Proposal Number: ECS-9702108 Principal Investigator: Janet K. Lumpp The metalization of ceramics is investigated, which is an important problem area in electronics packing. The specific research activities will focus on development of improved adhesion of copper films on aluminum nitride by investigating brazing alloys and copper electroless plating. Aluminum nitride is a very promising high thermal conductivity material and investigation into this area represents the current state of the art. In order to get the heat generated in the conduction lines (almost always copper) from source to sink, good thermal contact (referred to as metallization)) is essential. In the plating process to be developed in this research, an excimer laser is used to define fine pitch interconnect patterns without the need for masks or photoresist patterning. The metallization procedures will be developed with industry collaboration and incorporated into microelectronics courses at the University of Kentucky (UK). The educational plan involves an extremely wide spectrum of participation by local industry, state government, local school systems and multidisciplinary activities within University of Kentucky. Specific elements of the educational plan include: improvement in graduate and undergraduate courses in microelectronics; participation in the Kentucky Electronics Education Project (KEEP) which is aimed at education and retention of middle school and high school students in technical careers; industrial input on the development of the above projects; and an electronic assembly project field trip for young students sponsored by the Center for Manufacturing systems at the University of Kentucky. This was truly an integrated research and education proposal. The goal of the plan is "informed students, prepared teachers, and electronic assembly curriculum materials generated by a partnership between the University of Kentucky College of Engineering, the UK Center for Manufacturing Sy stems, industrial members of the Microelectronics Society (ISHM) and industry sponsors such as Lexan International. University of Kentucky students will gain experience in microelectronics course, electronic packing research and introducing young students to the electronic packaging industry.
