Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: IMEC announces awards

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Abstract:
IMEC announces awards for Maaike Op de Beeck, Antonio La Manna, Swarnakamal Priyabadini, Bo Wang, Michael De Volder, Chang Chen, Jesse Trekker as well as individual papers and laboratories.

IMEC announces awards

Leuven, Belgium | Posted on December 18th, 2011

Awards
Maaike Op de Beeck has received the Best Paper Award for her paper entitled ‘Design and characterization of a biocompatible packaging concept for implantable electronic devices' at the 44th International Symposium on Microelectronics (IMAPS, www.imaps.org/imaps2011) (session on European perspectives on packaging & system integration). In the paper, the authors present a biocompatible packaging process for implantable electronic systems, combining biocompatibility and hermeticity with extreme miniaturization. Also cost aspects are taken into account, an important aspect since precious metals such as gold, platinum and IrOx are used. Co-author of the paper are K. Qian, P. Fiorini, K. Malachowski and C. Van Hoof.

Antonio La Manna has received the Best Paper Award for his paper entitled ‘Use of wafer-applied underfill for 3D stacking' at the 44th International Symposium on Microelectronics (IMAPS, www.imaps.org/imaps2011) (session on 3D - TSV process and materials). The paper reports the work done to assess the properties of several wafer-applied underfill materials and their integration in 3D stacking. The underfill is a specialized adhesive that has the main purposes of locking top and bottom dies. After initial assessment, the most promising materials have been used for 3D stacking. Co-authors of the paper are K.J. Rebibis, C. Gerets and E. Beyne.

Swarnakamal Priyabadini (of imec's associated laboratory at Ghent University) has received the Outstanding Student Paper Award at the 44th International Symposium on Microelectronics (IMAPS, www.imaps.org/imaps2011) for his paper entitled ‘3D-stacking of UTCPs as a module miniaturization technology'. The paper presents a technology for the 3D stacking of ultra-thin chip packages (UTCPs) - one of the emerging concepts in the field of high-density integration. The technology has been successfully implemented for the production of 3D stack of 4 EEPROM memory dies. Co-authors of the paper are A. Gielen, K. Dhaenens, W. Christiaens, S. Van Put, J. Vanfleteren (imec, Ghent University); G. Kunkel, (HighTec MC AG) and A. E. Petersen (3Oticon A/S).

Bo Wang has received the Best Paper Award for his paper entitled ‘Outgassing study of thin films used for poly-SiGe-based vacuum packaging of MEMS' at the 22th European Symposium on Reliability of Electron Devices, Failure Physics and Analysis (ESREF 2011, esref2011.ims-bordeaux.fr). In this work, thermal desorption spectroscopy was used to study outgassing from poly-SiGe, SiC and SiO2 films used for poly-SiGe-based MEMS thin-film vacuum package technology. Primary desorption products were found to be H2, H2O and CO2. The CO2 outgassing could be correlated with CF4 plasma interface cleaning used for thick SiGe PECVD, which can leave carbon at the CF4-plasma-cleaned interface. Co-authors of the paper are S. Tanaka (Tohoku University, Japan), B. Guo, G. Vereecke, S. Severi, A. Witvrouw, M. Wevers (K.U.Leuven) and I. De Wolf.

The paper entitled ‘Automated architecture exploration for low energy reconfigurable AGUs' has received the IEEK Semiconductor and Device Society Award at the 2011 International SoC Design Conference (ISOCC, www.isocc.org/main). The paper was established through collaboration between imec, Osaka University and Risumeikan University. In this paper, the authors introduce an automated architecture exploration challenge of a reconfigurable AGU (Address Generation Unit) based on a coarse-grained reconfigurable architecture for effective address calculation. The introduced architecture exploration method enables to explore the vast solution space effectively, and to obtain the optimal trade-off points about 164 times faster than the exhaustive search. Authors of the paper are I. Taniguchi (Ritsumeikan University, Japan); M. Jayapala, P. Raghavan and F. Catthoor (imec); and K. Sakanushi, Y. Takeuchi and M. Imai (Osaka University, Japan).

Marloes Peeters (of IMO/IMOMEC, imec's associated laboratory at UHasselt), has received the Award for Best Oral Presentation at the Graduate Student Symposium on Molecular Imprinting 2011 (https://sites.google.com/site/gssmip2011/home) for her presentation entitled ‘MIP-based biomimetic sensor for the electronic detection of serotonin in human blood plasma'. This work reports the first electronic sensor that enables detection of serotonin in undiluted human blood. The method is based on the use of molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs) as synthetic receptors for the serotonin molecules. This electronic technique is much faster and cheaper than commonly used methods that are based on e.g. chromatography. Serotonin plays an important role in diseases like certain cancers, depression and the irritable bowel syndrome.

Michael De Volder (imec and K.U.Leuven) was awarded the Barco High-Tech Award 2011, a prize organized by Barco, ‘Vlaamse Ingenieurskamer' (VIK), vzw Bachelor.be and the ‘Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek' (FWO) to stimulate research and innovation in Flanders (www.barco.be/en/pressrelease/2804/nl). Michael received this prize for his work on the integration of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in microsystems. This work will find applications in a new generation nanoscale devices including microsensors and micromirror arrays. While still affiliated to imec, and K.U.Leuven, Michael is currently continuing this research at Harvard University as part of an exchange program sponsored by the FWO.

Michael De Volder (imec and K.U.Leuven) and his teammates of the University of Michigan were awarded the 1st prize at the ‘Science as Art Competition 2011' of the Material Research Society for a collection of scanning electron microscopy images of corrugated carbon nanotube structures (CNTs) (www.mrs.org/f11-science-as-art/). The method for making these structures is based on an iterative sequence of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of CNTs and capillary self-assembly. The proposed technique promises the development of new microsystems, engineered surfaces and metamaterials.

Chang Chen has received the Thesis Award in Microscopy Instrumentation and Methods from the Belgian Society for Microscopy (BSM, www.bvm-sbm.ua.ac.be/) for his thesis entitled ‘Plasmonic nanopores for direct molecular identification'. In this thesis, an innovative strategy for DNA detection or even for genome sequencing is demonstrated by combining surface plasmonic polaritons with nanopore fluidics. Although the challenges towards genome sequencing are still huge, the author firmly believes that this strategy offers a great potential for single molecule level real-time analysis and opens new opportunities for genome sequencing based on single molecule spectral identification. Promotors of the thesis are G. Borghs and G. Maes (imec and K.U.Leuven).

Jesse Trekker (imec and K.U.Leuven) has received the Young Belgian Magnetic Resonance Scientist Award (www.ybmrs.be/index.php?page=home) for his presentation entitled ‘A MRI contrast agent for cell labeling based on monodisperse iron oxide nanoparticles and PEGylated silanes'. In this work, oxide nanoparticles (IONs) have been synthesized through the thermal decomposition method and an optimized coating process was developed to make the IONs suitable for cell experiments. The researchers demonstrated the strength of the applied synthesis and functionalization methods to produce a range of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents. Co-authors of this work are T. Struys (K.U.Leuven), A. Ketkar-Atre (K.U.Leuven), W. Van Roy (imec), L. Lagae (imec and K.U.Leuven) and U. Himmelreich (K.U.Leuven).

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About IMEC
Imec performs world-leading research in nanoelectronics. Imec leverages its scientific knowledge with the innovative power of its global partnerships in ICT, healthcare and energy. Imec delivers industry-relevant technology solutions. In a unique high-tech environment, its international top talent is committed to providing the building blocks for a better life in a sustainable society. Imec is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and has offices in Belgium, the Netherlands, Taiwan, US, China, India and Japan. Its staff of about 1,900 people includes more than 500 industrial residents and guest researchers. In 2010, imec's revenue (P&L) was 285 million euro. Further information on imec can be found at www.imec.be.

Imec is a registered trademark for the activities of IMEC International (a legal entity set up under Belgian law as a "stichting van openbaar nut”), imec Belgium (IMEC vzw supported by the Flemish Government), imec the Netherlands (Stichting IMEC Nederland, part of Holst Centre which is supported by the Dutch Government), imec Taiwan (IMEC Taiwan Co.) and imec China (IMEC Microelectronics (Shangai) Co. Ltd.) and imec India (Imec India Private Limited).

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