Product category:
Design and Development Software
News Release from: IMEC
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 19 July 2002
Centre of excellence targets reliability
IMEC has set up a new centre of excellence to build on its research activities on physics of failure mechanisms, reliability test structures and methodologies, and built-in reliability.
IMEC has established a new centre of excellence that will build on the framework of its research activities on physics of failure mechanisms, reliability test structures and test methodologies, and built-in reliability The new reliability centre is equipped with a wide range of reliability test systems and systems for failure and material analysis
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 20 Feb 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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IMEC has signed of a letter of intent with Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation to establish a long-term partnership in advanced semiconductor process technologies.
With this new centre, IMEC intends to address the economic demand for increased reliability levels of next-generation semiconductor devices and microsystems.
The challenges are large since, due to the ever continuing scaling of process technologies, the materials and devices used in present-day technologies are being pushed to their intrinsic limits of reliability and new materials and processes are being introduced to enhance performance.
The development of systems-in-a-package and systems-in-a-chip is a further stimulus for the centre, as the gradual integration of new technologies (such as MEMS, sensors etc) creates additional reliability problems.
"Key to continued reliability improvement is a fundamental understanding of the failure mechanisms that are limiting the lifetime of the devices", says Gilbert Declerck, President and CEO of IMEC.
"Therefore, we have built up a unique knowhow and toolset at IMEC in close interaction with our in-house technology development and research teams.
This expertise is now brought together in a centre of excellence through which companies and research institutes can fully access and exploit our knowledge and tools to cope with their increasing reliability challenges".
The research activities and expertise areas of the centre include basic failure mechanisms, reliability of application technologies, and reliability tools and methods.
The reliability centre is looking for collaboration with industry and research centres on innovative, in-depth research of specific topics in the area of reliability and failure physics.
Potential partners are equipment manufacturers, semiconductor and microsystems manufacturers, packaging houses and fabless companies.
Collaborations will be performed on a bilateral base in which cost and IP will be shared.
Apart from joint research, IMEC's reliability centre offers documentation and training on a wide selection of reliability issues, as well as related services.
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