October 4, 2007
The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI), an industry-led consortium focused on identifying and closing technology gaps, has published its 2007 Research Priorities.
This document identifies R&D priorities for the next 10 years by combining findings from the 2007 iNEMI Roadmap with R&D needs identified through follow-on gap analysis meetings.
This information not only helps iNEMI focus its deployment projects on high-impact areas where the consortium can make a difference in the marketplace, but it also assists corporate research labs, government funding agencies and academic research centers in focusing limited resources on those critical areas that will yield the greatest return.
It is only through effective prioritization of limited R&D programs that the electronics industry will be able to maintain the technology leadership that it has enjoyed for the past 50 years,” said Alan Rae, iNEMI’s director of research and vice president for NanoDynamics, Inc. “The 2007 iNEMI Research Priorities document has been prepared to aid this prioritization, facilitating more focused investments for an improved rate of return. With a steady stream of research results to harvest, the electronics industry can continue to enjoy growth and prosperity driven by our society’s adoption of breakthrough products that increase productivity and improve lifestyles.”
More than 90 research needs were identified in the 2007 iNEMI Roadmap. iNEMI’s Research Committee grouped these needs into five research areas – manufacturing processes, system integration (IT and technology integration), energy and the environment, materials and reliability, and design – and identified the top priorities for each area.
In some areas, needs had shifted since iNEMI published its last set of research priorities (the 2005 Research Priorities, based on the 2004 iNEMI Roadmap), and some remained the same, as summarized below.
Manufacturing processes
The top priority shifted from development of reduced cost manufacturing processes that support rapid miniaturization to development of a new methodology/strategy for R&D to be conducted in the global outsourcing environment.
System integration
As disparate technologies continue to be combined into product architectures, several integration challenges face the industry that will limit the ability to improve cost, size and reliability. While there is still a need to continue improvements to the IT infrastructure (which was the top 2005 research priority), the top research need currently identified for this research area, is the development of 3D interconnect structures with associated thermal management. The need for standardized test methods / figures of merit for printed electronics was identified as the second priority for 2007.
Energy and the environment
The top two research priorities for this area essentially remain the same: (1) the development of sound scientific methods to evaluate environmental impact of materials and (2) research into the development of new innovative energy sources.
Materials and reliability
The top research priority in this area is the development of the next generation of solder alloys with better area array shock, lower cost, lower temperature and reduced copper dissolution issues. (This need was identified as the number four priority in 2005) The number two research priority for 2007 is the development of halogen-free materials, which did not show up during the 2005 process.
Design
The top priorities for design are: (1) improved, integrated and standardized DfX tools for compatibility across supply chains; and (2) low-cost solutions for carrying >10Gb/s signal rates between components on a printed circuit board (PCB). Neither of these topics was identified in the 2005 Research Priorities.
More information, and a download of the 2007 Research Priorities report, is available from the iNEMI website.
Source: http://www.inemi.org.
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