12-03 :: March/April 2012

nanotimes EU-Projects

system technology. First attempts of lead-free solde- ring have been hampered by their high temperature. Alternative highly durable, lead-free methods ensu- ring high thermal and mechanical stability as well as minimum heat diffusion are required. To address those issues, the EU project “Lead-free joining for microelectronics and microsystem technology de- vices” (Joitec) developed a flexible and controllable laser welding process, the so-called laser spot wel- ding (LSW), for use in the electronics industry.

Project partners employed a laser beam with adapted wavelength to enable the welding of spots smaller than 250nm and avoid the use of lead-based materi- als. Additionally, an online welding quality inspection system was developed to evaluate the correlation between welding-specific emissions and the weld quality. An important deliverable of the Joitec project was the construction of a LSW machine prototype consisting of a laser beam of 515nm wavelength and a fibre optic beam guidance system. It also designed printed circuit boards (PCBs) in order to test and further enhance the LSW process.

Contact: Jeihad (Dr) Zeadan, Laser Zentrum Hannover, Production Systems Institution, Hannover, Germany, Phone: +49-511-278-8315: http://www.lzh.de

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create a strategic alliance among five major electro- nics and micro- and nanotechnology (MNT) research centres. Successful development of technologies included a 12.8 GHz sweep bandwidth radar module as an exa- mple of merging RF design expertise with MNTs from consortium partners. Moreover, two types of metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistors were develo- ped for different voltage applications – 3.6 V and the other for medium voltage 45 V.

Contact: Jean-Pierre (Mr) Joly, CEA/DEN/DANS/I-TÉSÉ, CEN Saclay, Deputy Director of DIHS Division, France, Phone: +33-4387-84557: http://i-tese.cea.fr

Tailor-made Nanomaterials for Automotive Lighting

EU-funded researchers developed new nanotechno- logy-based devices for the automotive industry that promise to enhance performance while decreasing costs. The Multipro project was initiated to develop solid polymeric matrices in which various nano- particles are embedded to produce tailor-made high performance and cost-effective lighting devices for automobile illumination applications. In particular, the researchers sought to instil the materials with high refractive index, wavelength conversion proper- ties and electrical conductivity.

Micro- and Nanotech Integration Climb to new Heights

Through the creation of a technology portfolio, a Eu- ropean project, “Staircase towards European MNT infrastructure integration” (MNT Europe), aimed to

Contact: SINESI, Sabino (Dr) Sinesi, Centro Ricerche Plast- Optica SPA, Italy, Phone: +39-04334-87512: http://www.multipro-f6.eu http://www.multipro-f6.eu/Resources/Multipro1stYe- arreport.pdf