Objective
A European Competence Centre is proposed to promote microsystem technology. The Centre specialises but not limited to microactuators, with emphasis on microsystems using non standard processes such as LIGA, laser micromachining, injection moulding and hot embossing, or using non silicon materials such as ceramics, glass and polymers. The Centre offers services including introduction to new technologies, design and feasibility study, consultancy on concept evaluation, testing of customer devices and prototyping, interface to silicon or non silicon foundries and brokerage to other service suppliers. The Centre expects, in the programme period, to acquire 340 customer contacts, perform 60 customer contracts and generate business worth of 2.4 million euros to help European industry and academia, contributing to the overall objectives of Europractice, e.g. to increase Europe's competitiveness and wealth creation capability.
Objectives:
As part of the Europractice Programme to support microsystems technology, a Competence Centre for Microactuators and Non Silicon Microsystems will be set up with partners in the UK, Germany and Norway 1. To proactively promote microsystem technology in all forms but with an emphasis on microactuators and other areas of expertise in the consortium
2. To set up R&D Support Centres in the UK, Germany and Norway to offer contract research, design, consultancy and prototyping on existing and emerging MST processes to customers across EU and NAS
3. To form close alliance with MST foundries in relevant areas of technology so that a clear route to industrial scale manufacturing is established
4. A new offer to extend the technologies available, from current silicon-base to non silicon based technologies, such as LIGA, deep RIE, laser micromachining and materials such as ceramics, glass and polymers.
Work description:
The Competence Centre programme will be realised through 8 workpackages (WP1-8). The programme is designed to ensure that supporting customers is the over-riding goal. It aims to accommodate the need for professional support for the emerging MST customers, for R&D fabrication to investigate customers' ideas and concepts prior to commitment to other Europractice Services and for microsystem applications where non silicon materials are preferred.
The information dissemination activity (WP1) will be organised collectively (WP6). Information exchange between partners will be managed by the coordinator, including evaluation and assessment of competence centre progress (WP7). The key goal of information dissemination will be to get the MST information to customers and to acquire customer contacts (WP2).
Once the customer inquires are collected, appropriate type of service will be offered to customers, either contract research, design for customer's devices (WP3) or feasibility study, process development and prototyping (WP4). If a well established technology is available for customer's application, the customer may be brokered to foundries (WP5). Customers can be provided with the whole package of services, from design to prototyping and to foundry manufacturing. The competence centre may also provide designs which directly interface to a foundry manufacturing.
By the end of project period, updated cost models and business plans for all partners will be established (WP8), which will sustain the Competence Centre work beyond the Europractice.
Milestones:
The expected results are European awareness of microactuators and their diverse applications, awareness of microsystems based on non silicon materials or combination of silicon and non silicon materials.
Establishment of a large customer base and acquirement of business contracts to help European industry and academia and contribution to the overall objectives of Europractice, e.g. to increase Europe's competitiveness and wealth creation capability.
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.
- natural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciences
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrymetalloids
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringceramics
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticslaser physics
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Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
ACM - Preparatory, accompanying and support measuresCoordinator
OX11 0QX Chilton, Didcot
United Kingdom