With origins dating back to 1350 and its Latin root cellere, meaning to rise high, excellence is defined as the fact or state of excelling; superiority; eminence.
It’s lofty language. But with the official naming of Binghamton University’s Small Scale Systems Integration and Packaging program as a New York state Center of Excellence (COE), the region can expect to see a lot more than idle talk, according to several of the COE’s industry partners.
From its impact on research and development in next-generation electronics, which is likely to lead to totally new products and processes, to its role as a magnet for student and faculty recruitment, creating a significant brain trust in the region, the COE won’t just be a nice addition, they said, but will help to make Binghamton a vital nerve center in the technology race.
Endicott Interconnect Technologies played a key supporting role in the founding of the Small Scale Systems and Integration Packaging Center, and the technology-based company is confident it will see a significant return on the investment of time, manpower and space that has gone into its partnership with the University, said Mark D. Poliks, senior advisory technologist and director of research, development and intellectual property for the company.
“EI’s relationship with the Center of Excellence brings new capability and plans for developing new technologies that may be used to unlock new markets and business opportunities. It gives us the ability to attract a talented workforce because it offers highly technical, leading-edge work that translates into good paying jobs, “ Poliks said.
“Developing essential process technologies and manufacturing know-how so that components can be produced more efficiently, at higher yields and at a lower cost, makes us more competitive in the marketplace.“ The COE is dedicated to the creation and development of new electronic applications that will enhance the way people live and interact with their surroundings, said its director, Bahgat Sammakia. As such, it will also serve as a center of economic acceleration, speeding the translation of technology into commercial applications, he said.
“Infrastructure is half the battle in terms of both federal and industrial funding, so having unique capabilities that complement your research is extremely important,“ Sammakia said. “There’s nothing I can think of that’s more important.
“You can have the most talented faculty in the world but if they can’t build anything, it would be very hard for them to compete. Research today requires big labs and multidisciplinary teams working in these big labs and doing very challenging things that are really at the cutting edge. You can’t do the same thing in an office using a computer.“
Located in the biotechnology research building at Binghamton’s 21-acre Innovative Technologies Complex, the center brings together partners from government, industry and academia, providing unique opportunities for collaborative projects. Those projects will advance the frontiers of microelectronics research and development by addressing challenges in small-scale systems design, development, prototyping, process development and manufacturing for the microelectronics industry, Sammakia said.
That means work at the COE will likely find its way into applications in medical diagnostics and treatment, defense and homeland security, flexible displays and electronics, computers and telecommunications and a broad range of new or improved consumer products.
“This lab is really exciting because it serves our research, it serves our companies, it will enhance economic development and activity in the region, it provides expanded educational opportunities for the student, especially for graduate students, and again, it’s a one-of-a kind lab. There’s nothing like it in this area, “ Sammakia explained.
In about 8,000 square feet of laboratory space, filled with $21 million in state-of-the-art analysis equipment, the COE coalesces and builds upon the intellectual resources of several of Binghamton University’s organized research centers, including the Integrated Electronics Engineering Center (IEEC). Internationally renowned for its research in electronics packaging, the IEEC, a New York state Center of Advanced Technology, has a history of advancing basic research and working with companies to respond to trends within the electronics industry.
Binghamton’s newly developed Center for Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing (CAMM), a national roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing research and development center, will also be engaged with and embraced by the COE. The CAMM is dedicated to demonstrating the feasibility of R2R electronics manufacturing by acquiring prototype tools and establishing processes capable of producing low-volume, testbed products. That augments the analytical lab of the COE by providing manufacturing capability.
“The COE demands that we excel at different levels,“ Sammakia said. “It’s not enough anymore to just be a very strong advocate of industry, working very closely with them in solving their problems and even doing the research for them. We will, of course, continue to do that, but I really think we have to be ‘the best’ at research in this field, moving from responding to industry trends to leading the trends, defining the trends.
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