European Consortium for Accelerating Innovations in Electronic Capsule Manufacturing

Duration: 36 months

Start and end dates: 01.07.2025 – 30.06.2028

Coordinator: ASML Netherlands B.V.

Number of partners: 31

Total budget: € 93.670.931,60

EU contribution: € 22.924.223,55

Project description

Modern electronics are becoming increasingly compact and powerful thanks to advanced assembly and packaging technologies. This progress enables the integration of more functions into smaller devices. In this context, the E2PACKMAN project, funded by the European Union, aims to strengthen Europe’s manufacturing ecosystem. The project brings together partners from 13 countries and facilitates collaboration between major semiconductor manufacturers and small and medium-sized enterprises, with the goal of developing advanced materials, processes, and equipment for packaging. The initiative covers the entire value chain, from materials research to prototype validation. Its main objective is to increase industrial capacity, stimulate innovation, and reinforce Europe’s position as a leader in modern microelectronics.

Goal

The E2PACKMAN project, funded through the Chips JU initiative, contributes to strengthening innovation and production in the field of electronic packaging in Europe, with the goal of enhancing the ecosystem for advanced, cutting-edge electronics. Integrating a greater number of functionalities into a smaller volume remains the main driver of progress in microelectronics. To enable continuous miniaturization, assembly and packaging (A&P) are becoming increasingly essential components in the value chain of a microelectronic product.

To ensure the future of “Made in Europe” electronic products, a significant boost is needed to strengthen innovation and production in the A&P sector. Accordingly, the E2PACKMAN project will promote research in materials, as well as the development of innovative equipment and processes. The research will focus on stimulating Europe’s industrial production capabilities, both by reinforcing the capacities of major semiconductor suppliers and by creating a network that allows SMEs to develop their innovative devices in Europe.

A world-class consortium of 61 partners from 13 European countries has been assembled to drive the development of advanced packaging in Europe, particularly toward heterogeneous system integration. The European E2PACKMAN project adopts a coherent strategy covering the entire value chain, from the development of materials, processes, and technologies to prototype validation, including the interface between the package and the chip, as well as the board/system.

Within the E2PACKMAN project, POLITEHNICA University of Bucharest contributes expertise in advanced metrology and testing, performing morphological and compositional characterization (AFM, e-beam methods), detection and quantification of stresses and strains (μRaman, HR-XRD), endurance and reliability testing in controlled and extreme environments (temperature 1.6–700 K, humidity, gases, magnetic fields ±9 T), as well as developing protocols and improving methods and equipment for electrical, thermal, and mechanical testing.

Work plan

POLITEHNICA University of Bucharest is involved in the following activities:

1. Materials and Interfaces
1.1. Materials for advanced thermal management of capsules
1.2. Materials for advanced capsule interconnection solutions
1.3. Fatigue, degradation, and damage mechanisms of materials for chip, substrate, and capsule
1.4. Sealing and reliability of non-conductive capsule interfaces

2. Equipment and Processes
2.1. High-density lithography and interconnections

3. Electrical and Reliability Testing and Methodologies for Heterogeneous Integration
3.1. Design and fabrication of testing and characterization vehicles
3.2. Methods for co-testing electrical, thermal, and mechanical performance
3.3. Validation and implementation of testing methods

4. Dissemination, Exploitation, and Standardization

Partners

1. INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AG (DE)

2. EXTOLL GMBH (DE)

3. FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG EV (DE)

4. NANOWIRED GMBH (DE)

5. ROBERT BOSCH GMBH (DE)

6. Swissbit Germany AG (DE)

7. TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET CHEMNITZ (DE)

8. AT & S AUSTRIA TECHNOLOGIE & SYSTEMTECHNIK AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT (AT)

9. APPLIED MATERIALS EUROPE BV (NL)

10. BESI AUSTRIA GMBH (AT)

11. INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRIA AG (AT)

12. MATERIALS CENTER LEOBEN FORSCHUNG GMBH (AT)

13. PROFACTOR GMBH (AT)

14. SILICON AUSTRIA LABS GMBH (AT)

15. VEREIN ZUR FORDERUNG DER ELEKTRONENMIKROSKOPIE UND FEINSTRUKTURFORSCHUNG (AT)

16. INTERUNIVERSITAIR MICRO-ELECTRONICA CENTRUM (BE)

17. MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES (BE)

18. ROARTIS BVBA (BE)

19. OKMETIC OY (FI)

20. ABB OY (FI)

21. EDR & Medeso Oy (FI)

22. MURATA ELECTRONICS OY (FI)

23. TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OY (FI)

24. THALES (FR)

25. COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES (FR)

26. MICRO PACKS (FR)

27. UNITY SEMICONDUCTOR (FR)

28. 3DIS TECHNOLOGIES (FR)

29. NOV A LTD (IL)

30. STMICROELECTRONICS SRL (IT)

31. CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE (IT)

32. Eles Semiconductor Equipment SpA (IT)

33. TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFT (NL)

34. ASML NETHERLANDS B.V. (NL)

35. BESI NETHERLANDS BV (NL)

36. BOSCHMAN TECHNOLOGIES BV (NL)

37. NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR TOEGEPAST NATUURWETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK TNO (NL)

38. NEXPERIA BV (NL)

39. PRODRIVE TECHNOLOGIES INNOV ATION SERVICES B.V. (NL)

40. SIGNIFY NETHERLANDS BV (NL)

41. TFA EUROPE B.V. (NL)

42. ATEP – AMKOR TECHNOLOGY PORTUGAL SA (PT)

43. INEGI – INSTITUTO DE CIENCIA E INOV ACAO EM ENGENHARIA MECANICA E ENGENHARIA INDUSTRIAL (PT)

44. INTERNATIONAL IBERIAN NANOTECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (PT)

45. INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES MANUFACTURING PORTO, UNIPESSOAL LDA (PT)

46. PICADV ANCED, SA (PT)

47. ROBERT BOSCH SRL (RO)

48. Infineon Technologies Romania and CO. Societate in Comandita Simpla (RO)

49. UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA CLUJ-NAPOCA (RO)

50. RISE RESEARCH INSTITUTES OF SWEDEN AB (SE)

51. ALSTOM RAIL SWEDEN AB (SE)

52. ERICSSON AB (SE)

53. LULEA TEKNISKA UNIVERSITET (SE)

54. SENSEAIR AB (SE)

55. SIVERS WIRELESS AB (SE)

56. SLOVENSKA TECHNICKA UNIVERZITA V BRATISLA VE (SK)

57. MARMARA UNIVERSITY (TR)

58. BIGTRI BILISIM ANONIM SIRKETI (TR)

59. SAYKAL ELEKTRONIK AS (TR)

60. HERAEUS ELECTRONICS GMBH & CO. KG (DE)