Network of Excellence in M ulti- M aterial M icro M anufacture

1. 4M Network of Excellence in Multi-Material Micro Manufacture

2. 4M : Introduction… The main aim of 4M is to develop Micro- and Nano- Technology (MNT) for the batch-manufacture of micro-components and devices in a variety of materials into user-friendly production equipment, processes and manufacturing platforms for incorporation into the factory of the future. To achieve this the Network seeks to integrate currently fragmented R&D capacity in non-silicon microtechnologies in the ERA into a European Centre of Excellence. The establishment of such an expert resource and infrastructure at the European level is designed to help European companies engaged in satisfying the growing demand for portable, wireless communication products and many lifestyle, health and transport related systems incorporating MNT.

3. 4M : …Introduction… The Network has 30 partner organisations, including 15 core partners - each an internationally recognised centre of excellence, from 13 member states and 2 associated countries. The Centre intends to integrate facilities and create synergistic links to on-going R&D programmes with total values exceeding 110 M€ and 63 M€, respectively. More than 100 researchers will perform the 4M Joint Programme of Activities, organised into eight specialist technology and application cluster groups. The linking of this expert resource to business needs through collaborative working of multidisciplinary partner groups aims to impact on Europe's competitiveness in the rapidly growing global market for microsystems.

4. 4M : …Introduction The existing imbalance between the ease with which batch- fabricated microcomponents and microsystems can be produced in silicon compared to the difficulties and the costs associated with their manufacture in other materials limits the speed with which new microsystems-based products are introduced into the market. At the same time, to broaden the range of these products and multiply their capabilities requires the introduction of new materials and processes that are reasonably compatible with IC-based, batch-fabrication processes.

5. 4M : Background… A global market of 40 B€ growing at 20% per annum. A European market of €550 billion for products containing them. Microsystems are important to Europe's industrial and economic future. Micro-manufacturing is now a key value- adding element for many sectors of industry - and the predicted nanotechnology future will also be largely delivered by microtechnologies. The silicon-based microelectronics revolution of the late 20th century is about to be overtaken in its scope; micro- and nano- manufacturing technologies (MNT) in the 21st century need to be directed to making use of a variety of materials, components and knowledge-based technologies that provide functionality and intelligence to highly miniaturised systems for personal, portable and wireless products, and sensors for health, environment and transport-related applications.

6. 4M : …Background… MNT will impact society and lifestyles in an unprecedented way; the economic consequences will be dramatic - both for those who have the technology and for those who do not. It will allow the creation of products, which because of their minute size and potential ubiquity, will create new pressures for both individual citizens, companies, governments and international agencies. A report published by the Commission in April 2003 concludes: new paradigms of production and consumption will set the agenda for sustainable manufacturing to 2020. In this agenda the introduction of new processing technologies for new materials and the manufacturing of miniaturised products designed with an intelligent multi-material-mix will become a top priority.

7. 4M : Rationale… The developed world is moving rapidly towards a knowledge-based society with the largest contribution to GDP coming from knowledge-based enterprises. In this context, there is an increasing requirement for all of human endeavour to be assisted by new technology, which itself includes an ever higher 'intelligence', capability and knowledge-content - all in an ever smaller package. The microelectronics and IT revolution which started this process many decades ago was built on silicon-based IC technology. The increasing need now is to integrate this software-controlled electronic technology with other functional components to create new types of MNT microsystems, sensors and actuators. The existing imbalance between the ease with which batch-fabricated microcomponents and microsystems can be produced in silicon, compared to the difficulties and the costs associated with the manufacture of such systems in other materials, currently limits the speed with which new products are introduced into the market.

8. 4M : …Rationale… To broaden the range of the microsystems-based products and at the same time to multiply their capabilities require the introduction of new materials and processes that are reasonably compatible with IC-based, batch-fabrication processes. Although there may be commercial advantages to leveraging the present suite of IC-process materials, they will not be able to meet the manufacturing demands for high-aspect-ratio structures, enhanced-force microactuation, improved environment resistance, high precision microcomponents, and unification and standardisation. The research and development in MNT should be directed to establishing the technology base for batch-processing a variety of materials that will become an integral part of production equipment and manufacturing platforms for the factory of the future.

9. 4M : …Rationale A Network of Excellence in 4M is considered an appropriate tool for integrating the R&D and technology transfer provision in Europe for the following reasons: I) The development of knowledge-based microtechnologies beyond those that rely on conventional IC tools and materials requires an integrated approach to addressing the multi-faceted problems associated with the development of new production concepts. Bringing together R&D organisations with multidisciplinary expertise will help ensure that technology and application challenges are addressed concurrently and that “local” solutions that do not lead to a “global” optimum are avoided. To speed up the introduction of new microsystems-based products, it is required that the design of products and processes are carried out concurrently. II) Similarities and common problems in microtechnologies for processing non-silicon materials require new approaches in knowledge management and sharing. A Virtual Centre is considered a cost-effective platform to extract more value from disparate expertise resources in 4M available within Europe. III) The environmental impact and socio-economic issues associated with these new technologies and products are relevant at both the European level and at member-state level. Such a Network will provide a focussed resource to national and cross-border R&D efforts in consideration of sustainability issues associated with micro-manufacture.

10. 4M : Challenges… • Enhanced-forced Microactuation. Some of the existing microsystems-based products are not capable of withstanding forces proportionate to those in the macro world. In current microdevices the prime activation forces used are electrostatic or thermal expansion that provide relatively small forces with very limited interaction lengths. There are applications such as valves and motor drives that require materials that are potentially capable of delivering higher forces and interaction time. These are magnetic, piezoelectric, ferroelectric and shape-memory materials. Unfortunately, these materials either do not show optimal mechanical properties in thin films, or are difficult to deposit by typical IC-fabrication methods, or are incompatible with • microelectronic IC processes. This requires new processes for manufacturing • these components and also new assembly and packaging techniques for • incorporating such components prior to more conventional processing or for • adding them as an additional step.

11. 4M : … Challenges…  High-Aspect-Ratio. Surface micromachining processes do not allow mechanical structures with vertical dimensions larger than a few microns to be produced. There are some solutions to this problem such as chip-on-chip system technology based on flip chip interconnects and thin chip integration technology for vertical system integration but they are not suitable for all high-aspect-ratio applications especially those requiring multi-material components. At the same time, there is a range of micromachining processes (micro-EDM, micro-ECM, micro-milling, X-ray&UV lithography plus electroforming, and laser ablation) that in combination with batch-fabrication methods (micro-injection moulding, embossing and coining) could provide a viable alternative for serial production of high-aspect-ratio structures in metals, plastics and ceramics. These basic ‘component’ technologies have to be developed further and innovatively combined into hybrid solutions that take into account a number of factors (compatibility with IC-based processes, specific application requirements, and material processing issues) to drive down the cost of such structures to a level that will support their broader use in next generation microsystems-based devices.

12. 4M : … Challenges… • Environment Resistance. To meet the demand for progressive miniaturisation of products in a number of industrial sectors including automotive, telecommunication, healthcare and aerospace, their packaging and/or some of their component structures have to be fabricated in materials that can operate in severe environments. In particular, microdevices that can be used for optics, biological purposes, chemical-process control, high-temperature applications and other hostile environments introduce a range of new requirements that IC-compatible materials cannot satisfy. Therefore, “new” materials and technologies for their processing should be developed or adopted from the macro world to broaden the application area for microsystems-based products.

13. 4M : … Challenges… • High-Precision. To achieve the required level of compatibility between structures produced using IC-based technologies and those produced using non-silicon microcomponents, a step change is required in technological capabilities of multi-material manufacturing processes. This is crucial in order to improve the functionality and quality of microsystems-based products. In addition, high-precision in the nanometer range is required to address very important issues concerning assembly automation and packaging of such products. The know-how in 4M processes needs to be expanded to meet the specific requirements concerning the fabrication of monolithic and hybrid multi-material microcomponents and assemblies. In future, the capabilities of 'top-down' microtechnologies that support feature size reduction towards nanoscale should at the same time satisfy requirements for nanometer accuracy and surface finish.

14. 4M : … Challenges • Unification and Standardisation. Interfacing of microsystems to their operating domain, and assembling them in larger systems are critical production steps that represent up to 80% of the systems' cost and require multi-material processing methods. The lack of publicly available microtechnologies or information to support packaging has led to product-specific solutions that cannot be produced cost effectively in batches. The establishment of a stable and repeatable technology base for serial production of microsystems-based products requires unification or/and standardisation of multi-material packaging components/solutions and the technologies for their fabrication. This is necessary for carrying out the design of packaging/interfacing solutions and manufacturing processes for their production. Such unification/standardisation will facilitate the introduction of design for manufacture and assembly rules that could have a profound influence on the rapid growth of microsystems-based products. The goal of this development should be to define generic, modular approaches and methodologies and extend batch-processing techniques into these so-called “back-end” steps of the production of microsystems-based products.

15. 4M : Research Divisions The Network comprises 8 technology and application research divisions: • Technology Divisions • Polymers • Metrology • Assembly and Packaging • Metals • Ceramics • Application Divisions • Micro-Optics • Micro-Fluidics • Micro-Sensors and Actuators