Bosch GmbH, Stuttgart ,- SÜSS MicroTec, München ,- Technische Universität, Berlin ,- Thales Airborne Systems, Frankreich ,- W.C. Heraeus GmbH, Hanau,For further information,Dr. Michael Popall ,Phone: [phone] ,Fax: [phone] ,E-mail: [e-mail] ,http://www.fraunhofer.de/german/publications/df/df2002/mag2-2002-38.pdf

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