HIGH PRECISION MICRO-COMPONENTS FABRICATED BY ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING C


omplex designs, faster iteration processes, and shorter product


life-cycles require manufacturers of micro-optical, microelectronic, and microfluidic components to be more flexible. A particular challenge is the production of free-form structures with resolutions below 10μm, which are difficult to accomplish with conventional production methods. To address this, Nanoscribe offers


its Photonic Professional GT for the fabrication of highly complex nano- and micro-structured plastic


components with structure sizes up to a few millimeters. Based on the technology of direct laser writing, polymer masters can be directly and rapidly fabricated from CAD models. Subsequently the 3D printed


polymer master can be used for making moulds, e.g., for injection moulding or hot embossing. This approach enables cost-efficient reproduction of the printed parts in large quantities and with a high degree of shape fidelity. Polymer masters can serve to


transfer, for example, 3D printed micro-optical shapes into serial manufacturing. Micro-optical elements like microlenses, prisms or retroreflectors can be additively produced with a high degree of dimensional accuracy that opens a multitude of new applications, e.g., in medical engineering or the smartphone industry. In this manner 3D printed micro-optics can have vertical slopes, sharp edges, asymmetric geometries, and arrays of different elements and serve as a


Want to keep up to date? Then follow us on Twitter: @ CI_ Micro and/or ‘Like’ us on Facebook!


ULTRA-PRECISION DIE AND FLIP-CHIP ASSEMBLY BONDER


A high-precision placement system has been introduced by Amicra Microtechnologies. “The new Nano supports a


+0.3µm placement accuracy at full speed and at 3 Sigma," says Dr Johann Weinhaendler, Amicra's managing director of marketing, sales and business development. This system offers features


including: quantitative parallelism calibration for large panel handling (up to 300mm by 300mm), eutectic, as well as epoxy and UV


bonding, UV dispensing, and in- situ curing. The available dispensing options


support all common dispenser technologies, and material traceability. It also offers three different heated options and is equipped for laser soldering and active bond force control. Compared to the company's


previous AFC version, the NANO alignment optics were significantly improved. The machine is built on a vibration-free, high-quality


granite platform. Aiming at today's, and future placement demands, this system enables the reliable handling of ultra-small and very thin die. With this new offering, Amicra


Microtechnologies headquartered in Germany, will substantially extend its position in micro assembly, vision and dynamic alignment, as well as high-speed motion control in sub-micron resolution environments. www.amicra.com


MINIATURE NEURAL PROBE I


n this month’s issue, find out how high-performance


polyurethane is being engineered to produce more durable and consistent wire-cutting rollers for the production of wafers, on p8. Advanced materials are enabling high-precision 3D- printed electronics as explored on p11. Read how sub-nanosecond measurements are being used for the highest ever, indoor magnetic field on p16. Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) devices have become the golden standard solution for addressing obstructive sleep apnea disorder as explored on p18. Plus all the regular news and industry updates. Michelle Winny - Editor


4 WINTER 2017 | MICROMATTERS


A neural probe for the parallel recording of hundreds of neural signals has been developed by a unique partnership of world leading neuroscientists, charities, HHMI, Allen, Gatsby, and Wellcome, and the state of the art design and fabrication capability of imec engineers. Scientists at HHMI Janelia Research


Campus, the Allen Institute and University College London (UCL) worked together with engineers at nanotechnology company imec to build and test the probes that were designed and fabricated on imec’s advanced silicon platform. This demonstrates its ability to create ultra precise tools which are being recognised as a new gold standard in neuroscience research. Current techniques to map the


activity of brain cells either lacked spatial or temporal resolution. Previous generations of neural probes can only record activity of a few dozen neurons, while optical imaging lacks in speed to distinguish individual spikes of activity.


Imec’s Neuropixels probe solves


both issues and enables precise real- time recording of the activity of hundreds of individual neurons. In addition, because of the length of the shank on which the sensors are placed, it is possible to record neural activity across different brain regions. This capability is essential to study the coordinated action of brain regions, and provides a better method of understanding the brain, and ultimately, for diagnostic and prosthetic tools to tackle human brain diseases. The new probe has 960 sensors,


each measuring 12x12µm, tiled on a superthin (20µm) shank that is 1cm long and 70µm wide. The shank is fabricated together with a 9x6mm base on a single chip. The sensor density allows it to record isolated spiking activity from hundreds of single neurons in parallel. The recorded signals are sent through 384 recording channels to the base where they are filtered, amplified and digitized to provide researchers with noise-free digital data. www.imec-int.com


Nano Dimension has released its DragonFly 2020 Pro 3D Printer. This groundbreaking 3D printer is claimed, breaks restrictive technology barriers, enabling designers and engineers – for the first time – to 3D-print metal and polymer simultaneously to achieve in-house prototyping of professional printed circuit boards (PCB) and functional electronic circuits. The DragonFly 2020 Pro can 3D-print an entire multilayer board overnight, allowing designers and engineers to test and iterate on-the- fly, to speed up time to market, develop improved products, increase innovation and keep sensitive design information in-house. The company’s advanced additive manufacturing technology is a precise inkjet deposition system, which enables printing of high resolution trace and space and construction of the full range of multilayer PCB features.


www.nano-di.com


Innovnano has developed nanostructured monoclinic zirconia with enhanced properties for use as a sintering aid in the production of high quality refractory materials. With applications in steel foundries amongst others, the enrichment of materials with Innovnano’s nanostructured monoclinic zirconia ensures optimum performance and resilience for physically demanding applications, improving component lifetime, and reducing overall costs. Synthesised on an industrial scale using its patented Emulsion Detonation Synthesis (EDS) technology, Innovnano’s monoclinic zirconia powder is highly pure with an ultrafine nanostructure and large specific surface area. These enhanced properties ensure that materials enriched with the company’s nanostructured monoclinic zirconia can be sintered at lower temperatures to produce refractories of superior quality.


www.innovnano-materials.com /MICROMATTERS


polymer master. The polymer master can then be


moulded into a nickel-shim by means of electroforming. In this process, the 3D printed polymer structure is sputtered with a thin metal layer. A nickel-shim is then electrodeposited onto this. The replica mould produced in this way can be integrated into the process chain of various injection moulding procedures and thus provides the basis for further series production. www.nanoscribe.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28