Ultra-Thin Microelectronics Inventing Team: Harry Charles, Charles Banda (NSA), Shaun Francomacaro, Allen Keeney, and J

1. Ultra-Thin MicroelectronicsInventing Team: Harry Charles,Charles Banda (NSA), Shaun Francomacaro, Allen Keeney, and John Lehtonen

2. Technology • Standard microelectronic assemblies are relatively thick and rigid (exceeding 2500 m in thickness with standard packaged chips and printed wiring boards) • Using bare chips and flex boards the thickness can easily exceed 750 m and, although the substrate may be flexible, the chips are still rigid • The focus of the ultra-thin microelectronic invention is to produce high density, highly flexible microelectronic assemblies with thicknesses in the 30-50 m range (nominally about 1/3 the thickness of a human hair)

3. Technology The ultra-thin microelectronics invention addresses four key processes producing thin chips (integrated circuits) down to 1 m in thickness fabricating multilayer thin film freestanding substrates (four to six conducting layers less than 25 m overall thickness) connecting chips to the multilayer thin film substrate (solder reflow, nanowire interposer) verifying performance and reliability (performance test vehicles, thermal cycling studies, etc.)

4. Technology Demonstrated Outcomes thinned die on flex (single layer) reliability demonstrated units had high assembly yields and survived many thousands of stringent temperature cycles multilayer thin film free standing flex has been fabricated and separated from carriers (appears robust and highly flexible) integrated circuit RF test vehicle chip has been designed and fabricated – awaiting thinning and flex testing nanowire interposers have been fabricated 5-20 m 30-50 m 4 Layer substrate Ultimate goal 30 m (1/3 thickness of a human hair)

5. Technology Applications • What does it do? • produces an integrated packaging system with an extremely low profile and physical flexibility capable of supporting digital, RF, and potentially microwave applications (inherently low weight, also) • provides ultra-thin complex electronic circuitry that can be appliquéd to any surface (flat or curved) • Application Areas: • 3-D packaging • smart surfaces and skins • variable emissivity surfaces • active antennas • sensors • appliqués of all types

6. Commercial Applications • Cellular phones • RF ID tags • Portable electronics • Electronic clothing (“smart shirts”) • Biomedicine (“smart patch, prosthetics”) • Smart cards

7. Commercial Opportunities • Technology available for licensing • Methods of Thinning • Thin-film multilayer substrates • Module assembly • Underfill selection and reliability testing • Cooperative development of new packaging applications

8. Contact Information • For technical information contact: Harry Charles, Inventor 443-778-8050 harry.charles@jhuapl.edu Charles Banda, Inventor 443-778-1897 charles.banda@jhuapl.edu • For licensing information contact: Teresa Colella, Technology Manager Office of Technology Transfer The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory 11100 Johns Hopkins Road Laurel, MD 20723 443-778-3782 teresa.colella@jhuapl.edu www.jhuapl.edu/ott