The group focuses on materials, interfaces and interconnects, components and systems in electronic packaging and heterogeneous integration/ More-than-Moore /System-in-Package (as e.g. 3D-SiP, advanced Packages, application specific interposer, TSVs, MEMS, Power, etc) under the boundary conditions of technology development and industry.

Development of experimental and numerical methods for the thermo-mechanical chararacterisation of materials, material combinations and systems with the objective of lifetime assessment and prediction based on physics-of-failure principles.

• Development of concepts in fracture and damage mechanics
• Development of accelerated tests and fast screening methods for material selection
• Adhesion at interfaces / delamination

Research in packaging materials with respect to deformation and degradation mechanisms as function of industry-relevant processing and loading conditions (as e.g. temperature, moisture and vibration loading, in the time domain) based on structural parameters using our competencies in Materials Characterisation, Stress Testing for reliability assessment, Materials Modelling, Material Manipulation, Failure Analysis, Thermal Management & System Reliability.

• Thermo-mechanical Characterisation of materials under the above mentioned (and combined) loading conditions
• In-situ micro- and nano deformation measurements by means of DIC-methods in SEM, AFM and TEM (Multi-Scale DIC)
• Evaluation of residual stresses by Raman spectroscopy and FIB-milling in combination with DIC (in cooperation)
• Testing of miniaturised specimens using MEMS loading stages (e.g. also inside TEM), nanomanipulation and AFM (e.g. for SWCNTs)

• Standard tests (TCT, moisture conditioning, Vibration testing)
• Statistical evaluation of test data
• Development of special loading stages as customised equipment (e.g. isothermal fatigue testing for programmable loading regimes)

• Molecular dynamics, Mesoscale up to Finite Elements
• Multi-field simulations (coupling electrical, thermal and mechanical fields)

Development and application of analytical experimental methods in the micro and nano domain; e.g.:

• FIB, REM, TEM, EDX, EBSD
• DIC-Methods
• Thermography

Conception of reliability as a multi-scale challenge from nano to systems. Development of lifetime models for joining technologies like solders, die-attach, wire bonding, encapsulation, TSVs, etc.

• Thermal characterisation of mateirals, components (e.g. TEC, Heatpipes, TIMs) and Systemen
• Research and development of failure-analytical techniques based on transient thermal effects (e.g. pulse-phase thermography, 3Omega, customisable laserflash)
• Development of cooling concepts for micro- and power electronics systems

• Strong cooperation with research institutes (e.g. Fraunhofer ENAS, Fraunhofer IZM, Leibniz IFW, University of Oxford, TU Delft)
• Companies (e.g. IBM, Infineon AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, Thales)
• SME (e.g. Amic, Nanotest, CWM)