Fraunhofer IZM’s focus is on packaging technology and the integration of multifunctional electronics into systems. As part of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the institute specializes in applied and industrial contract research. Fraunhofer IZM was founded in 1993 and is today one of the global leaders in microelectronics and microsystems packaging. The focus lies mainly on material, process and substrate development, characterization and simulation, advanced system engineering, assembly and interconnection technologies, and environmental engineering. Fraunhofer IZM employs more than 450 employees and graduate students, with its main branch in Berlin. Together with its partner institute at the TU Berlin, it is running a ~1000 m² clean room with full thin-film and packaging capabilities from 4” to 12” wafers.

During the guided tour at Fraunhofer IZM, you will get a deep insight into the hottest electronics research topics.

Substrate Integration
See what’s new in chip-on-board technologies, for precision mounting or the embedding of microelectronics into rigid and flexible printed circuit boards. Fraunhofer IZM’s lab opportunities go even further: hot embossing, micro-optical assembly, component and system characterization, encapsulations (conformal coating, potting, flip-chip and CoB molding, needle and jet dispensing, transfer and liquid molding, wafer-level encapsulation) or state-of-the-art SMD & flip-chip assembly!

Textile Integration Lab
With the Textile Integration Lab, the Fraunhofer IZM offers outstanding resources, highly qualified staff, years of experience and a multitude of tools to advance and support the development of innovative e-textile applications. Several state-of-the-art lamination presses allow for the seamless integration of electronic modules into textiles. With an industrial embroidery machine including TFP capability, a variety of conductive yarns and wires can be directly sewn onto textiles to realize complex electronic circuitry. Thermoplastic materials can be joined using our ultrasonic spot and rotary welding machines. The e-textile bonder – developed at the Fraunhofer IZM – makes resource-efficient and reliable interconnections between electronic modules and textile-integrated circuits fast and easy. This innovative process enables us to achieve a mechanical and electrical interconnection in one step. Electronic modules of up to 50 x 50 mm² can be interconnected with conductive structures integrated into textiles of up to 100 x 100 cm².

Cleanroom
Fraunhofer IZM runs cleanrooms and laboratories with production-compatible equipment. Besides the flexibility regarding the processing of different wafer sizes, the process lines are also characterized by a high adaptability of the individual processes. Take a breathtaking look into the 800 m² clean room (classes 10 to 1000) + 800 m² gray room, 4’’, 6’’ and 8’’ prototyping equipment, for some applications also on 300 mm. This is where high-density electronics integration technologies are being developed: thin-film deposition, photolithography (including photo varnishes, polymers and spray coating), galvanic bumping, circuit tracks and through-via filling (Cu, Ni, Au, AuSn, SnAg, PbSn), wet-chemical processes (etching, cleaning), wafer bonding and silicon plasma etching.

Material Characterization
For the successful optimisation of the reliability of complex systems in the micro/nano range, it is necessary to have knowledge about the failure behaviour of materials and of damage development. In order to be able to precisely describe deformation, damage and crack behaviour of materials and composites, investigations are provided on stresses under the relevant operating conditions. These include static/dynamic testing, microload equipment, material analysis, nano-hardness testing, atomic force microscopy, thermal analysis, component assessment and mechanical spectroscopy.