STEGS-2, Sensor TEchnology for Green and Safe Airplanes -phase 2

In the STEGS-2 project, Memscap, in collaboration with its industrial partner Sensonor / SAFRAN and the two research partners, SINTEF and USN, has developed a completely new MEMS technology platform for the production of high-quality pressure sensors for the aviation industry. Here with a particular focus on engine control (FADEC) for Jet engines. Through a previous BiA project, Memscap, in collaboration with SINTEF-Digital, has developed a completely new pressure sensor family up to a technical concept level (TRL 3) which has shown very good results. Based on these results, Memscap wanted to develop these pressure sensors further to a technical level that will satisfy the aviation industry's strict requirements for product quality. It has thus been crucial in the project to be able to develop completely new production processes up to a technology level (TRL 9) to meet these strict requirements. An assessment of the STEGS-2 project, now in its final phase, shows that the project has been very successful, for both Memscap and Sensonor / SAFRAN. Memscap sees that new market niches with new business potential are opening up for the company, and Sensonor / SAFRAN can now offer new foundry services for a larger international market. The STEGS-2 project has been based on four work packages, H1. New materials and processes, H2. Development and establishment of new production processes in SAFRAN's foundry lines, H3. Development of new technology for assembly and packaging, 4. Development of new electronics for test and calibration. Throughout the first seven months of the project's start-up phase, there was a large focus on work packages H2 and H3. In work package H2, the main activity was to establish IceMos in Ireland, (Provider of foundry services) as an Industrial sub-supplier of SOI-cavity substrate wafers and SOI sensor wafers. Early 2021, it was clearly seen from the project that IceMos only could deliver acceptable SOI-cavity substrate wafers to the project. However, their deliveries of SOI sensor wafers could not be accepted due to the poor quality of the delivery. Okmetrik in Finland was thus established. Further, in the project, in work package H3, the process of establishing / developing the soldering process for soldering the sensor chips into the header base has presented greater problems than previously thought. Therefore, in the final phase of the project (Q3 2922), it was decided to develop a new bonding process based on Eutectic-bonding instead of soldering. Here, the project has used considerable resources to achieve satisfactory bonding quality in terms of hermetic strength. The project has now a good understanding of the process and sees that this will be the company's future process for sensor-chips assembly. Due to the complexity of the process, the company will continue with high activity even after the project ends. Memscap will use significant resources in the future on further development until achievement of an assembly process that meets satisfactory production quality. In work package H2, SAFRAN has developed all processes so that SAFRAN can now in the future offer processing of pressure sensor chips for Memscap, as well as offer new foundry processes for a larger international market. So far, now at the end of the project, it can be concluded that the project has been a success for both companies. In the final phase of the project, Memscap has also signed an agreement with a significant FADEC manufacturer to supply pressure sensors that will be included in the engine control of Rolls Royce's new jet-engines. As previously mentioned, SAFRAN has been a significant partner in the project, but it should also be mentioned that SAFRAN is one of the world's leading manufacturers of (FADEC) systems. They now also want to qualify the SP85 pressure sensor family against their new systems. Memscap already sees in the final phase of the project that sales of new products to a new market will come earlier than expected at project start. A healthy new business platform for the company now appears to be established.

Outcomes: - A generic and triple-stack silicon wafer production technology for high-precision pressure sensors for Sensonor / Safran has been initiated and first production lot is planned started Q3-2023 - A generic new assembly and hermetic packaging technology (Eutectic Bonding) for silicon pressure sensors for aerospace applications is not yet fully developed by MEMSCAP. MEMSCAP expects to have this technology platform established by end of Q4-2023 - Prototypes of sensors and transducer modules for three pressure ranges for the FADEC application have been delivered to a pilot customer and will be tested on the new generation of Rolls-Royce jet-engine. Impact: - Niche oriented MEMS foundry service business for Sensonor / Safran with a turn-over potential in the range 60 - 100 mill. NOK/year within 2 to 4 years after finished project has already started with internals discussion of Safran to utilize the new developed technology on all new Safran pressure products. - A generic technology platform for MEMSCAP AS for manufacturing of a variety of transducer modules for aerospace applications for the coming 20 - 30 years has been initiated with the signed commitment from a pilot customer to deliver pressure transducer for jet-engines. - The goal of a total turn-over in the range 4000 mill. NOK over a 20 years product life-time after full approval of the technology in airplanes is initiated with the pilot customer in place and three other customers waiting for prototypes.. - A contribution to greener flying by taking part in systems for more fuel efficient jet engines and electric airplanes will first bee seen after the products have been operating for a while.

Primary target in this project is to expand the product portfolios for MEMSCAP AS and Sensonor AS within the important aerospace market. We will develop an advanced and generic new technology platform for manufacturing of best-in-class pressure sensor and transducer modules for the avionics industry by first focusing on the challenging application "Full Authority Digital Engine Control" (FADEC). It is a vision for the companies, by doing this, to make a significant contribution to a future greener and safe air transport, founded on value creation through a strengthened national competence within MEMS technology and new manufacturing skills both at Sensonor AS and MEMSCAP AS. Customers are all world leading aerospace companies. To meet the future market requirements in this demanding field, MEMSCAP and Sensonor join forces to lift this new technology together and Sensonor will undertake the wafer fabrication as part of a future foundry service business strategy. The new technology platform represents a major technological step that includes going from manual assembly of chip stacks to automatic and much more accurate, productive and cost efficient assembly on wafer level. For the first time in the aerospace part of the MEMS industry, wafer level assembly will be used to make complete high precision pressure sensor stacks by integration of all electrical, mechanical and vacuum parts that control the most difficult key quality performance parameters for pressure sensors: thermal hysteresis and long-term stability. MEMSCAP and Sensonor will use the R&D results in their development of new businesses. SINTEF Digital and University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) will contribute with their knowledge and scientific tools within microsystems and nanotechnology. One Research sientist at USN is included on key knowledge area within the new technology platform.