Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions addressing three central challenges to modern society: Energy Efficiency, Communications, and Security. Infineon’s products stand out for their reliability, their quality excellence and their innovative and leading- edge technology in analog and mixed signal, RF and power as well as embedded control. A strong technology portfolio with about 22,900 patents and applications and more than 30 major R&D locations worldwide is characteristic for the company.

Infineon has been firmly committed to the industrial and automotive industry for over 35 years and has established a proven track record. It does almost twice as much business with the automotive and industrial market than the average semiconductor supplier. Offering one of the broadest product portfolios in the business, Infineon is the number one automotive semiconductor supplier in Europe and the second largest supplier worldwide.

The company’s product range includes power semiconductors, discrete semiconductors, silicon sensors and optoelectronic semiconductors as well as microcontrollers. The sensor business is concentrating on products involving physical factors such as engine speed, pressure, position and location, and converting these factors into electrical data processed by the microcontroller. In the area of industrial applications, the focus is on management and control systems offering a high level of synergy with automotive products.

In the 2008 fiscal year (ending September), the company reported sales of Euro 4.3 billion with approximately 29,100 employees world-wide. With a global presence, Infineon operates through its subsidiaries in the U.S. from Milpitas, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore, and in Japan from Tokyo. Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX).

  

The SINTEF Group has 2100 employees (2008) and is the largest independent research organization in Scandinavia. SINTEF provides research-based knowledge and related services to customers in industry, venture companies and the public sector world-wide. The organization’s knowledge base stems from vast experience and research in technology, the natural and social sciences and medicine. SINTEF’s annual result in 2008 was NOK 137 million. In 2008, contracts for industry and the public sector generated more than 70% of the income, whereas 3.2% came in the form of basic grants from the Research Council of Norway.   

DMCE’s competence is the definition, the design, and the verification of complex mixed-signal ICs (integrated circuits) in CMOS. DMCE has more than 130 employees and another 40 research engineers and diploma and PhD students, particularly dedicated to the field of digital signal processing, integrated analog components, and embedded microcontroller including firmware development. DMCE has much experience in the design of highest-volume consumer products, especially in the area of multi-million pieces RF transceivers (comprising digital signal processing and high-speed serial interfaces) for the mobile phone segment.   

Sensonor, located in Horten, Norway, develops, produces and sells sensors and micro systems for high- volume applications worldwide. The company has for 25 years played a significant role in the global MEMS industry and delivered more than 35 million airbag crash sensors to the automotive market and more than 100 million tire-pressure sensors each including accelerometer, pressure sensor and temperature sensor. Sensonor has also pioneered the low cost automotive gyro market with more than 2 million gyros shipped. Sensonor Technologies was established March 1, 2009 through a Norwegian purchase of Infineon Technologies Sensonor AS from its German mother company Infineon Technologies AG. The basis for re-establishing Sensonor as a Norwegian entity is founded on 1) maintained high-volume production of sensor chips for Infineon’s tire pressure sensor products and other applications and 2) development of new microsystem products within two sectors: A) precision gyros and IMUs for inertial navigation and platform control and B) sensor modules for IR cameras. Sensonor today employs ca. 150 people, including approximately 70 graduate engineers.   

Infineon Technologies Austria AG, based in Villach, is a subsidiary of Infineon Technologies AG, a semiconductor company with activities all over the world. Infineon Technologies Austria AG develops and manufactures semiconductors and system solutions for the Automotive, Industrial and Multimarket, Chipcard and Security as well as Wireless Solutions business units.

Around 2.600 employees based throughout Austria help to ensure that Infineon consistently sets the pace in the field of microelectronics. Infineon Technologies Austria AG has one of the largest research units for microelectronics in Austria. R&D expenditure in the past fiscal year amounts 227 million Euros.

Approximately 20 percent of the sales revenue is invested in R&D and thus Infineon is one of the most research-intensive companies in Austria. Approximately 1.000 specialists at the Villach and Graz Development Centres, at the associated company DICE in Linz, as well as at Infineon Technologies IT Services GmbH, a subsidiary in Klagenfurt, are currently active in research and development for Infineon. 198 reported inventions from Austria were filed as patents, that is 1/4 of all Infineon‘s first filings. Infineon ́s competence centres for Contactless Systems, like contactless chip cards and RFID, for Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems, including low power sense and wireless transmit circuits as well as for Automotive High Integration Products, like ABS-, transmission-, valve- and alternator- control, are located in Austria.

Many high-tech products, designed at Infineon Technologies Austria AG, are integrated into a large number of applications and systems all around the world.

  

The Tyndall National Institute is a leading research department within University College Cork. Established originally in 1981 as the National Microelectronics Research Centre (NMRC), the Tyndall National Institute was set up in 2004 bringing together complementary activities in photonics, electronics and networking research at the National Microelectronics Research Centre (NMRC), several UCC academic departments and Cork Institute of Technology (CIT). Tyndall currently employs 400 people, occupying 11,500 sq meters of laboratory and office space. Tyndall has ISO 9001 status supported by regular audits of all procedures from both internal and external audit teams.

The strengths of the institute at the present time lie in the area of photonics, electronics, materials and nanotechnologies and their applications for life sciences, communications, power electronics and other industries. Research programmes range from theoretical modelling and design to novel material, nanotechnology, device processing and fabrication, packaging and integration; and novel systems incorporating these new devices.

  

Magna Diagnostics GmbH, a German SME, is a privately held company which was founded in 2009 by four employees of the Fraunhofer Institute of Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI) in Leipzig. The founders have extensive experience in diagnostics development and business management. Magna Diagnostics GmbH has recognized the need for point-of-care diagnostics in infectious diseases and is developing together with the Fraunhofer IZI an integrated system which includes an analyzer, about the size of a notebook and robust plastic cards on which the assays are carried out. The system, called MAZER, is specifically conceived for the rapid diagnosis of life-threatening infections such as sepsis. All reagents necessary for a specific test are present on the plastic cards including the detection modules.

The technology of the MAZER is based on magnetic nanoparticles which can be functionalized through the attachment of biological molecules. The magnetic beads bind target cells or molecules and are transported fully automatically from reaction chamber to reaction chamber on the plastic card with magnetic force. The key technological advance is that problems caused by microfluidic effects are minimized as no pumps, valves, filters, or membranes are required. At the end of the analysis, a highly sensitive magneto-sensory element makes the final diagnostic determination. Magna Diagnostics sees the opportunity in e-brains to optimally combine its skills in a high-level project with a pan-European reach.

The way that the diagnostic test is carried out is that the content of a medical syringe is injected into the plastic card, which is inserted in turn into the MAZER analyzer device. The test can then run fully automatically and the final result is indicated on an integrated screen, and can be printed by an attached printer through the integrated USB interface and then be down loaded onto a computer or alternatively sent through a wireless protocol. The system can be easily utilized in the hospital or by office-based physicians or other health care personnel and the device gives a precise diagnostic result in less than one hour after blood withdrawal.

  

3D PLUS develops 3D microelectronic products and stacking technologies meeting the demand for reliability, performance and small size of today’s and tomorrow’s electronics. 3D Plus portfolio includes patented and very advanced stacking technologies. It starts with Package scale upward to chip-size and wafer-level packaging techniques. This provides leading edge, highly integrated and rugged modules embedding active, passive, optoelectronics and MEMS/MOEMS components.

With a broad range of catalogue products including memory modules, camera heads, power converters and computer modules, with its very miniaturized System-In-Package solutions and by Licensing its technologies, 3D PLUS meets the requirements of high technology industries in industrial, telecommunication, computer/blade server, military, avionics, medical and space markets.

Since the beginning in 1995, 3D PLUS has been pursuing a constant growth with today customers spread over 30 countries.

The technology R&D team is composed of 10 engineers and technicians including 5 PhD. This team is involved in European projects and specific customer projects . The core technology in development is WDoD ( Wirefree Die on Die).

  

TUC department Electronic Materials and Reliability was established recently. It focuses on material, technological as well as reliability aspects of micro electronic systems and MEMS. It is closely linked to the Micro Materials Center at Fraunhofer ENAS and IZM and will cooperate with this group during the project. Together, the departments have a longstanding experience in studies on reliability in microsystem technology by both simulation (FEM) and experiments (materials testing, micro- and nano-analytical methods) on bulk and interface level. The combination of numerical simulation with experimental methods is one focus of the activities. Joint projects and contracts with partners of the industry for research with regard to reliability of products and technologies are the main focus of the research. In the groups exists a wide experience concerning most difficult stress problems related to effects in microelectronics and microsystem technology. Project relevant facilities are thermal and mechanical modelling tools and various tools for the characterization of micro-materials like DSC, TGA, TMA, DMA, nano Raman, and nano indentation facilities. A wide experience concerning failure analysis, based on analytical tools like X-ray tomography, SAM, SEM, LSM, Thermoire, and FIB is also present. Based on theoretical modelling on the basis of micro- materials characterization and supported by failure analysis, prediction and optimization of microsystems from a mechanical reliability standpoint is the key role in the project.   

SORIN CRM is part of Sorin Group the largest cardiovascular company in Europe with 3500 employees. Listed on the Italian Stock Exchange, Sorin is a world leader in the development of medical technologies for cardiac surgery and offers innovative therapies for cardiac rhythm dysfunctions, interventional cardiology. For over 40 years, the world’s medical community has known and appreciated Sorin Group brands: CarboMedics, COBE Cardiovascular, Dideco, SORIN CRM, Mitroflow, Sorin Biomedica, Stöckert. Sorin is the inventor of the smallest pacemaker (8 cm3 for 20 g) and of the smallest implantable defibrillator in the world (29 cm3 for 86 g), SORIN has just obtained the authorization for introducing on the US market these technological jewels by Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Born in 1977 SORIN continues its R&D of therapeutic innovating solutions in the field of the cardiovascular devices. SORIN thus devotes each year 8% of its turnover to R&D. SORIN achieved therapeutic and technological successes essential such as the treatment of the cardiac arrhythmias and cardiac failure. The most promising innovation in the treatment of cardiac failure is a new generation of devices equipped with a revolutionary hemodynamic sensor: SonR. Under development, the sensor will transmit to the device information enabling him to adjust itself automatically and continuously with the evolution of pathology. The patients live the most normally as possible, by avoiding repeated hospitalizations.   

EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne or Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne) is one of the two national engineering schools in Switzerland. It delivers Engineer and PhD degrees in 12 engineering fields. The School has a staff of about 2,400 people including professors, scientists and administrative personnel and an annual budget of around 500MCHF. Engineering students are more than 6,500, while PhD students count for more than 1650.

The Nanoelectronic Devices Laboratory (Nanolab) is working on research topics in the field of silicon micro/nano-electronics with special emphasis on the technology, design and modelling of nanoscale solid- state devices, MEMS/NEMS for Radio Frequency and sensing applications. The group is interested in exploring new materials, novel fabrication techniques, and novel device concepts for future nanoelectronic systems.

  

VERMON SA is one of the world leading companies in Ultrasonic imaging devices for medical applications. The activities of the company are focused on research, development and fabrication of ultrasound transducers. The company was incorporated in 1984 from the Research group of University of Tours (France). From this date, VERMON has continuously demonstrated its strong commitment in innovations with more than 20% of its turnover devoted yearly to research and development of transducer technologies through activities on advanced imaging transducer designs (High-density/High-frequency array transducer, ultrawide-band array devices for harmonic imaging etc...) for imaging applications, optimisation and improvement of piezoelectric materials (composites, single crystals...) and new generation of sensor’s technologies (Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer, CMUT). Protection of knowledge is another important aspect of the development of VERMON, the company has invested significant effort in filing patents worldwide (more than 20 patents granted worldwide) in conjunction with scientific dissemination actions through numerous international publications (IEEE). In order to better serve customers in America, the company owns a US based subsidiary dedicated since 1995 to sales activities in the North America and exports more than 90% of its production worldwide.   

The Institute of Electron Technology (ITE) is a major Polish R&D centre in the field of semiconductor electronics and physics with a focus on development of innovative micro/nano-technologies and systems along with their introduction to microelectronic, optoelectronic, photonic and micro/nano-system applications. ITE has almost 40 years tradition and proven experience in development, dissemination and commercialization of new knowledge based technologies and designs of a wide range of integrated circuits, detectors, sensors and microsystems. The Institute employs 290 people. ITE is equipped with unique CAD, material characterization and processing facilities.

ITE consists of technology oriented, research departments, research laboratories and design groups, working in close cooperation. The biggest, Division of Silicon Microsystem and Nanostructure Technology maintains silicon CMOS/MEMS processing line with set of technological equipment located on 1200 sq.m, clean room area with all necessary facilities. The processing line renders possible research in the area of microelectronics, photodetectors and silicon microsystems and next, development work up to a prototype and pilot production stage. A small volume production of ICs is kept assuring proper quality of the plant. Our main focus is on providing international research /university community and SME's with access to micro- technology and furthermore on transfer of the developed technologies and/or products to small-scale production phase. For educational purposes Multi Project Wafer service is available as well (3 um, CMOS, 2-metal, 1-polysilicon). The ITE has a remarkable experience in co-operation with international R&D community offering a contract research services for industrial partners from Europe and USA as well as working within EU projects. Grasping new opportunities emerging due to opened access to FP5-7 and following EU programs, ITE has joined over 30 EU projects, out of which 17 engaged the Division of Microsystem and Nanostructure Technology.

ITE has a significant experience in the field of multidomain modeling and simualtion of multinature micro and nano systems from EU supported projects like CORONA, e-CUBES, INTEGRAMplus and many other. ITE also stays in long time cooperation with some MEMS CAD software developers like Coventor.

  

SIEMENS Corporation is a very well known major company which operates in the electrical-engineering industry. SIEMENS is a producer of innovative products as well as systems for measurement, controlling and regulation in various fields of electrical engineering. Main Focus is Industrial Automation Technology (including Building Technology), Energy and Environment as well as Medical Technologies. Applications concerning e-Brains are in line with the increasing need of the company for a quantum leap in the performance in gas sensors. This will satisfy the upcoming demand and catalyse in an extensive range of applications, many relating to health, environment and green technologies. The research work to be done within this project including application definition, integrated system design and technical development work will be done by the division SIEMENS Corporate Technology.

The research group for Chemical Sensor Technology located at the department Sensor Systems headed by Professor Fleischer has many years experience in the work in the field of gas sensors, in gas sensors base technology as well as in the requirements for coming application. They are making available an extensive amount of know-how in the field of development of innovative sensors systems (integration of sensor + electronics + housing + signal evaluation + quality control) and nano-technological approaches. The chemical sensing group consists of about 20 persons and contributes all required facilities for gas sensor development and testing as well as optical engineering.

The department Design to Prototype (D2P) is headed by Thomas Scheiter, who is also responsible for the Siemens internal global technology field of Micro System Technology. The department D2P has a long experience in developing interconnect technologies for packaging and assembly solutions. It also develops new MEMS concepts and technologies with a broad application range (from biology/health care over industrial to energy). D2P comprises 45 persons, which are working in the field of technology/product development and small volume production. The team is running an 850m2 clean room equipped with thin film technology and Silicon micromachining.

  

The Fraunhofer Gesellschaft is the leading organization of institutes for applied research in Europe, undertaking contract research on behalf of industry, the service sector and the government. At present, Fraunhofer maintains more than 80 research establishments at more than 40 locations throughout Germany. A staff of some 13000, predominantly qualified scientists and engineers, works with an annual research budget of over one billion Euros. Of this sum, more than 900 million € is earned through contract research. The Fraunhofer Microelectronics Alliance VμE coordinates the activities of the ten Fraunhofer institutes working with about 1700 people in the fields of micro- and nano-electronics.

Two Fraunhofer Institutes participate to the project:

Fraunhofer Research Institution for Modular Solid State Technologies EMFT, Munich

The Fraunhofer Research Institution EMFT is mainly working on the research and development of

• novel technologies for the further integration and miniaturization of microelectronic systems with increasing breadth of function,
• new techniques for the application of flexible materials in microelectronics and microsystem technology,
• integrated sensor techniques,
• biological and chemical sensor systems,
• microactuators and fluidic components,
• reliability tests of microelectronic circuits and components.

The goal of Fraunhofer EMFT is to bring research results in the areas of polytronic systems, micromechanics, actuators and fluidics, Device and 3D integration, chemical sensors and bioanalytics, and the analysis and testing of integrated systems into usable processes and market-ready products quickly and efficiently, that is, to implement prototype systems and services and make them useful for industry. The main areas of the department “Device and 3D Integration” are the process integration of new materials and processes for silicon-based semiconductor technology, as well as the development and optimization of CMOS-compatible technologies for the fabrication of three-dimensional integrated microelectronic systems.

Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits, EAS Dresden

In the Design Automation Division (EAS) of the Fraunhofer-Institute for Integrated Circuits about 70 scientific employees are working in the field of modelling, simulation, synthesis, test and verification, prototyping, and design of integrated circuits and heterogeneous systems. http://www.eas.iis.fraunhofer.de IIS-EAS has developed circuit models, behaviour models for sensors and actuators, design methods, algorithms for model generation and model libraries, approaches for efficient multi level and multi physics modelling of 3D integrated systems as well as software for simulator coupling and methods for electro- thermal simulation, e.g. in European projects as JESSI AC12, AC8, and AC6, VIRTUS, EURIPIDES, LIMA, VILAB, DynLAB and e-CUBES. The results have been embedded in industrial design flows.

  

The Graz University of Technology (TUG) among other areas is also very active in the whole field of ICT. The participating Institute of Electronics (IFE), with its head Univ.-Prof. Dr Dr. Wolfgang Pribyl has a longlasting experience in the field of electronic instrumentation including fault tolerant systems, RF and RFID circuits and systems and EMC issues. Wolfgang Pribyl has brought the field of integrated circuit and system design, with a strong focus on analogne, mixed signal and RF circuits and devices, to the institute. Besides R&D projects jointly carried out with the semiconductor industry a master program on analogne integratedcircuit design has been successfully established. The e-BRAINS project fully fits into this focus area and will further strengthen the institute's know-how and at the same time create valuable contributions for the project.   

IMEC is a world-leading independent research center in nano-electronics and nanotechnology. IMEC vzw is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, has a sister company in the Netherlands (IMEC-NL), offices in the US, China and Taiwan, and representatives in Japan. Its staff of more than 1,750 people includes over 500 industrial residents and guest researchers. In 2007, IMEC's revenue (P&L) was 244.5 million euro. IMEC's More Moore research targets semiconductor scaling for sub-32nm nodes. With its More than Moore research, IMEC invents technology for nomadic embedded systems, wireless autonomous transducer solutions, biomedical electronics, photovoltaics, organic electronics and GaN power electronics. IMEC's research bridges the gap between fundamental research at universities and technological development in industry.

Within the Process Technology (PT) unit of IMEC, the Packaging, Microsystem and Hybrid Technology (PAMAHT) group represents IMEC competence center with respect to the most advanced state-of-the-art research on IC and MEMS packaging, thin film technologies, 3D and Microsystems integration,. Available silicon processing technologies at IMEC are a result of 15 years development and innovation in thin film technology: metal sputtering and electroplating, dry and wet etching, plasma etching, sputtering, electroplating, DRIE (deep reactive ion etching), polymer spinning, wafer thinning, wafer to wafer bonding and standard assembly techniques (wire bonding, flip chip assembly, glob topping, ... ).

Within the packaging activities miniaturization of passives for RF application occupies a crucial role in modern wireless system integration. The advent of novel high K material deposited at low temperature make this a reality. This passive minaiturisation aims at reducing package size and improve qulity factor of passive components.

  

CEA (French Atomic Energy Commission), a public organization for technological research, carries out work in the areas of energy, information and health technologies and defence, building on the foundations of fundamental research at the highest level. Strengthened by the competence of its 15,000 researchers and collaborators, it is recognized internationally and constitutes a strong source of original ideas for public institutions and industries in France and in Europe.

CEA-Liten has 330 employees with a 40M€ budget. CEA-Liten is developing all aspects of nanomaterials from manufacture and handling techniques through to safety considerations and applications. CEA-Liten develops all integration aspects through different generations of processes (PECVD, μ-replication, printing,.) Liten is especially focused on the study of nano-objects (nanotubes, nanowires, and super nets), nanopowders (advanced ceramics, nanotracers) and nanostructured surfaces. CEA-Liten designs and develops semiconductors and conducting polymers to print circuitry, power generating devices. Its device experts have an understanding of the relationship between structure-property and device performance.

  

eesy-id GmbH, Gräfelfing, Germany is a start-up company (SME) spinned-off from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany in 2009. eesy-id is devoted to the design of electronic circuits, modules and systems, especially for wireless applications in the fields of communications, sensing, radar, local and global positioning, and navigation for applications in information electronics, automotive electronics, and medical electronics.   

IQE Silicon Ltd. is part of IQE PLC and provides advanced silicon, SiGe and germanium epitaxy services to the semiconductor industry. IQE PLC is headquartered in Cardiff UK and employs >300 persons worldwide with six manufacturing facilities in USA, Singapore and UK. The group turnover for 2008 was £60.5 million. IQE Silicon Ltd has continuously extended its epitaxy capabilities and was one of the first commercial developers of strained silicon grown on relaxed silicon germanium buffer layers in 2001. Since then we have developed several leading edge epitaxy technologies for external customers working on applications including MQWs and silicon based photonics. Additionally we have focused on developing new substrate technologies such as strained silicon on insulator (sSOI) and germanium on insulator (GeOI).

IQE Silicon has an engineering group dedicated to the development of advanced SiGe and Ge epitaxy structures on group IV bulk substrates and SOI. There is an installed base of single wafer ASM Epsilon 2000 reactors and supporting metrology tools to characterize complex epitaxy structures. We have successfully developed a number of leading edge ‘engineered substrates’ including strained silicon on insulator and germanium on insulator.

IQE is also experienced in the use of new silicon precursors that enable lower temperature processing thereby providing additional scope to deposit materials with improved TCR. Process expertise has been developed on SOI with respect to slip line optimization (made difficult by emissivity differences at the wafer edge of SOI wafers) and in-situ doping of the active silicon layer of the SOI.