Daimler-Benz AG

To develop conditions of surface preparation for advanced techniques of soldering and adhering in electronic circuitry.

Field 1 : Investigation by today's analytical means of the nature of surface films on the metallic surfaces of substrates and electronic components , in a produced condition and after special cleaning treatments (etching, etc.). Field 2 : Development of conditions for soldering without leaving residues, thus avoiding solvent cleaning afterwards (for both wave soldering and reflow soldering). Field 3 : Development of long-lasting electrical connections using conductive adhesives on cleaned surfaces. Field 4 : Development of feasible and rapid methods for the assessment of cleanliness of surfaces.

The worldwide requirement for GaAs-based analogue and digital circuitry in marketing areas such as personal communications, direct T.V. broadcasting via satellite, automobile electronics, etc. is gaining considerable momentum and by the year 2000 it is predicted that world sales will be in excess of U.S. $ 1.6 billion. Competition is at lest as fierce for GaAs as it is for Silicon (Si). As the markets develop, major efforts are being made in key technologies in GaAs in JAPAN and the U.S., in both cases with considerable support form their respective government agencies. From JAPAN there is now a predominant world market in discrete GaAs devices and in the U.S. the MIMIC programme has federalised the efforts of the major American producers for all microlith microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) functions, both military and civil. There are two major conclusions and consequences to be drawn from this: 1. GaAs technology is considered vital and strategic to the future development of the economy in the U.S.A. and JAPAN. 2. Europe is no different from the standpoint of the available markets and will certainly fall behind unless a unified strategy is defined and a substantial project for GaAs development is launched rapidly. There are many similarities with the Silicon scene before the JESSI project. It is now necessary for GaAs to draw on the JESSI experience and define a joint European initiative for the development of GaAs devices. There will also be a significant synergy to be drawn from JESSI and benefits should be accrued from common interests in the two programmes. The present project will define the strategy for the rapid industrialisation of GaAs devices for European and world applications. It will draw on 7 European manufacturers of GaAs devices and a considerable pool of users and potential users to describe the strategy to be employed and the programme required to put Europe into a strong market position. Particularly important areas that need attention have been pointed out by a recent international committee and are given below. They need to be further examined, quantified and acted upon under this initiative. Those areas identified thus far are packaging, CAD, test tools, second sourcing, substrates and process maturity. Projects on these topics and others will involve not only the 7 manufacturing companies but also users from all over Europe, including SMEs with the relevant experience. The proposed strategy definition phase will give rise to a detailed programme and plan, with the involvement of the principal players and a modular organisation with openings to enlightened newcomers capable of contributing positively to the programme. Other aspects such as industrial property rights, cost structure and estimates and the required manpower will be covered. It will define and incorporate specific actions in key areas and with 'ad hoc' teams formed around the subjects. Overall coordination will be by a Steering Committee.

To develop conditions of surface preparation for advanced techniques of soldering and adhering in electronic circuitry.

Field 1 : Investigation by today's analytical means of the nature of surface films on the metallic surfaces of substrates and electronic components , in a produced condition and after special cleaning treatments (etching, etc.). Field 2 : Development of conditions for soldering without leaving residues, thus avoiding solvent cleaning afterwards (for both wave soldering and reflow soldering). Field 3 : Development of long-lasting electrical connections using conductive adhesives on cleaned surfaces. Field 4 : Development of feasible and rapid methods for the assessment of cleanliness of surfaces.

The main objective of HS-COMPONENTS is to make available basic silicon components to home systems product manufacturers in order to enable them to design and market affordable home automation products and to demonstrate their practical use and availability, so accelerating the growth of the market. The designs will be aimed at the specification version 1.1 of project 5448, IIH.

Specific objectives are to: - develop enabling technologies and design rules for reliable and safe products, particularly relating to power control devices and protection technologies - design and develop key system element products, particularly for the physical media interface including power line, twisted pair and coax modems, together with a universal protocol device.

This project handles some further extensions to the Home Systems Standard, which was defined and developed in the earlier project 2431, HOME.

The development of any standard is a continuous process. This new project concentrates on four main areas: Media-Independent Home Systems Architecture Work will concentrate on architectural requirements such as the definition of transport functions, support for mobile and roaming applications, etc. Specific Applications Support The architectural implications of applying the Home Systems Standard in practice will be investigated. Example applications being considered for study include such areas as security and safety, home working, and health care (including support of the elderly and disabled). Interworking with Other Standards This area will cover the interworking of the Home Systems standard with other OSI-type network system and home automation standards (D2B, Profibus, etc). Introduction of the Home Systems Standard to Standards Bodies The new standard will be introduced in CENELEC. In addition, the Home Systems consortium are preparing a parallel project, on their own initiative, independent of the ESPRIT programme. This project will handle the following additional workprogramme items: Home Systems Media Standards The new work will cover further study on plastic optical fibre, and possibly a fast infra-red medium. Conformance Testing Once the validated standard has been completed, conformance testing facilities have to be established to enable manufacturers to submit their equipment for testing for conformance to that standard. It is foreseen that these facilities will be set up under the responsibility of a new European Association for Home Systems. Human Interfaces While this aspect is the task of a separate Esprit project (5140, HIVE), some additional work will need to be done in this area by the Home Systems consortium in close liaison with HIVE. Installation Guidelines and Recommended Components Work in this area will provide formal guidelines to the builders and installers who will be implementing Home Systems. In addition, a set of recommended components needs to be defined, covering connectors as well as basic electronic components and interfaces.