Universal Partners with NextFlex to Deliver Advanced Packaging Technology to Binghamton University

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Universal Instruments held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Binghamton University’s acceptance of the company’s High-Speed Wafer Feeder (HSWF) on April 5 at Universal’s corporate headquarters in Conklin, NY. The ceremony included representatives from Universal, Binghamton University and NextFlex, America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Institute.

For several years, Universal has engaged in a technology roadmap partnership with NextFlex – a consortium of American electronics companies, academic institutions, non-profits, and government partners with the shared goal of advancing U.S. manufacturing of Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE). NextFlex has been an important contributor in the development of Universal’s HSWF, helping bring this innovative new product to market. The project was also supported with matching funds from New York State Empire State Development via the Upstate Revitalization Initiative.

Scott Miller, NextFlex Director of Technology, noted, “We’re very happy to be working with Universal on the High-Speed Wafer Feeder and couldn’t be more pleased with the results. The FuzionSC™ Platform and HSWF solution in our advanced lab empowers us to take on the most challenging FHE applications with capabilities that break traditional barriers.”

Under the direction of NextFlex, the HSWF will be installed on the FuzionSC in Binghamton University's Smart Electronics Manufacturing Laboratory (SEMLab) at Binghamton University. The university has owned the FuzionSC for more than three years and worked closely with Universal in leveraging its capabilities to enrich the student experience and collaboration with industry partners.

“The addition of the High-Speed Wafer feeder enables us to give our students unique hands-on experience with the assembly of sophisticated multi-die Heterogeneous Integration (HI) packages, which are created by integrating separately manufactured components into a higher-level assembly. It also allows us to handle very thin die, which is another major challenge facing manufacturers today,” said Dr. Mark Poliks, Director of the Center for Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing (CAMM), Binghamton University. “It’s been a valuable asset to partner with a leading technology company in our own backyard and we look forward to continued cooperation and knowledge sharing.” 

Universal Instruments Vice President of Marketing, Glenn Farris stated, “We achieved our objective in creating an all-in-one solution for HI and our technology collaborations were key in realizing our vision. We’re pleased to introduce it to our local University and help build the future of electronics assembly.” Farris added, “This solution will also support the manufacturers that will benefit from the upcoming CHIPs Act, which came about due to a severe shortage of semiconductor chips and includes $52 billion for domestic semiconductor production.”