Despite its significant market expectations for a vast area of applications, many microsystems (MST, MEMS) still face key manufacturing challenges in guaranteeing stability, robustness and associated reliability within the target working environment. The EU Network of Excellence in Design for Micro & Nano Manufacture (PATENT-DfMM) has over the past 3 years responded to industrial requirements for developing and providing access to expertise and infrastructure in the areas of multi-level modelling, Design for Testability, Design for Reliability and Packaging Technology. Within this project, resource is now being targeted towards application driven clusters of expertise that will offer manufacturing related design services to industry, with a special emphasis on helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Together with the Europractice Technology Access Initiative INTEGRAMplus that provides industrial design, prototyping and manufacturing services based on specific silicon and polymer technologies, together with multi-domain integration platforms, PATENT-DfMM is organising a major event. The event aims to provide delegates with:
- A forum to assess advances in the microsystems field and opportunities for uptake.
- An opportunity to gain awareness of new funding opportunities within the UK and EU FP7 programmes.
- Solutions for accessing technologies, engineering services and business support; on both the academic and the industrial level.
The first day is an outreach event "A New Technology for a New Industrial Era". This meeting will be of specific interest to companies who are either users or suppliers of Micro & Nano Systems or interested in engaging with this technology.
Day 2 will focus on Business Development in the Micro & Nano Systems area. New intellectual property development and methodologies associated with design and manufacture will be showcased. The day will also feature a tutorial specifically targeting Market entry, business practice and supply chain management.
The third and fourth days will address "Technical Advances in the Micro & Nano Systems field" and will focus on state-of-the-art in design and manufacturing technologies for Micro & Nano Systems. Key advances in Reliability & Test Engineering, Packaging Technologies and System Integration will be presented together with contributions from the Design Automation, Simulation and Modelling communities.
For more information and registration: www.engineering.lancs.ac.uk/microsystems/mnt2007.html
About the NoE Design for Micro & Nano Manufacture (PATENT-DfMM)
The Network of Excellence (NoE) Patent-DfMM aims to establish a collaborative team to provide European industry with support in the field of "Design for Micro & Nano Manufacture" to ensure that problems affecting the manufacturing and reliability of products based on micro & nano technologies (MNT) can be addressed before prototyping and production. The project is funded by the European Commission within the Information Society Technologies (IST) Programme of FP6. PATENT is currently launching a series of Service Clusters to help industry, especially SMEs, in meeting the MicroNano manufacturing challenges. For more information: www.patent-dfmm.org
About INTEGRAMplus
INTEGRAMplus is a customer-responsive design and prototyping service with a route to volume for integrated microsystems. The main focus of INTEGRAMplus is on integrating silicon-based MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) components, which provide smart functionality, with polymer backplanes and platforms for additional functions, packaging and interfacing to the macro-world. Through INTEGRAMplus you can access the expertise from major European players with world leading competencies in micro and nanotechnologies including: silicon, polymer, glass and hybrid solutions, multi-domain technologies (optics, fluidics, MEMS, biological, chemical and electronics), multi-level integration (material, electronics, functions and systems), and design, development and production along the supply chain.
For micro and nano-based products INTEGRAMplus offers customised solutions including consultancy, feasibility studies, design, development, prototyping and a route to production. Standardised tried and tested modules provide an accelerated route to market whilst minimising risk and cost. INTEGRAMplus provides a unique combination of world leading competencies to provide you with smart mixed technology components and solutions. www.integramplus.com
About Europractice
EUROPRACTICE is a European Commission initiative, funded by the EU Information Society Technologies (IST) Work Program. The aim is to improve the competitiveness of European industry by the adoption of advanced electronics technologies. "EUROPRACTICE" has become internationally recognised as a quality brand name for European service-type projects in the Microsystems and Microelectronics fields. In 2006, the EC introduced new Microsystems service actions such as INTEGRAMplus and invited other service-related research activities such as PATENTDfMM into the "new EUROPRACTICE". www.europractice.com