Award drives optics materials to market

17 Jun 2002

US-based polytechnic institute, Rensselaer, has won USD 600,000 to trial next-generation optoelectronic and microelectronic insulators.

The New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research and the Polyset Company, US, will provide USD 300,000 to fund research into epoxy siloxane insulators. Developed by James Crivello, professor of chemistry at Rensselaer, the materials are believed to have the potential to double the processing speed of microchips.

Researchers at Rensselaer will now evaluate these novel resins for use as insulators in microelectronics packaging and as waveguides in optoelectronics on a chip.

"A strong market exists for low-dielectric-constant insulators to support the drive to smaller, faster devices," said Toh-Ming Lu, director of the Advanced Interconnect Science and Technology Center at Rensselaer. "But industry will not be willing to use any new low-K material until it has been demonstrated to be reliable and practical for manufacturing."

Polyset - the licensee for Rensselaer's technology - currently markets materials for use in electronic packaging and expects to see explosive growth once the resin's suitability is proven.