Project general information
Project: Components’ assembly and interconnection through combined solderless technologies – COMPACT
Finaciar support: The Executive Unit for Financing Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation (UEFISCDI); European Commission through ERANET MANUNET programme
Project type: ERANET
Contract number: 153/2020
Period: 2020 – 2022
Project
COMPACT project aims to develop a new manufacturing technology method to build electronic modules without using solder alloy, but materials like conductive paste or ink, resin, electroless copper. The proposed technology might allow to manufacture cheaper and more reliable electronic modules since all the problems caused by the solder joints (defects like cracking, whiskers, tombstoning, voiding, a.s.o.), and by the process (delamination, higher thermal stress of the components), will disappear.
COMPACT involves less energy Consuming processes thus contributing to the environment protection. In order to achieve its objectives, COMPACT combines two processes, the printed circuit board fabrication and the electronic components assembly, into one in which the electronic module is built layer by layer, electronic components placement and interconnection structure, by using other processes (e.g:printing, curing, encapsulation, copper deposition) with existing equipment. COMPACT allows to get robust electronic modules, fully protected to dust, chokes and humidity. It is expected that the first applications will be for harsh environments, underground (traffic/parking sensors), navy, space.
Consortium
Politehnica University from Bucharest, Center for Electronic Technology and Interconnection Techniques, UPB-CETTI, Romania
TacticaTIC, Spain.
Dissemination
During the research activities on the materials that could be qualified for use in the new technological method, some results were obtained that could be of wider interest. One of these was materialized in the paper “Investigations at the Interface of a Multilayer Structure Made of Non-conductive and Conductive Resins”, which was presented at The IEEE 26th International Symposium for Design and Technology in Electronic Packaging (SIITME), October 21st-24th, 2020, Pitesti. After presentation, during the discussion time interval, the presenter promoted the new technological method for electronic module manufacturing.
Another outcome was the result of the study of electroless copper deposition on traces made by conductive paste and inks. The work “Electroless Copper Deposition on Low Temperature Silver Thick Films” was presented at the 8th International Conference on Materials Science and Technologies, RoMAT 2020, November 26-27, 2020, Bucharest. The extensive paper with the same title was published in the Scientific Bulletin, Series B, Issue 3, 2022, of the Politehnica University of Bucharest and is available here.
The problem of the current capability of conductor tracks was deepened by a new study aimed at optimizing the process of creating the tracks. The experiments, measurements and conclusions were concretized in a scientific paper “On the Increase of the Current Carrying Capability of the Conductor Tracks Made of Electrically Conductive Adhesives”. The paper was presented at the 44th International Spring Seminar on Electronics Technology, ISSE 2021, Dresden. All the authors are partners within the COMPACT Project or from a subcontractor (NANOM-MEMS).
A short presentation of the new technological method of manufacturing electronic modules promoted by the COMPACT Project was presented to students from the Masters of Advanced Technologies Integrated in Automotive Electronics, TAEA, year II, and Quality and Safety Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunications, IRSFET, year I, 2021-2022, within the discipline Methods of simulation and testing of automotive electronic modules. The course took place on November 14, 2021 and took place online according to the decision of the Senate of the Politehnica University from Bucharest
The Round Table
On April 20, 2022, a Round Table was held to disseminate the results of the COMPACT
Project. The event took place in hybrid format, face to face in the Boardroom of the Faculty
of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology within the Politehnica
University of Bucharest, respectively online. Guests from three EU member states also took
part, as well as guests from countries on other continents (North America, Asia). The profiles
of the companies participating in the event are exclusively in the field of electronics, such as
the design and manufacture of electronic modules (Samway Electronic - authorized
distributor of ELMA products in Romania, Syswin Solutions, both in Romania, TacticaTIC,
Spain), manufacture of printed wiring boards and stencils ( Hardtech, Bulgaria), suppliers of
electronic materials, equipment and products (Ideama Consult, Flexello - authorized
distributor of ELANTAS Europe products in Romania), electronic packaging consultancy
(Verdant Electronics, USA), manufacturer of electronic materials, sensors and medical
products (Tatsuta Electric Wire and Cable, Japan). The cluster for Innovation in the
electronics industry, ELINCLUS, was represented by 4 entities, companies already
mentioned but also a research unit, the Center for Electronic Technology and
Interconnection Techniques, CETTI-UPB. In fact, the COMPACT Project itself is a result of
the cooperation within the cluster, namely Syswin Solutions and CETTI.
In the opening of the event Prof. PhD. Paul Svasta welcomed the participants and thanked
all those who were involved in the smooth running of the Project. His conviction is that this
new method, which is now in its infancy, will soon be subject of the heterogeneous
integration of technologies.
Next, the Project Director, Gaudențiu Vărzaru from Syswin Solutions, spoke, presenting the
COMPACT Project from its need, to the issues raised by the implementation of the method,
the experiments proposed to find the answers, to the practical realization of a module for the
demonstration of the new technological method. Several samples of the final product were
distributed to the participants for examination.
The Spanish partner, TacticaTIC, was represented by David Lopez, who presented the
activities and experiments performed on a demonstration module made by the new
technological method. These experiments were complementary to those performed in
Romania, including behavior in the marine environment.
The leading partner in research and experimentation activities, UPB, represented by Prof.
PhD Ciprian Ionescu, presented results of research activities carried out during the two
years and which were disseminated at International Conferences, such as ISSE, SIITME,
RoMAT.
The power-point presentations, as well as the three samples offered to the public,
demonstrated the ability of the new technological method to produce electronic modules
without the use of solder alloy. In the discussions that followed the presentations, it was
expressed that for a faster implementation of this new technological method, related
research is needed to simplify large labor-intensive operations by designing new equipment,
rather than adapting existing ones on SMT assembly lines. A more extensive analysis of the
reliability of the products made by this method will be necessary.
At the International Conference on Engineering Physics, Electronics and Earth Science (EEPES 2022) held in Varna, Bulgaria during 22nd - 24th June, 2022, the paper “Contributions to an Additive Method for Manufacturing Solderless Assembly for Electronics” was presented. The authors of the research paper resulting from the development of the COMPACT project are: Gaudentiu Varzaru, Mihai Savu, Bogdan Mihailescu, Ciprian Ionescu and Mihai Branzei. The Conference was held in hybrid format. The presentation was made by the Director of the Project, Gaudentiu Varzaru, during the Session Electronics Devices and Circuits, VR_Hall 1, on June 23, 2022, online.
The paper presented at the EEPES 2022 was published in the Journal of Physics: Conference Series and is available here.
ATOM-N 2022
The research carried out within the COMPACT Project regarding solderless technology has been extended to the optical field. The effect of the encapsulation of the Light-emitting diodes (LED) on the optical power as well as the heat dissipation was addressed. This investigation was concretized in the paper "Thermal Investigations on LED Modules Realized Using Solderless Assembly for Electronics Technology", which was presented at the 11th edition of the International Conference "Advanced Topics in Optoelectronics, Microelectronics and Nanotechnologies, ATOM-N 2022", which took place between August 25-28 in Constanta, Romania. All the authors were part of the Project team: Ciprian Ionescu, Bogdan Mihailescu, Mihai Branzei, Gaudentiu Varzaru. The dissemination of the results was carried out in Poster format, online, by the Project Manager of the P1 Partner, UPB-CETTI, PhD. Prof. Ciprian Ionescu, on August 26.
ESTC 2022
ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS INTEGRATION TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE (ESTC) is the largest semiconductor encapsulation conference in Europe and a premier international event in the field of electronic packaging and systems integration. At the 9th edition of the ESTC 2022 Conference, which took place on September 13 – 16, 2022, Sibiu, Romania, the paper Investigations on the Robustness of a Solderless Assembled Electronic Module by Bogdan Mihăilescu, Gaudentiu Vărzaru, Ciprian Ionescu, Mihai Brânzei , Daniel Comeagă and Florin Baciu was presented. Most of the authors of the work resulting from the research carried out within the COMPACT Project were part of the Project's implementation team. The work was presented in Poster format by Bogdan Mihăilescu, lecturer at the Politehnica University of Bucharest.
SIITME 2022
During the 28th edition of the INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM FOR DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY IN ELECTRONICS PACKAGING, SIITME, which took place in Bucharest between October 26-29, a paper was presented as a result of the research activities carried out during development of the COMPACT Project. The work entitled Measurement of some properties for material qualification in solderless assembly for electronics, authors Florin Baciu, Mihai Brânzei, Gaudențiu Vărzaru and Bogdan Mihăilescu, was presented in the Poster session on Thursday, October 27, by Associate Prof. Florin Baciu, Ph.D., from the Department of Materials Resistance from the Politehnica University of Bucharest. The oral presentation accompanied by the physical presentation of an electronic module made using the technological method proposed by the COMPACT Project was well received by the auditors who appreciated that solderless technologies are the future in electronic assembly.
BP International Book chapter
On March 30, 2023, the chapter "Investigating the Use for Solderless Assembly for Electronics of Some Electrically Conductive Composite Materials" was published in the book Recent Progress in Science and Technology, Vol.8. The chapter was written by Gaudentiu Vărzaru, Mihai Savu, Bogdan Mihăilescu, Ciprian Ionescu and Mihai Brânzei, active members of the research team within the COMPACT Project. The chapter resumes a previous article by the same authors in which the behavior of electrically conductive composite materials at ultra-high frequencies was addressed. These materials have been studied as possible solutions for the manufacture of electronic modules without the use of soldering alloy. The book was published by BP International with registered offices in India and UK and is available worldwide in online or paper format. Through the approach taken to publish the chapter the authors aimed to disseminate a new technological method of manufacturing in the Indian subcontinent, where there is considerable human potential and a continuously growing electronics industry sector.
Events
The kick-off meeting of the project took place online on May 6, 2020. Participants:
PhD. Ana Maria Paraschiv, Gaudentiu Varzaru, Hannelore Valkanova, PhD. Rosemari Kiss, Adrian Zarnescu, Razvan Ungurelu, Ileana Damian (Syswin Solutions);
PhD. Prof. Ciprian Ionescu, PhD. Lecturer Bogdan Mihailescu, PhD. Assoc. Prof. Mihai Branzei, PhD. Prof. Paul Svasta, PhD. Lecturer Mihaela Pantazica, Cristina Lepadatu (UPB-CETTI);
Isabel Santos, David Lopez Alonso (TacticaTIC);
PhD.Marin Gheorghe (NANOM-MEMS).
During the Event “THE ELECTRONIC WEEK OF ELECTRONICS PACKAGING COMMUNITY 2020” which took place on-line between October 19th-24th, it was presented the paper “Investigations at the Interface of a Multilayer Structure Made of Non-conductive and Conductive Resins”. All the authors are partners within the COMPACT Project. The paper presented the results of some preliminary tests performed within the frame of the Project. The paper was presented by Gaudentiu Varzaru on October 22, during the Poster Session 1, within SIITME event.
The Event THE ELECTRONIC WEEK OF ELECTRONICS PACKAGING COMMUNITY 2020 had two distinctive sections:
The 29th Edition of Interconnection Techniques in Electronics (TIE & TIE+) and The IEEE 26th International Symposium for Design and Technology in Electronic Packaging (SIITME). The participants in the two events were both from the academia and industrial environment, being located in several parts of the world: Romania, Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria, Poland, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Norway, Finland, Singapore, Japan, USA.
During the 8th International Conference on Materials Science and Technologies, RoMAT 2020, which was held in Bucharest, Romania, November 26 – 27, it was presented the paper “ELECTROLESS COPPER DEPOSITION ON LOW TEMPERATURE SILVER THICK FILMS”. All the authors are partners within the COMPACT Project: C. Ionescu, M. Gheorghe, G. Varzaru, M. Branzei, B. Mihailescu, S. Gheorghe, R. Ungurelu, and P.M. Svasta. The paper, which is the result of research work performed within the project, was presented on-line on November 27 by PhD. Prof. Ciprian Ionescu, Project Manager of P1 Partner – Politehnica University from Bucharest – Center for Electronic Technology and Interconnection Techniques, UPB-CETTI.
The online meeting of the project partners took place on January 15, 2021. A balance of the first stage was made and the content of the second stage was presented. Next, the mechanical and electrical testing capabilities of some structures made with polymeric materials were detailed. It was also mentioned the usefulness of performing dynamic mechanical and electrical tests on these structures.
Between May 5th to 7th , 2021, the 44th International Spring Seminar on Electronics Technology, ISSE 2021, took place in Dresden, Germany, organized by the Institute of Electronic Packaging Technology (IAVT) and the Centre for Microtechnical Manufacturing (ZmP), TU Dresden. On May 6th , during the Poster Session 1, Part B, PhD. Prof. Ciprian Ionescu, Project Manager of P1 Partner – Politehnica University from Bucharest, presented the paper “On the Increase of the Current Carrying Capability of the Conductor Tracks Made of Electrically Conductive Adhesives”.
On May 11, 2021, the online Project Meeting took place with the participation of all partners in which issues related to mechanical testing and the opportunity to make a working visit to NANOM-MEMS company to address the possibility of integrating the electroless copper plating into the technological assembly line.
On June 11, 2021, the online Project Meeting took place with the participation of all partners for the preparation of the Miterm Report requested by the MANUNET Secretariat.
On July 20, 2021, the online Project Meeting took place to inform the partners about the completion of the Midterm Report and the presentation of the Demo modules made by the Coordnator, Syswin Solutions. Each partner will receive a sample.
On September 10, 2021, the online Project Meeting took place with the participation of all partners in which the stage of carrying out the activities in phase 2 was presented. A decision on the working visit to NANOM-MEMS company was postponed until the pandemic restrictions were relaxed.
The Electronic Week of Electronics Packaging Community 2021 took place between October 25th-30th, 2021. Rightly called the Community's Autumn Convention, it brought together two events: The 30th Edition of the Interconnection Techniques in Electronics (TIE), the Professional Student Contest, and the IEEE 27th International Symposium for Design and Technology in Electronic Packaging (SIITME). On October 29, at SIITME Conference, the paper “Vibration Testing of a Solderless Electronic Module Manufactured by Additive Technique” was presented. All the authors, Gaudentiu Varzaru, Razvan Ungurelu, Mihai Branzei, Bogdan Mihailescu, Ciprian Ionescu and Paul Svasta are members of the Project research team. The paper presents one of the results of research on a new method of making electronic modules without the use of solder alloy, the COMPACT Project. The paper was presented by PhD. Prof. Ciprian Ionescu, Project Manager of P1 Partner - Politehnica University from Bucharest - Center for Electronic Technology and Interconnection Techniques, UPB-CETTI, during the Poster 3 session.
On January 7, 2022, the online Project Meeting took place with the participation of all partners; the conclusions of the project activities at the end of the second stage were presented.
Also, the activities to be carried out in the last stage were presented and discussed. It has been proposed that the Workshop for the presentation of the Project Results to be held in April 2022 and to be conducted online.
March 7, 2022. The online Project Meeting took place with the participation of all partners. Topics covered:
1) The stage of the manufacturing activity of a real electronic module through the new technological method, respectively the situation of the screen for the deposition of the electrically conductive material.
2) New dissemination activities: creation of a Roll-up to popularize the project, the possibility to generate another scientific paper for a participation in a prestigious event - The Electronics System-Integration Technology Conference (ESTC), September 13 – 16, 2022, Sibiu, Romania.
3) Actions to promote the COMPACT Project in Spain.
April 7, 2022. A new online Project Meeting took place with the participation of all partners. The following topics were addressed:
1) the completion of the activities assumed according to the GANTT planning, respectively the presentation of the first electronic module of a device for detecting the occupancy of the parking spaces made by the new technological method.
2) the preparation of the Round Table for the presentation of the Project which will be held on April 20, 2022, respectively the establishment of the Agenda and the assignment of the topics that will be treated by each partner
