Ultra Precision Surfaces - a New Role for OpTIC?The new OpTIC Technium is set to play a vital role in working with leading research teams from (UCL) University College London and Cranfield University in developing next generation processing technology for ultra precision surfaces, an ability which is already being seen as a key enabling technology for future commercial, scientific and defence systems.
The aim of the proposed project is to produce ultra precision surfaces at ten times the accuracy and with ten times greater speed than the current state of the art, and also to establish a research facility for optimising a multi-process production cycle for polished surfaces with a general 3-D form. System and process research will be undertaken in four key enabling technologies. These will be combined in a novel way to demonstrate a deterministic manufacturing capability at relative precision in the range of 1 part in 108, representing ultra precision processing at an unrivalled level. The developed research equipment will be brought together at a single location to provide the UK with a unique esearch capability for processing ultra precise complex form surfaces. The project is ambitious in that it seeks to establish a step-change advance in the processing route for nanometrically smooth and precise complex shaped surfaces. It will produce a unique facility for low volume component manufacture for the UK science base, and will be exploited by companies who manufacture ultra-precision surfaces for demanding applications employing leading edge technology. The demand for such surfaces comes from a number of diverse sources. The microelectronics industry continues to require a higher volume of components to be produced with etched features that have sub-micrometre dimensions and ever increasing density and complexity. This in turn places demands on the optics used in wafer steppers. The manufacture of wafer stepper optics represents today’s most advanced production technologies, producing surface form accuracy of 20 nm across a 200 mm component or 1 part in 107. Future optical systems will demand more precise optics with more complex form. Large mirror systems built from segments, grazing incident based systems, and off-axis unobstructed systems, will certainly require non rotationally symmetric “free form” surfaces. The next generation of 30-100 metre diameter extremely large telescopes (ELTs) will require large numbers of hexagonal primary mirror segments: some 4000 for ESO’s 100 m ‘Overwhelmingly Large Telescope’ (OWL), and some 700 for the alternative European concept – the ‘Euro50’ 50 metre telescope. OWL is currently proposing primary segments of spherical form to mitigate risk, but with serious consequences in terms of the enormous size and complexity of the spherical aberration compensator, and the potential performance-degradation due to the 6 mirrors in the system. Euro50 adopts a more elegant and simple 2-mirror solution, but the challenge of producing the aspheric primary segments, which are essentially free form surfaces, is currently unresolved. An increasing call for Remote Sensing and Earth Observation spacecraft capable of capturing data with high resolution is stimulating demand for high quality aspheric optics in general, and for complex 3-D forms in particular.
Many other engineering components such as turbine blades and prosthetic joints also need to have excellent conformance to required shape and high surface finish quality. Not only does this increase the efficiency of production of these components, benefiting the manufacturing companies, there will also be benefits to the end users of these products. Better quality turbine blades result in more efficient engines requiring less fuel and producing less pollution. Similarly, better engineered prosthetic joints will fit patients more easily and last much longer, increasing patient quality of life and reducing the need for revisional surgery. Further research is required to improve these surfaces and the reliability of reproducing them. The project provides the potential for OpTIC to form the basis of a national large optics fabrication laboratory. The aim would be for this laboratory to achieve international standing over a period of years. In doing so OpTIC will provide the opportunity for commercial exploitation through its developing network of client companies – thereby facilitating the growth of internationally competitive advanced production facilities. Dave Rimmer, WOF Chairman 
The Impact of EU DirectivesThe Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and the RoHS (Hazardous Substances) European directives will have a great impact on suppliers of electronic and opto-electronic equipment over the coming years.
As part of the Sector Champion’s European funded project there is a requirement to create awareness of environmental technology transfer opportunities. Enviros was commissioned to interpret these directives for companies in the electronics and opto-electronic sectors to look at possibilities for environmental technology transfer opportunities and to produce a guide for distribution which will be available in January. Additionally, as part of the project, a seminar in collaboration with the Welsh Assembly Government was run at the Vale Hotel on the 5th December and attended by 11 companies in the sector.
Photonics Academy for Wales – a new opportunity?Three requirements are widely seen to be essential for the development of advanced technological industry: people, people and people. The growth of the optoelectronics industry in Wales, and particularly businesses incubated from the OpTIC Technium, will call for a skilled workforce possessing a wide range of technical knowledge together with generic skills in business, marketing and communications. The Welsh Optoelectronics Forum (WOF) has identified an opportunity for creating a novel integrated educational and training framework - the Photonics Academy for Wales – whose aim is to meet the needs of those wishing to take advantage of the wide spectrum of career opportunities offered by optoelectronics. The key features of the Photonics Academy are:
WOF, with the assistance of Education and Learning Wales (ELWa), has established a working group which has begun to identify practical means for building the Photonics Academy. The group is open to constructive engagement from all those with an interest in helping to meet that objective. The more help available, the faster the dream will become a reality - or at least a virtual reality. If you would like to contribute to this project please contact: Professor Alan Shore, School of Informatics E-mail: alan@informatics.bangor.ac.uk
Laser workshop for SMEs at OpTIC TechniumOne of the first events to be held at the recently opened OpTIC Technium in St. Asaph, North Wales is a Workshop on Laser System Technology and Applications for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) under the auspices of EOS – the European Optical Society.
Because the event is precisely targeted at this particular audience, the lectures are designed to be as practice-oriented as possible. At a time when laser technology is being used in almost every branch of industry, and it has become almost impossible to imagine materials processing without lasers, the processes and systems have become more complex as they have been made more sophisticated. As a result, for users to keep track of these rapid developments, events like these which are based on highly specific topics become increasingly indispensable. Different sessions of the workshop, scheduled for the 12th and 13th February 2004, will cover essential topics like:
The sessions will be chaired by Friedrich Bachmann of Rofin Sinar from Germany, Paul Hilton from The Welding Institute TWI in the UK and Kenneth Watkins from the University of Liverpool. The workshop is organised jointly by the European Optical Society, the Welsh Optoelectronics Forum and the Association of Industrial Laser Users, and is sponsored by the Welsh Development Agency. The programme and registration details can be found on the EOS website at www.europeanopticalsociety.org from early January 2004. In the meantime, those wanting to find out more about the event or the related associations can also contact: Klaus Nowitzki (Executive Director)
‘Superior Performance’ wins Taiwan order for STS Crucial factors in the order were superior levels of performance and customer service. Johnny T.C.Liu, President and CEO of the Taiwanese customer explained that “We originally selected the STS etch system due to its superior performance on a critical step in our manufacturing process. As we expanded our production capacity, we have and will remain strongly committed to STS, based on their technology, productivity and throughput and on the exceptional levels of service they provide.” Nor was XinTec alone in their estimation. The company recently carried out a service support survey among their suppliers and vendors. STS, together with their Taiwan regional sales and customer services partners Challentech were rated number one supplier. In the words of STS Vice-chairman Mutsuo Mukuda “To be selected by XinTec for its expansion is a very important milestone for STS and reinforces our growth plans in that region. We have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with XinTec and will continue to ensure XinTec receive leading-edge technology and superior support.” STS designs and manufactures a range of highly specialized machines for the production of semiconductors and semiconductor related devices, which incorporate innovative technology. The company serves a range of applications in several emerging sectors outside the ‘mainstream’ semiconductor market within the optoelectronics, compound semiconductors and MEMS industries. STS is a market leader in silicon etching within the growing MEMS market with patent protected technology. In addition, STS has strong presence in each of its other served markets and distributes its machines world-wide through an experienced sales and service operation consisting of direct sales, distributors and agents. The Group currently markets in over 30 countries and has an installed base of approximately 700 machines with customers. More information is available on the company website at: www.stsystems.com STS’ Taiwanese partners, Challentech International Corporation were established in 1987 and are recognised throughout the country for their depth of experience in the semiconductor industry. The company represents a range of semiconductor equipment and consumables manufacturers, and numbers STS amongst their key associates, with dedicated and responsive sales and service personnel providing the highest levels of local support.
New Laser Micromachining Centre at the University of Wales, Bangor
A new Laser Micromachining Centre (LMC) has been established at the Institute for Bioelectronic and Molecular Microsystems (IBMM) at the University of Wales, Bangor. The Centre is based within the School of Informatics and is intended to provide high quality laser micromachining services, primarily for commercial users. This work will include:
Dr. Nadeem Rizvi, Technical Manager of the Laser Micromachining Centre, said: “The aim of the LMC is to establish a versatile, user-friendly and responsive facility for the UK laser micromachining community. The range of microfabrication capabilities within the IBMM is unique in the UK and this, coupled with a fast turnaround time, will allow new ideas to be evaluated cost-effectively and micro-machined parts to be produced quickly.” Dr. Rizvi was previously at Exitech Limited for more than 9 years, where he developed a wide range of laser micromachining techniques and applications. For more information about the Laser Micromachining Centre please contact either: Dr Nadeem Rizvi, Technical Manager, LMC or Dr Mike Holmes, Commercial Manager, IBMM
Aberystwyth
organic semiconductor research programme reaches maturity
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| Joachim Steiner, a young DIODE researcher at Aberystwyth testing a new 400-channel electron/ion detector for advanced XPS and UPS of organic semiconductor thin films. |
The DIODE (Designing Inorganic-Organic Devices) European Research Training Network which includes the Materials Physics group at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, is now in its final year, a year which has seen two major events in the network’s activities. DIODE members have edited a special edition of the Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, dedicated to organic-inorganic semiconductor interfaces and containing multidisciplinary contributions by all groups.
In addition the DIODE consortium had a strong presence at the 9th International Conference on the Formation of Semiconductor Interfaces held in Madrid last September. Members of the consortium contributed 19 papers to the event, and delivered the main plenary talk on organic semiconductors.
The DIODE network was set up to provide a stimulating training network for young researchers in a research area that spans the traditional disciplines of physics, chemistry and engineering. The focus of their research is the modification of high frequency III-V semiconductor mixer diodes by incorporating organic semiconductor interlayers.
Already, small molecular semiconductors based on perylene and phthalocyanine structures can be grown with high purity and high dimensional precision in thin film structures on a range of substrates. These low-cost materials are finding increasing applications in electronics (such as thin film transistors) and in optoelectronics (such as flat panel, flexible displays and OLED’s).
The teams are based in five different European countries, at the Physics Departments of the Universities of Aberystwyth, Dublin, Chemnitz, Paderborn and Madrid), at the Engineering Departments of the Universities of Braunschweig and Rome, and in industrial companies like Freiberger Compound Materials and Syntek Chemicals). The role of the Aberystwyth Materials Physics team is to co-ordinate the experimental studies of electronic structure using techniques such as OMBD, XPS, UPS, I-V, optical spectroscopy and synchrotron radiation.
The DIODE groups have recently been joined by two Chemistry departments at the Universities of St. Andrews and Bologna, a French research centre (Orsay) and a US Engineering group at the University of Princeton in a Framework 6 Marie Curie network application.
For further information please contact:
Dr. Andrew Evans,
Institute of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
University of Wales,
Aberystwyth
SY23 3BZ.
Tel: +44 (0) 1970-622803
E-mail: a.evans@aber.ac.uk
Thales
Optics based in St. Asaph, a member of the Thales High Tech Optics
Group, has announced a new £0.5 million collaboration, part funded
under the DTI LINK Information Storage and Displays programme, to
develop the next generation of head mounted displays. Thales Optics’
partners in the new project are MicroEmissive Displays Ltd, based
at the Scottish Microelectronics Centre in Edinburgh, and EPICentre,
which is based at the University of Abertay in Dundee.
MicroEmissive Displays Ltd was formed as a spin-out from Napier and Edinburgh universities, and is using third round, venture capital finance to begin volume manufacture of its first major product, the ME3203 colour micro display. This display has been developed for electronic viewfinders in digital cameras and camcorders. The small size, low cost and low power consumption of MED’s polymer based, organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays make them very suitable for many wearable display applications.
EPICentre
is an academic centre of excellence in the characterisation and
human factors evaluation of displays, with established expertise
in the photometry of displays. It is developing a head mounted display
simulator, which will allow assessment of those characteristics
of displays which affect user acceptance for particular applications.
Thales Optics already has a wealth of experience in the design of
visual display optics for defence applications.
The company has design and manufacturing capabilities which encompass diffractive elements, aspheric optical surfaces, polymer optics, holography and advanced coatings, all of which offer potential advantages for low weight display optics.
The new project is entitled “Eye Zone Display using Emissive Microdisplay” or, more succinctly “EZ Display”. It aims to determine the critical factors for display acceptance and produce a demonstrator using MED’s proprietary display technology and Thales’ optical design and manufacturing capability.
The demonstrator will be small enough and light enough to be wearable, and have improved battery life and improved environmental survivability. It will also be capable of being developed for low cost manufacture. The partners believe that close collaboration between display manufacturer, optical package supplier and human factors experts will result in a system which takes advantage of the unique properties of the microdisplay and matches the capabilities of the human visual system.
For further information please contact John Blomfield
at:
Thales Optics, Glascoed Road, St. Asaph,
Denbighshire LL17 0 LL, Wales UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1745 588 000
Fax: +44 (0) 1745 584258
E-mail:
john.blomfield@uk.thalesgroup.com
Website: www.thales-optics.co.uk
UNIVERSITY
NEWS
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The Welsh Optoelectronics Forum has an excellent track record in organising and supporting meetings to provide information and networking opportunities to its members. Although WOF seminars usually focus on technical or business topics it has, in recent years, successfully extended its portfolio to encompass an event with a very different flavour – the North Wales International Music Festival.
The Festival was founded over thirty years ago by Professor William Mathias, a famous local composer and musician, and is held in St. Asaph Cathedral at the end of each summer. Over the years it has attracted many thousands of visitors and leading performers from around the world. The unique acoustics of the cathedral combined with the informality of the event have an especial appeal to musicians and audiences alike.
Local optical companies have a long association with the Festival and have been involved since its inception. In particular, first Pilkington, then PPE, Pilkington Optronics and, more recently THALES Optics Ltd. have all taken turns in sponsoring the opening evening of the week long festival. In recent years, the WOF has taken a key role in continuing this tradition by co-ordinating a sponsorship opportunity for its members.
For WOF companies, sharing the costs allows them to benefit from a significant PR opportunity and the associated advertising exposure, for a very modest outlay.
In particular, it provides an affordable hospitality event that our smaller members can enjoy by inviting their own guests to both the concert and pre-concert reception. For the WOF as a whole it sends out an important message that our industry has more than just a technical dimension and is able to play a wider role in the community.
The first “communal” sponsorship event was in 2001. The opening concert of the 30th North Wales Music Festival featured the Mozart Oboe Concerto played by the young Welsh oboist Alun Darbyshire with the Liverpool Mozart Orchestra under Charles Peebles in their 50th anniversary year. Last year we sponsored a concert by Synfonia Cymru and Gwyn Hughes Jones. Synfonia Cymru is an acclaimed orchestra of young musicians from all parts of Wales, a talented group of under 25 year olds providing a training ground for players entering the music profession. Although it is primarily a chamber orchestra of around 42 players it numbers more than 100 players “on its books”.
Gwyn Hughes Jones is one of the finest tenors of our time and together they provided a programme which included music by Mendelssohn, Mozart, Faure, Geraint Lewis, and local composers.
The event in 2003 attracted the greatest number of WOF companies so far. It was designed as a special tribute to the late Dr George Guest, CBE - a strong supporter of the Festival. The programme comprised a choral extravaganza of French and Welsh music featuring Cantorion Ardwyn and other artists who provided and outstanding and memorable evening.
I hope that even more companies will be able to join us in supporting the Festival in 2004 when I am sure that the Artistic Director, Geraint Lewis, will have lined up another superb musical treat for us to share with our guests. If you are interested in helping to sponsor this event please contact Jill Evans (Jill.Evans@wda.co.uk) or myself.
Dave RIMMER;
Dave.Rimmer@optictechnium.com
The eighteenth meeting of the annual SIOE conference will be held at the School of Engineering in Cardiff University between the 5th and 7th of April 2004. The objective of the conference is to provide an informal atmosphere for the discussion of research in semiconductor optoelectronics.
A special interest of the meeting is the design, fabrication and applications of semiconductor optoelectronic circuits. To preserve the informality of the meeting, attendance will be limited to about 100, and contributions are requested in the form of oral papers, each one covering 15 minutes including the resulting discussion, and poster papers.
Contributions are invited on the following topics:
Abstracts in the form of a single A4 page in a form suitable for
direct reproduction, should be sent by the 1st February 2004 to:
Professor K Alan Shore, School of Informatics, Dean Street,
University of Wales, Bangor, BANGOR, LL57 1UT, Wales, UK.
Further details on the technical programme of the conference are
available from Professor Shore at the above address or via
e-mail: alan@informatics.bangor.ac.uk;
Fax + 44 (0)1248 361429
or the website: http://www.sees.bangor.ac.uk/~alan/welcome.htm
General information on SIOE ’04 including accommodation requirements
can be obtained from:
Ms Cherrie Summers,
Cardiff School of Engineering, PO Box 917,
Newport Road, Cardiff, CF2 1XH, Wales, UK.
Tel/Fax: +44 (0) 2920 874 421
Arizona VisitFrom the West Coast to the Ivory Coast… global partnerships and collaboration are the way of the future says the Welsh Development Agency and the Greater Tucson Economic Council in Tucson, Arizona, USA. Ian Maxwell, representing the WDA, and Dave Rimmer, representing WOF & OpTIC, carried out a short but intense visit to Arizona in mid-December 2003. The “fact finding” visit was intended to renew contacts with the AOIA and University network in Arizona and establish new contacts on behalf of opto-electronics community in Wales. The visit was initiated in support of the WOF International Business Development Programme initiated in 2003 with a series of seminars led by Ian. The plan is to provide help and guidance for individual companies in developing their Business Plans to encompass International business opportunities and highlight specific opportunities, where these are believed to exist. Initial feedback from Arizona is that there are many synergies that can serve as the foundation of a dynamic future partnership at several levels – region to region, faculty to faculty, and company to company. We look forward to developing stronger ties between our two regions in anticipation of accelerating the economic benefits of a growing business relationship! The plan is to add reciprocating links to the WOF web site with contacts made in Arizona and will be following up with a full report to members. In particular, web links have already been established with the Greater Tucson Economic Council (GTEC). If you are a Welsh company and considering
an overseas business alliance in the US or a gateway into Latin
America, please contact: Ian Maxwell |
Tomorrow’s Wales - enabling companies to move aheadTwo important optoelectronics events were held as part of the seminar programme of the most recent Tomorrow’s Wales exhibition. Tomorrow’s Wales is held annually in North Wales, covering a wide range of topics of value to expanding companies, including for example: IT software and hardware, University research and specialist courses, and business support services and organisations. A Technium Challenge competition was launched at a highlighted session by a celebrity MC and supported by the Economic Development Minister of the Welsh Assembly Government. This is designed to offer new or existing businesses with rapid growth potential, the opportunity for a fast-track route into the OpTIC Technium in North Wales, together with a range of financial awards and free business support for the winners. WOF has held Seminars at previous Tomorrow’s Wales events, and this year the theme “Measurement Solutions to Business Problems - practical uses of Optoelectronics” was in support of a national programme being promoted by the Department of Trade & Industry, intended to make companies more aware of the range of measurement techniques available, and the benefits that they could bring. Jointly sponsoring and promoting the event were the Welsh Electronics Forum and the Printing and Coating Forum in Wales, and the presence of visitors from these other organisations enabled some valuable networking to take place. The meeting first covered advice and facilities that are available on a national basis, like the Metrology Advisory Service and the future technology, facilities and research at the National Physical Laboratories. Further information on the programmes and public consultations on various technologies can be found by searching “nms” on the dti home page www.dti.gov.uk This was followed by presentations on some of the work and facilities available in Wales, starting with an explanation of the services, support and funding that was available for the occupants of OpTIC. The presentation on the light measurement facilities available at the Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating proved to be very informative for members, as many were unaware of the range and quality of measurement techniques available for problems such as the measurement of surface quality to a resolution similar to a scanning electron microscope. Further information on the Centre can be found on their web site at: www.swan.ac.uk/printing Representatives from the University of Wales, Bangor explained how they measured the optical characteristics of semi-conductor Lasers at the Centre for Industrial & Commercial Optoelectronics (ICON), and the WOF Secretary discussed how a range of optoelectronic techniques had been used in local companies to solve measurement problems as varied as gauging log size, controlling the indentation on a gravure plate and monitoring water pollution. Further information on the work at ICON can be found on their website: www.informatics.bangor.ac.uk /~alan/icondet.htm
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Since the last edition of the WOF Newsletter, the optoelectronics sector has been very active in a number of events supporting optoelectronics in Wales and the OpTIC Technium project.
Business Plan Competition
The OpTIC Technium Business Plan Competition
Challenge was launched on 6th November 2003 at a lunchtime event at
the Tomorrow’s Wales exhibition in Llandudno (see other item on this
page). This was well supported with a celebrity, Mal Pope, acting
as MC and the deputy Welsh Assembly Government Economic Development
and Transport minister, Dr Brian Gibbons who gave his support to the
Challenge. In addition, WOF organised a seminar entitled “Measurement
Solutions for your Business: Practical uses of Optoelectronics”, in
collaboration with SoftCapital and the National Physical Laboratory.
Meet the Companies Event
To further consolidate the start-up prospects
for OpTIC Technium an event organised by Clearview Associates, was
held on 23 Oct. at the WDA in St. Asaph entitled Meet the Companies.
This was intended to provide an opportunity for the advisors (those
companies that are part of the OpTIC project like DTE, DLA and HG&F)
to meet and interact with companies which are potential customers
for the OpTIC facilities. The afternoon session concentrated on the
investors, and companies were able to make presentations to the audience
which included. This is planned as the first of a series of events
to bring investors and companies together.
Challenges in the Optoelectronics
Sector
The seminar “Challenges in the Optoelectronics
Sector” was held on 30 September last at the WDA offices in St Asaph.
This event attracted at least eight companies who engaged in a lively
debate, and colleagues were on hand to collect the views of the participants
in the following areas:
The output from the morning session of this seminar is part of the strategy development of the electronics sector for the Welsh Assembly Government. The afternoon session concentrated on environmental issues for the sector, on cluster development and on IPR protection.
Photonex Exhibition
Over the period 8-9th October the Photonex Exhibition
was held at Stoneleigh near Coventry. The WOF stand was the focal
point of the Welsh optoelectronics presence at this event which was
attended by five Welsh companies under the banner of WOF. A number
of good enquiries were received and it was encouraging to see how
many people in the sector have heard of OpTIC Technium and wanted
additional information. The exhibition was also supported by 4 Centres
of Excellence for Technology and Industrial Collaboration (CETIC)
with their own stands: the Centre for Industrial and Commercial Optoelectronics
(ICON), Centre for Advanced and Renewable Materials (CARM), the Institute
for Bioelectronic and Molecular Microsystems (IBMM) and the Cardiff
Centre for Multidisciplinary Microtechnology (C2M2).
WOF Contact Details:
Jill Evans Project Support Executive, Optoelectronics
Sector,
WDA, Unit 7, St Asaph Business Park, St Asaph, Denbighshire.
Tel:+44 (0) 1745 586256
Fax:+44 (0) 1745 586259
E-mail: jill.evans@wda.co.uk
UCL
and Cranfield have recently been awarded a £3.526m grant through the
UK Research Councils Basic Technology Programme, and OpTIC will collaborate
with these institutions to provide a base for process development
and allow commercial take-up of the technologies developed.
These
enable off-axis designs to be implemented, allowing optical paths
to be folded within the spacecraft envelope, thereby minimising the
mass and cost of the optical instrumentation and the satellite bus,
and ultimately the launch-cost. The industry anticipates the need
for smaller, lighter, cheaper, designs, with extension to shorter
and longer wavelengths. Similar arguments apply to space-science.
In particular, NASA has already indicated serious interest in new
polishing technologies for NGST optics.
The
WEEE directive will be enacted in the UK in 2004 with obligations
for producers beginning in August 2005 followed by the RoHS directive
in 2006. 
Surface
Technology Systems (STS), specialists in deep silicon etching equipment
have won a multi-system repeat order for Taiwanese semiconductor chip
scale packaging leader XinTec Inc. In targeting the rapidly expanding
optical sensor marketplace, XinTec will install the STS Advanced Silicon
Etch (ASE®) systems alongside existing STS etchers in the company’s
wafer fabrication facility in Tao Yuan Hsien, Taiwan, and additional
systems are scheduled for installation early in 2004.
XinTec
is a pioneering company delivering Advanced Wafer Level Chip Size
Packaging (CSP) technology, IC Packaging and a wide range of manufacturing
services to the global semiconductor market. The company employs 350
people at its headquarters in Chung-Li Industrial Park, Taiwan. XinTec
Wafer Level CSP is a mainstream wafer level packaging technique which
offers several key advantages over conventional chip packages. These
include miniaturized and reliable design, increased functionality
and board capacity, lower cost and enhanced quality for applications
in cellular phones, PDS’s, still cameras and other electronic devices,
and XinTec is rapidly expanding its production capacity in response
to strong market demand. More detailed information is available from
the company website at: www.xintec.com.tw
The
LMC boasts two state of the art laser micromachining tools, which
will allow almost any material to be machined at the LMC. Typical
applications for this specialised and sophisticated equipment are
likely to include:
Global
Laser Technology Solutions Ltd manufacture visible laser diodes
in component, module or system formats for a wide range of applications
including counting, cutting, sewing, alignment and machine vision.
facilities
has resulted in the company extending its services from product
suppliers to providers of applications solutions for a wide
range of customers, from large blue chip companies to catalogue
companies, and from design and integration houses to the smallest
individual customers.
The
Engineering Lecture is organised by the School of Informatics
at Bangor. The 2003 speaker was Professor Wilson Sibbett, CBE,
FRS, FRSE, Wardlaw Professor of Physics at the University of
St. Andrews and Chief Adviser on Science to the Scottish Executive.
The topic of his presentation was “Lasers, Biology and Scotland:
Science Prioritisation for a Modern Economy”. In the course
of his lecture, Professor Sibbett described both the fundamental
scientific research in which he and his co-workers have been
engaged in order to generate ultra-short optical pulses and
how such light pulses can be used productively in medical applications.
While these research and development achievements are extremely
impressive in themselves, Professor Sibbett was also able to
describe the requirements he considered essential for the advancement
of science education, in a very special presentation. 
The
two organizations recently met to discuss synergies the two
regions have in the field of optics and opto-electronics. In
a state better known for its Grand Canyon, an established valley
of a different kind provides an accelerating opportunity for
the optics industry, in the shape of Tucson’s “Optics Valley.”