Current Research Projects

This SOW applies to University’s research services on ESD Threat Assessment; Improving methods and simulations for quality testing beyond regulatory requirements; SEED Analysis; and Quantifying and reproducing the rock tumbler as an ESD source.

Portable wireless connected devices cannot avoid electrical contacts due to serviceability and assenbly requirements. The antenna designers are forced to minimize the antenna volume.

Wide bandgap semiconductor devices allow the design of power electronic systems with much high switching frequencies than silicon power semiconductors. This risen switching frequency brings up new challenges in mastering electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) in the design. To lower design costs and shorten time to markets, it is beneficial to pre-estimate EMC in simulation and co-simulation. The goal is the development of novel and optimized methods for modeling and simulation electromagetic interference (EMI) of electronic based systems (EBS) based on a power electronic hardware demonstrator.

Information gathering for the IC Designing of the Test vehicles and Definition initial test setups Component characterization Model creation SEED simulation

Existing devices will be measured to find important device parameters which influence HD. If needed, a combination of devices inside a more complex electronic circuit will be investigated as well. The continuous operation as well as a burst mode will be investigated. The burst mode is important as devices seem to behave differently during the first oscillations of the high frequency signal. If promising for understanding the root causes, the phase of the harmonics will also be captured. The measurement may include DC bias, temperature variation, digital data traffic to reflect usage scenarios.

In this research project, a modeling of materials, as well as a determination of their transport properties is pursued.

Ionizing radiation, like X- and gamma rays, cause a gradual damage in semiconductor devices. Radiationinduced defects build up throughout the exposure time leading to change of transistor characteristics. This leads to reliability issues in integrated circuits (IC). Over the years scaling of the integrated circuit process improved the robustness to radiation thanks to thinner silicon oxides under MOS transistor gate and higher bulk doping levels. However, starting with 40 nm and 28 nm process nodes to reduce high gate leakage currents the gate material had to change to one with high-dielectric constant. This new gate stack in combination with aggressive scaling is expected to uncover new radiation effects. The project SIRENS will focus on these modern process nodes and examine device-level effects and mechanisms of defects forming due to X-rays. Custom integrated test circuits in 40 nm and 28 nm processes will be designed. These will include dedicated test structures, above all arrays of different size and type transistors. Test structures will be exposed to X-ray radiation to characterize parameters drift. Also energy and spatial distributions of traps in the new gate stack will be studied. The effects will be examined from three perspectives. First, the transistor geometry ependence will be examined. The reason of the apparent lack of radiation induced narrow channel effect in p-channel MOS transistor will be investigated. The radiation-induced short channel effect will be examined to determine the dominating effect amongst the three hypotheses: of charge trapping in sidewall spacer, of halo implant increasing the effective doping, and of gate extension area influencing the electric field. The second perspective covers examination of the extent of possible radiation damage. For this, the evolution of traps density will be evaluated up to very high total ionizing dose levels, reaching 1 Grad, including annealing. The final third aspect is studies of dose rate sensitivity of MOS transistors. The hypothesis, suggested in several recent papers, states that high dose rate in accelerated X-ray testing could lead to illusionary lower damage effects than the stress with low dose rate. Today’s understanding of radiation effects in scaled devices down to 28 nm process is only superficial. The proposed studies encompassing two process nodes (40 nm and 28 nm) and three foundries (Fab40, Fab28- A and Fab28-B) will greatly enrich the state of the current knowledge.

Electronic Based Systems (EBS) are components, devices and systems with micro- and nanoelectronics as well as the corresponding embedded software. They are a key enabling technology (KET) and form the basis for a wide range of digitized products and processes, such as autonomous vehicles, personalized medicine, the Internet of Things and intelligent machines. The ongoing upswing in the field of digitalization opens up excellent business opportunities for Austrian companies, which already have a competitive edge in individual areas of EBS. However, EBS is also characterized by a high research dynamic with increased international competition from the USA and Asia. In Austria, there are a number of initiatives to promote research in EBS, such as Silicon Austria Labs, which was founded at the beginning of 2019. The qualification program Inno-EBS is set up in a complementary way to this by partly using existing networks of the Styrian, Carinthian and Upper Austrian partners and by putting together an attractive consortium of 5 scientific and 15 corporate partners along the EBS value chain. All company partners have problems finding suitable specialists with EBS know-how on the labor market. The graduates of universities of applied sciences and universities, who are in high demand, are currently being trained internally in company-relevant EBS topics at great expense. However, this lacks the interdisciplinary focus and R&D competence that will be needed in the future. Inno-EBS closes a gap in the market and concentrates on teaching state-of-the-art cross-sectional competencies in hardware, embedded software and systems. The program addresses target groups from these areas as well as generalists in innovation management. In the context of four target group-specific tracks, the most burning topics of the companies in EBS will be addressed. 67 participants will be trained to become certified EBS specialists using current didactic methods such as "blended learning" formats. Transfer projects in the form of labs under the title "Bring your own idea/prototype or design" support the companies with current problems, consolidate the knowledge of the participants and promote cooperation between science and business. Sustainable networking is also ensured by the composition of the consortium and attractive formats such as Expert Exchange Circles.

Microelectronics are the brains of all modern services and products. With incredible processing power, they enable billions of computations per second and store vast data. Artificial Intelligence, smartphones, computers, cloud storage, automobiles, space travel and medical equipment all rely on microelectronics. To advance its competitiveness, the EU microelectronics sector needs to overcome severe skills shortages. In this light, METIS (MicroElectronics Training, Industry and Skills) brings a unique European partnership establishing a sustainable framework to: • analyse key global trends affecting the sector and provide strategic insights and foresights • anticipate emerging skills needs, identify jobs of the future, define related occupational profiles and monitor progress in the domain of human capital for microelectronics • develop a Sector Skills Strategy to support the global leadership of the EU microelectronics industry, establishing operational linkages between skills and the future of the sector • federate European synergies towards the needs of data-driven technologies such as artificial intelligence enabled by advanced microelectronics and its skills requirements • establish an EU Microelectronics Observatory & Skills Council • design and deliver a modular and blended curriculum, integrating work-based learning that uses OER • pave the way for the pan-European recognition and certification of innovative VET • use innovative tools such as industry mentoring to facilitate inter-generational transfer of knowledge in the sector • embed social (diversity & inclusion) and environmental sustainability (circular economy) issues and EU policy goals in workforce development