For more than 20 years, research in nanopositioning and nanomeasuring technology has been ongoing at the Institute of Process and Sensor Technology at the TU Ilmenau, especially within the Collaborative Research Center SFB622 (2002-2013). At the end of October 2022, a Nanopositioning and Nanomeasuring Machine was built and delivered by SIOS Meßtechnik GmbH for an industrial company. for the first time.
For more than 20 years, research in nanopositioning and nanomeasuring technology has been ongoing at the Institute of Process and Sensor Technology at the TU Ilmenau, especially within the Collaborative Research Center SFB622 (2002-2013).
The development of the first Nanopositioning and Nanomeasuring Machine NMM-1 was carried out jointly with SIOS Meßtechnik GmbH and other Thuringian companies and was completed in 2002. The joint projects were funded by the Thuringian Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts.
Since then SIOS Meßtechnik GmbH has manufactured and distributed the NMM-1 to national metrological institutes, research institutions and universities worldwide. Over the years, several components have been further developed by SIOS and adapted to the customers' needs. Due to the increasing industrial requirements in terms of accuracy, the NMM-1 is used for the first time in an industrial high-tech company.
BE Semiconductor Industries NV (Besi) designs and manufactures state-of-the-art assembly systems and equipment for leadframe, substrate and wafer-level packaging applications in a variety of end-user markets, including electronics, mobile Internet, cloud server, computer, automotive, industrial, LED and solar energy. Besi's customers are primarily leading multinational chip manufacturers, assembly suppliers, and electronics and industrial companies around the world. For Besi's Die Bonders, requirements have shifted from a few microns to 200 nm in recent years, necessitating the procurement of a reference system.
The NMM-1 Nanopositioning and Nanomeasuring Machine was installed in the R&D department. With a measurement volume of 25 x 25 x 5 cubic millimeters and a positioning uncertainty of less than 10 nanometers, the nanomeasuring machine is currently the most accurate of its kind in the world. Developers use the NMM-1, among other things, for the further development and quality control of their high-precision camera systems.
For several years, research at the Institute of Process Measurement and Sensor Technology has focused on the next generations of nanomeasurement and nanofabrication machines. The NPMM-200, also equipped with SIOS laser interferometers, operates in a larger measurement volume. In the NanoFab International Research Training Group, young scientists are conducting research on the development of nanofabrication machines. The third generation of doctoral students will begin their scientific work there in the next year. The calls for proposals are already underway.
Prof. Eberhard Manske
Head of Institute of Process Measurement and Sensor Technology