Imagine trying to glue tiny, different-sized electronic parts onto a chip with perfect precision; it's usually slow and expensive. This project uses a high-tech laser 'soldering' method to snap these parts into place quickly and accurately. By adding special materials like graphene, they can make devices that see things better or display images more vividly in a much smaller space.
Integrating active semiconductor chips onto silicon nitride platforms is currently too complex and expensive for mass-market AR and biosensing applications.
A laser-based digital processing system for the alignment and bonding of heterogeneous chips onto Si3N4 wafers, including a TRL5 AR display and a TRL5 bio-photonic sensor.
If you are an AR glass manufacturer dealing with bulky, expensive display components — this project developed a 2D light source with on-chip RGB lasers that reduces size and cost. This allows for a more compact footprint in wearable devices.
If you are a diagnostic lab dealing with high costs for antibody detection — this project developed a bio-photonic sensor featuring graphene photodetectors. This enables reliable and low-cost detection of Covid-19.
If you are a chip foundry dealing with the complexity of bonding III-V semiconductor chips to silicon nitride — this project developed a laser-based bonding approach. This accelerates industrial uptake by making the alignment and bonding process faster and more precise.
The project replaces complicated and costly heterogeneous integration with a laser-based transfer and soldering approach, which enables faster alignment and bonding of chip packages.
The project aims to demonstrate two next-generation devices at TRL5, indicating it is moving toward a validated prototype in a relevant environment, though full industrial scale is the ultimate goal.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not mentioned, but the project involves 7 industrial partners and 6 SMEs likely to hold the resulting IP.
It uses a silicon nitride (Si3N4) wafer platform with etched pockets designed to be compatible with III-V, II-V, and electronic chips.
The project period runs from 2023-01-01 to 2026-12-31, with goals to generate employment and turnover by the end of this timeframe.
The consortium is heavily industry-driven, with an 88% industry ratio consisting of 7 industrial partners, 6 of which are SMEs. This strong commercial lean, combined with a coordinator from a technical university (ETHNICON METSOVION POLYTECHNION) and partners across 5 countries, suggests a high probability of rapid commercialization and market entry.
Contact ETHNICON METSOVION POLYTECHNION regarding the MatEl laser-bonding platform.
Contact us to connect with the MatEl consortium for licensing the laser-soldering integration technology.
