EMERGING NANOTECHNOLOGY AND ITS EFFECT ON ELECTRONICS

MANUFACTURING

Dr. Alan Rae

Vice President, Market & Business Development
NanoDynamics, Inc.
Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.
[email protected]

Dr. Robert C. Pfahl, Jr.

Vice President, Operations
iNEMI
Herndon, Virginia, U.S.A.
[email protected]

ABSTRACT consumer needs. The linkages between roadmaps is

In the next ten years we will see a dramatic upheaval in the illustrated in figure 1.
electronics industry as we try to find the replacement for
CMOS in order to continue Moore's Law - as well as The 2004 iNEMI Roadmaps were developed by nineteen
enhance CMOS technology to take us forward until the Technology Working Groups (TWGs), in response to inputs
technology is ready. iNEMI has been working with the from representatives of OEMs in seven Product Emulator
NSF and NSI among others to identify the effects this Groups (PEGs). The nineteen TWGs are identified in figure
turmoil will have on components, packaging and assembly. 2 and can be classified into four categories:
Based on a gap analysis of the 2004 roadmap, iNEMI has • Business Technologies – (Product Lifecycle Informa-
identified key areas and is working with members, tion Management (PLIM));
government agencies and universities to ensure that these • Design Technologies (Modeling, Simulation, and
gaps are filled. This presentation outlines the identified Design; Thermal Management; Environmentally Con-
gaps and the actions underway. scious Electronics);
• Manufacturing Technologies (Board Assembly; Final
Key words: nanotechnology, electronic packaging, Assembly, and Test, Inspection and Measurement);
electronics manufacturing • Component/Subsystem Technologies (Semiconductor
Technology, Packaging, Interconnection Substrates –
INTRODUCTION Organic and Ceramic, Passive and RF Components,
Roadmapping is a well-established process in the electronics Optoelectronics, Displays, Mass Data Storage, Energy
industry and brings the best minds in the industry together Storage Systems, Sensors, and Connectors).
to predict the evolution of the industry over the next ten
years. There are a number of roadmaps for individual areas The 2004 iNEMI Roadmap consists of over 1200 pages,
such as optoelectronics, but the most complete coverage for with more than 470 participants from over 220 companies,
the electronics supply chain is provided by three critical universities and associations from 11 countries. This docu-
roadmaps: ment is intended to serve as a resource to all who are tasked
ITRS – covering the semiconductor and IC packaging with directing R&D (both funding and execution).
industry.
iNEMI – covering product needs and identifying process The roadmapping process does not explicitly identify
issues. disruptive technologies, but by identifying needs, par-
IPC – covering mainly assembly and circuit board issues. ticularly those for which there are no known solutions that
meet the performance and cost requirements, members of
All three roadmaps are distinct but overlap; all three run on the iNEMI roadmapping team implicitly identify areas for
approximately a 2-year cycle. Overlapping membership innovation and the utilization of disruptive technologies. As
ensures an overall consistency in the future vision although an example, the first NEMI Roadmap in 1994 determined
perspectives and opinions may differ. All three use time- that the introduction of area array packaging created a need
based projections to identify technology evolution (e.g. for a new substrate technology. Recent concern in North
pitch, i/o, power consumption, pad size, dielectric materials America over the loss of manufacturing capabilities to
choice, etc.) and identify gaps in technology or the supply China has stimulated discussion that North America
chain that need to be filled if we are to meet anticipated
must place greater emphasis on innovation and the bandwidth capability to 10-12 Gbps for electrical
development of disruptive technologies. iNEMI is interconnects. At some point, circa 2010-2015, the limits of
committed to improving the roadmapping process to better electrical transmission in high performance systems may be
identify disruptive technologies, find matches to current reached. Optical systems are likely to provide part of the
needs, and help anticipate new applications and products. solution, particularly if Optical ICs are developed.
As we move beyond the digital convergence of electronic
products, we anticipate the merger of micro and nano Next generation packaging technology
chemical, mechanical, and biological sensors with micro Every score of years the electronics industry has introduced
and nano electronics for disruptive innovations in many a new generation of packaging technology, which has taken
areas. a decade to develop. It is very apparent that a new
generation of low-cost packaging technology will be
In some cases the disruptive technologies may also find required during the next decade. This new generation will
application by being embedded in conventional product need to interface with the interconnect structures of the new
embodiments. As an example, nano-particle fillers may nano-devices, provide the required thermal cooling and
enhance select properties of existing polymeric materials. electrical performance, and be compatible with a number of
These applications will likely result in new opportunities to devices and applications including rf, optical, sensors,
extend the life of current materials and manufacturing MEMs, and biological. This next generation packaging
infrastructure - enabling them to deliver enhanced device or technology will require materials with enhanced properties
component functionality. and advanced manufacturing processes to address the
rapidly decreasing dimensions and cost expectations.
Breakthroughs may take the form of disruptive technologies
that supplant existing technologies. Examples of these are Design and simulation tools
quantum computing systems, molecular electronics, and The lack of tools for mechanical, electrical, thermal,
spintronics replacing CMOS semiconductor technology. environmental, optical co-design from the device to the
Others may be radically new applications, such as sensor system level is delaying the introduction of new technology.
and drug delivery systems that detect emerging disease in Significant research and development is needed both in
the body or treat existing diseases. Such personal healthcare tools and techniques for effectively partitioning the design
systems would give an added dimension to the iNEMI and simulation. The new simulation areas that need
consumer and portable product sectors. research (Opto, Nano-Scale / Spintronics) will become
critical after 2007. Simulations related to nanotechnology
IDENTIFIED GAPS could have a large impact on the semiconductor and the
Six strategic gaps have been identified from the 2005 electronic materials industry. It is clear that an increase in
iNEMI gap analysis: an unusual combination of business and quantum-mechanics
perspective is required for nanotechnology to be successful.
Active device technology Proper funding of simulation tools will be critical to
The predicted end of traditional CMOS semiconductor nanotechnology growth and funding will be contingent upon
scaling is generating significant reverberations in business conditions going forward.
approaches and structures of computing systems. The first
consequence is the gradual but certain reduction of Sustainability metrics
emphasis on the frequency of microprocessor frequency The concept of sustainability is being widely adopted and
metric, and the corresponding increase in importance of the promoted by companies throughout the electronics supply
system’s throughput metric. chain as a core tenet and measure of performance of their
business operations, largely in response to heightened
Thermal management interest by stakeholders in corporate social and environ-
Another consequence of the expected demise of the mental responsibility. There is currently no industry-wide
traditional scaling of semiconductors is the increased need consensus on how to measure or report sustainability.
for improved cooling and operating junction temperature While there are differing views on the degree to which such
reduction due to large leakage currents and increase in chip comparisons are practical or useful, the electronics industry
power. would benefit greatly from a more unified, coherent and
meaningful approach to sustainability reporting.
Increased serial communications bandwidth
The third consequence of the end of the traditional POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS FOR THE IDENTIFIED
semiconductor and the gradual but certain reduction of GAPS
emphasis on the frequency of microprocessor metric, and The potential solution to three of the six strategic gaps may
the corresponding increase in importance of the system’s be the innovative use of nanotechnology: New nano-device
throughput metric, is an increased demand for higher structures or nano-scale CMOS extensions will likely
bandwidth to and from the microprocessor in any system. provide the next generation device technology. New
Current designs have already utilized 3-6 Gbps data rates, material structures with embedded nano-particles will likely
and designs in the near future are expected to increase this
play a role in thermal management and the next generation to reduce the melting point of Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) alloys. The
of packaging technology. objective of this project is to develop a SAC solder paste
with the same melting point as Sn-PB eutectic solder.
On the other hand, the use of materials with nano-fillers, or
active nano-devices will put increasing pressure on closing CONCLUSION
the gap in design and simulation tools. Also the potential In the next ten years we will see a dramatic upheaval in the
environmental impact of nano-devices and new nano- electronics industry as we try to find the replacement for
materials will need to be proactively addressed. CMOS in order to continue Moore's Law - as well as
enhance CMOS technology to take us forward until the
FIRST iNEMI PROJECT UTILIZING technology is ready. This impact will be felt not only at the
NANOTECHNOLOGY device level, but also at the package and system level. A
iNEMI has established its first project that utilizes key focus will be package and substrate technology, which
nanotechnology to close a tactical gap. The project, Pb-free provides the bridge from the device to the system.
Nano-solder: The Application of Nanotechnology to Nanotechnology may provide the solutions to six of the
Suppress Non-Lead Solder Reflow Temperature, is strategic gaps identified by the iNEMI gap analysis process.
investigating the feasibility of using nano-metallic spheres

Figure 1. Roadmap linkages.

Figure 2. 2004 iNEMI Technology Working Groups (TWGs)