Objective
A major advantage of using anodic bonding for 1st order packaging is that the process is a wafer level technique and therefore brings the packaging process into the realm of batch processing with its associated cost saving benefits. This is an important area given that it is generally agreed that packaging costs usually constitute ~75% of the cost of a micro system.
To overcome the economic barriers for the introduction of anodic bonding in innovative products a new anodic bonder will be assessed. This bonder combines low cost of ownership with high alignment accuracy and high reliability.
In this project this bonder will be placed in a production environment and tested by several experienced users. These users cover a wide range of processes and application in the industries. Both 4' as 6' wafers and several types of glass will be used.
Comments from those users will be used to improve the equipment. The benefits of this improved piece of equipment will be disseminated on the appropriate forums.
Objectives:
Short term objectives:
To demonstrate that the low cost AML-400 bonder produces anodic bonds of comparable quality to the existing, more expensive anodic bonding equipment currently in use for MST products.
To demonstrate that the in-situ alignment process can be used to produce alignment accuracy of <2.5 micron for the standard silicon / glass anodic bonding process.
To demonstrate that the AML-400 is reliable, user-friendly and has a low cost-of-ownership.
Long term objectives:
The availability of a low cost bonder will also assist in the strategic objective of the IST programme by accelerating the emergence of products and thereby realising the benefits of the information society in Europe.
Wafer bonding in general is an enabling technology, without which a large number of MST products could not be realised. The project therefore fits another programme objective, namely driving the development, enhancing the applicability and accelerating the take up of MST in Europe.
Work description:
The bonder will be installed at OnStream and commissioned. OnStream staff will be trained. Alignment accuracy will be demonstrated via patterning glass and silicon wafers to include an alignment grid, bonding and measuring misalignment.
Flatness will be monitored via wafer profiling. Having established the starting performance metrics, the end-users will provide processed wafers for characterisation and optimisation of the bonding parameters by AML.
After training from AML, the end users will carry out their own assessment of the bonder at OnStream. With their bonded wafers a variety of devices (pressure sensors, accelerometers and filters) will be fabricated.
OnStream will provide facilities for visual inspection and stress measurement. With the feedback of the end-user assessments we will identify any deviations from the final target specification and additional features the users would like to see included.
AML will carry out these modifications if appropriate. Hereafter the users will do further bonding, evaluating the equipment for their own, specific silicon/glass bonding requirements and carry out initial investigations into other various bonding processes of which the bonder is potentially capable.
AML will then evaluate the condition of the bonder to see how well it has withstood the demands of being used for a variety of industrial bonding processes. A report will be generated detailing any remedial work that is found to be necessary. It will be used as a basis for determining the reliability of the equipment under a varying industrial workload.
Any component that is found to be unreliable will be replaced, in future models, by high reliability ones. The end-users will then have final opportunity to carry out their specific processes, demonstrating that the modified bonder can meet the target specifications under these various processes. Project level dissemination activities for the basic bonder will be an ongoing activity throughout the project. Activities will include mail shots, website postings, exhibitions, press releases, seminars and presentations.
Milestones:
M1 (month 4): demonstration of the ability to bond silicon / glass wafers to each end user's requirement;
M2 (month 6): Fully operational bonder able to be used by OnStream staff;
M3 (month 10): AML-400 bonder modified and ready for the full assessment of its capabilities;
M4 (month 10): Increased awareness of the AML bonder leading to more inquiries for AML-400 bonders;
M5 (month 13): Completion of hands-on work and reporting enabling the start of the final dissemination activity;
M6 (month 15): Bonder is accepted by its target market as being technically & commercially suitable for their needs.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- engineering and technologymaterials engineering
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrymetalloids
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Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
ACM - Preparatory, accompanying and support measuresCoordinator
OX14 4RX ABINGDON
United Kingdom