The Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS and X-FAB are joining forces in research, development, manufacturing and commercialisation of micro- and nanotechnology innovations, that includes advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration of electronic components and systems.
“Our integrated and collaborative approach enables us to efficiently support new micro- and nanotechnologies from research through to production. Customers will benefit from a seamless service – from the development of individual technology projects to prototyping and small series, all the way to volume production with our partner X-FAB,” said Harald Kuhn, Director of Fraunhofer ENAS.
The partners will develop new processes and technologies in the fields of MEMS, microfluidics, photonics and heterogeneous integration, and their direct transfer into flexible and scaleable manufacturing.
“This knowledge, combined with close exchange, allows us to transfer technologies and processes seamlessly and bring them to market readiness – fast, reliable, and with high quality. This enables our customers to better meet rapidly changing market demands, and it significantly increases their innovation and production speed,” added Kuhn.
The innovative technologies’ time span from development to market is crucial and an important competitive factor for Europe.
A particular focus of the cooperation is on the joint development of wafer bonding techniques for wafer-level packaging, heterogeneous integration as key technology for future applications in sensing, communication, and medical technology, as well as the development of testing and reliability methods. The cooperation also includes targeted staff exchanges, joint research and funding projects, active participation in technical conferences, and joint market development. This close collaboration not only promotes knowledge transfer but also strengthens the visibility and innovative strength of both partners on the international stage.
A current example of pilot production is the transfer of a complex packaging process for high-precision MEMS sensors in the automotive sector: a screen-printing technology with solder glass pastes developed at Fraunhofer ENAS was successfully integrated into the X-FAB process chain and is now available to customers worldwide as a high-volume foundry service.
Within the framework of the European Chips Act, the pilot line for “Advanced Packaging and Heterogeneous Integration for Electronic Components and Systems” (APECS) is a key focus of the initiative “Forschungsfabrik Mikroelektronik Deutschland” (Research Fab Microelectronics Germany, FMD). Fraunhofer ENAS is part of FMD.
