Tyndall National Institute

Fabrication Laboratories

The Silicon fabrication laboratory is configured to run 100mm substrates and maintains a CMOS compatible line.  While offering a variety of full processes (CMOS - 5um and 1.5um), Silicon PIN diodes and PMOS RADFETs it also offers the following technologies wafer cleaning, thermal treatments, ion implantation, photolithography, plasma etching, plasma deposition, PVD and ALD

In the MEMS fabrication laboratory we have capability and expertise in polymer processing, photolithography, wafer bonding, bulk micromachining, plasma etching, mixed frequency plasma deposition and metal deposition.  Silicon microneedles fabrication and magnetics on silicon device processing are two specific areas of interest in our MEMS lab.

In the Compound Semiconductor fabrication laboratory, research work primarily focuses on the fabrication of photonic devices on substrates comprising of Gallium Arsenide (GaAs), Gallium Nitride (GaN), Indium Phosphide (InP) and alloys.  Our fabrication staff provide process support to the research activities by developing new processes in the areas of plasma etching and dielectric deposition as well as providing process expertise in the core areas of photolithography, metal evaporation, dielectric coating, sputtering, plasma deposition and etching.

Packaging

The Tyndall packaging group has established an impressive range of packaging capabilities including; fiber optical packaging (Newport auto align & Nanosystec laser welder), micro optical assembly (Nanosytec nano-glue), semi- and fully-automatic flip- chip bonding with submicron precision (2 Finetech and new system approved for purchase with €1M budget), micro solder deposition using jetting technology (Pactech), ball and ribbon wire-bonding (3 systems), polymer embossing system (Jenaoptik), x-ray microscope inspection (Nordson), ultrasonic microscope (Sonoscan), environmental test chambers (multiple Heraeus systems), and wide range of optical and electron microscope systems for package analysis. These capabilities are supported by advanced design, including; optical (Lumerical and Zemax), electrical (HFSS and ADS), thermal (ANSYS and Comsol) and mechanical design (Solidworks). These capabilities have enabled the group to delivery full packaging solutions to many companies and academic researchers. Critically, the group supports multiple industrial sectors, with particularly strong collaborations in the areas of communications, medical devices and sensors.

Electron Microscopy

The Electron Microscopy and Analysis Facility (EMAF) at Tyndall, is committed to deliver state-of-the-art electron microscopy characterisation with rapid turnaround time for Industry and Academia. We develop customer and product specific analysis of materials and devices and provide comprehensive understanding of the measurement results.

• Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
• Elemental analysis (EDX)
• (Scanning) transmission electron microscopy (S)TEM
• Dual beam focused ion beam (FIB)
• Electron diffraction (SAED)
• Cryo SEM for soft materials

The centre comprises frontend activities encompassing cleanroom fabrication and training facilities as well as back-end Device Forensics activities including analysis, test, reverse engineering, packaging and reliability. 

Our flexible fabrication offering - FlexiFab - is in a unique position to allow for greater material exchange between the fabrication areas, whilst maintaining protocols to avoid cross contamination. The flexible exchange of materials and devices on offer here across the functional areas of CMOS, MEMs and Compound Semiconductor is unique in industrially accessible fabrication facilities. This enables the type of material integration essential for the More than Moore and IoT domains, where advanced sensors are made network aware. Our extensive ‘back-end’ facilities and expertise enable us to take the resulting functionalised devices and package them in a form that enables the customer to use them in their real world systems. Coupled with this are capabilities in reliability testing, reverse engineering, electron microscopy and analysis which together provide the diagnostic tools that allow for the forensic analysis of materials and devices.

Process & Product Development

Tyndall’s extensive fabrication facilities cover:

• Silicon MOS Fabrication
• MEMS Fabrication
• Compound Semiconductor Fabrication
• Training Facility
• E-Beam Lithography
• Flexifab

The flexible fabrication facility enables the heterogeneous integration of materials advanced device development. This enables the type of material integration which is essential for the More than Moore and IoT domains where advanced sensors are made network aware.

The resulting functionalised devices are transferred into the Device Forensics area for packaging, analysis, reliability and test.

Device Forensics

Complementing the ‘front-end’ fabrication capabilities, Tyndall has extensive ‘back-end’ facilities and expertise to be able to take the functionalised devices and package them in a form that enables the customer to use them in their real world systems. Married with this are capabilities in reliability testing, reverse engineering, electron microscopy and analysis which together provide the diagnostic tools that allow for the forensic analysis of materials and devices.

The particular capabilities cover the areas of:

• Electronic Packaging & Reliability analysis – wire/die bond, PCB assembly, µBGA. Environmental testing, package & failure analysis, burn-in, shock & drop, X-ray analysis, scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM).
• Electron Microscopy Analysis Facility (EMAF) – SEM, TEM, FIB, EDAX analysis, cryo-stage enabled SEM for biological sample analysis.
• ​DTE – IC re-engineering, patent infringement, circuit design analysis, analogue, digital & mixed signal diagnostic measurements.