Flexible hybrid electronics are increasingly seen as an ideal means to bring together flexible, printed and traditional electronics. One key aspect is developing the manufacturing techniques that will merge these approaches together. Pick and place is a common means of production, but there are limitations.
 
systeMECH, Inc. believes it has an alternative production method. Developed by Dr. David Grierson and Prof. Kevin Turner at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, systeMECH was launched in 2011 to tap into the potential of its direct die placement process (DDP).
 
“Direct die placement (DDP) is a process by which thin semiconductor components, such as silicon dies, are transferred directly from a source carrier (e.g., a source wafer, dicing tape, or a die pack) to a destination substrate in a single step,” said Dr. Grierson, co-founder and CTO of systeMECH, Inc. “In contrast to conventional pick-and-place (PnP) tools that require a ‘pick’ step and a ‘place’ step for component placement, DDP allows components to be transferred to flexible substrates in a single ‘place’ step.”
 
Dr. Grierson said the core concept upon which systeMECH’s DDP technology is based was first conceived when he was a postdoctoral researcher within Prof. Turner’s Lab, which at the time was located at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (now at the University of Pennsylvania).
 
“During that period, we were investigating the mechanics of stamp-based PnP approaches for transfer printing ultra-thin, single-crystal semiconductors onto a wide variety of destination substrates in order to fabricate advanced electronic and photonic devices,” said Dr. Grierson. “Recognizing that printing yields for thin components can decrease with decreasing component thickness, largely due to preferential adhesion of the component to the stamp during the ‘place’ step of the pick-and-place process, we asked ourselves a simple question – can we bypass the ‘pick’ step and re-engineer the transfer-printing process to only include a ‘place’ step?
 
“In other words, can we design a system whereby the tiny, fragile components are adhered directly and permanently onto the destination substrate itself, without needing to pick them up and subsequently drop them off? We determined that not only was this possible, but other significant benefits follow from a manufacturing approach that eliminates the need to make direct mechanical contact to fragile and/or geometrically complex components during assembly,” Dr. Grierson added. “Hence the first concept for what would evolve into DDP was born.”
 
Dr. Grierson noted that the printed and flexible electronics manufacturing equipment market, a segment of the Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) industry, is the target market for DDP technology.
 
“The market is large and rapidly growing in order to respond to the pull from markets including wearables, medical devices, and product packaging,” he added. “FHE (flexible hybrid electronics) development is fueled by the need to mass produce devices for which performance is of the highest value and reliability is critical - i.e., the full operation of flexible, inorganic semiconductor-based electronics is required. Scalable solutions for placement and integration of thin and ultra-thin high-performance ICs onto flexible backings are central for realizing the full potential of such components at high production rates.”
 
Creating a manufacturing ecosystem has been a challenge that systeMECH has had to overcome.
 
“On the application side of development, the key challenge has been identifying an emerging, growing manufacturing ecosystem to which systeMECH’s technology and accompanying processes can contribute,” Dr. Grierson said. “As a part of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Phase I Small Technology Transfer Innovation Research (STTR) program, we participated in the ‘Beat-the-Odds Boot Camp,’ which provides Phase I awardees with entrepreneurial training, including strong encouragement for company co-founders to get out of the building and interact with a large number of decision makers and end users of the technology being developed. As a result of that NSF Boot Camp, we pitched our DDP technology at a number of meetings and technical conferences, including the 2017FLEX conference last June.
 
“It was through the FLEX conference that we made direct connections with members of the NextFlex consortium on FHE manufacturing,” he added. “With the NextFlex technology hub being at the forefront of FHE device manufacturing within the U.S., we feel like we have found an ecosystem that is both actively solving manufacturing challenges that our technology can help to address and is open to new, innovative solutions. We have installed a DDP prototype tool within the clean room at NextFlex and are actively participating in pilot studies to prove our technology within a vibrant manufacturing environment.”
 
Dr. Grierson sees opportunities ahead for systeMECH’s DDP manufacturing technology.
 
“We recognize the vast opportunity for our DDP technology and processes to contribute to the actualization of the far-reaching vision that the Internet of Things (IoT) espouses,” he added. “For example, commercial personal-health and structural-health monitoring devices require low-cost and high-volume manufacturing of smart, light-weight and conformable high-performance electronics with integrated sensing, processing, and communication functionality. To capitalize on the surge of excitement and development, our company has a roadmap for commercializing a fully automated mid-volume DDP tool within two years, barring any precluding arrangements that develop with partners or sublicensees in the interim. Concurrently, we are engaging potential strategic partners and pursuing joint-development agreements to develop application-specific equipment to suit our partners’ FHE manufacturing needs.”