Advanced Distributed Pilot Line for More-than-Moore Technologies

Project Information

ADMONT

Grant agreement ID: 661796

DOI

10.3030/661796

Project closed

EC signature date 14 July 2015

Start date 1 May 2015

End date 30 April 2019

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies - Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Total cost

€ 38 905 159,61

EU contribution

€ 11 096 414,52

Coordinated by

X-FAB Dresden GmbH & Co. KG
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 4 - ADMONT (Advanced Distributed Pilot Line for More-than-Moore Technologies)

Reporting period: 2018-05-01 to 2019-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The EU funded project ADMONT (Advanced Distributed Pilot Line for More-than-Moore-Technologies) was finished by end of April 2019. Project results provide now prototyping, testing, demonstrating, piloting and system qualification between TRL4 and TRL8. ADMONT is an ECS (European Electronic Components and Systems) ecosystem for Europe in agreement with the EFRE strategy from Saxony with strong influence on economic growth and employment in the Union. Results will affect employment rate (locally and Europe wide), energy efficiency in end products as well as energy and resource efficiency in industrial production itself.
ADMONT was planned as an incubator centre for SME innovations in Europe for electronic systems and solutions based on semiconductor technologies. The overall goal of ADMONT was to implement a distributed More-than-Moore pilot line for products and services based on a wide-ranging set of technologies or essential capability modules (ECM) not available within one manufacturing facility. In order to allow development and industrialisation of innovation projects, a virtual facility capable to provide diverse process flows as a ‘one-stop shop’ needed to be carefully specified, planned and implemented. Besides the specific challenges of More-than-Moore manufacturing lines the distribution of capabilities was an important consideration in order to achieve cost, cycle time, quality and yield-competitive manufacturing solutions. This can be demonstrated now by showing the workflow for qualification of several demonstrators for key applications like lab-on-chip for smart health & diagnostics, RFID transponder systems for smart mobility, micro pump driver for smart energy and real time factory information system for smart production. In combination with advanced modelling approaches for high-voltage devices and their characteristics, the pilot line will also focus on first-time-right design for the customer, which is a crucial aspect for time-to-market, especially for complex smart systems. The pilot line is organised along the value chain from CMOS wafer processing with More-than-Moore 0.35μm high and ultra-high-voltage and integrated sensor technologies at X-FAB Dresden, sensor processing and sensor material development at FhG-IPMS Dresden, organic semiconductor materials and OLED processing at FhG-FEP and 2.5/3D silicon-system integration at FhG-ASSID. The pilot line offers four distinct essential capability modules (ECM) at his four locations: CMOS capabilities, sensor actuator capabilities, organic capabilities and silicon system integration. The ADMONT pilot line is working as an open platform and customers can select and use single processes or technology modules or combinations of it from all capabilities for smart system integration. The ADMONT pilot line aims for cost effective and energy efficiency production, robust and stable processes, technologies and product diversification under MtM production with high yield and excellent quality under world-class environment.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The ADMONT pilot line has been ready for prototyping and demonstrator preparation for project internal and external customer use since April 2017. The pilot line reporting, KPI review and continuous improvement programs are established and ongoing. The supply chain management concept, wafer transfer, fab interfaces and data exchange and aggregation systems are installed and working. Over the complete pilot line lot tracking, cycle time management and process data collection is tested and established. A “line capability report” including key performance parameters (KPP) and progress of essential capabilities has been provided to all internal pilot line users.
Important success criteria are the maturity of all demonstrator and prototypes regarding to the planned and reached technology readiness level (TRL). We have completed all our prototypes and have the potential for production three to nine months after project completion.
We also see potential for a follow-up project and will continue the pilot line together in cooperation with FMD (Forschungsfabrik Mikroelektronik Deutschland). The existing ADMONT customers and partners can change to FMD and use the professional environment and services.
Results from ADMONT are:
• One-stop-shop with one work flow, defined interfaces and fast cycle time for access to various MtM technologies and Si-system integration located in Dresden/ Saxony
• HV-CMOS process platform for sensor, actuator integration, optical devices and sensor interfaces for organic semiconductor, medical and diagnostics applications
• Design technology and next PDK generation for integration of analog sensors, actuators, RF, power devices and new materials on CMOS in system design flow by effort reduction and improved service quality
• New sensor materials for next generation thermo-electric sensors and technology platform for CMUT integration in CMOS
• Fab automation system by “Real-Time Factory Analysis and Control” and “Smart Intralogistic Automation Systems”
• Sensor and actuator microsystem platforms for diagnostic and smart health solutions
• Prototypes and demonstrators addressing key application areas such as smart mobility, smart production, smart health and smart energy
• ADMONT pilot line is working and opens for external users. In addition, we developed a pilot line for IR-sensor array calibration and a pilot line for handheld IR-gas sensor production. Both pilot lines are part of our prototype and demonstrator preparation for smart system integration and the interface to future market penetration with innovative products.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

ADMONT combines four pilot lines providing foundry services to customers having access from a single point. These pilot lines have a wide coverage on different areas: 1) CMOS (and especially HV-CMOS) process, 2) MEMS process, 3) organic semiconductor process and 4) 3D-integration process.
The ADMONT concept was conceived four years ago, and still to date, there is no similar offering available from worldwide foundries for SME and medium size customers.
All objectives are achieved. Extended are the essential capabilities of the pilot line and the device and module offer. Additionally, a very stable BEOL3.0 module for XH035 automotive requirements is developed under WP1. Also more solutions for fab automation are developed and a new creative material identification is tested (indoor GPS for lot and carrier tracking). A specification for prototype is extended, like change from one channel to three channel gas sensor. An additional demonstrator under WP5.1 “Prototype miniaturized electronic system for fluorescence detection: oxygen pressure sensor” has been developed at FhG-FEP and is planned to be presented at our final demonstrator show during our EU review meeting in June 2019 in Dresden.
An extensive benchmarking for all prototypes and demonstrator is done. Most of our demonstrator are beyond the state of the art and have great potential to go in production in 3-9 month and gendered market share and revenue.
During ADMONT are 15 researchers recruited and in summary 35 employees (22 men and 13 women) are signed on for project work. With start of production further job generation is already planned. The potential is more than 100 work places in the EU electronic industry.
Over 22 exploitable foregrounds are developed during ADMONT with high potential for future production and reuse. Seven patens are filed under ADMONT.

Pilot line process

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