BROMONT, QUEBEC – The governments of Quebec and Canada have announced a $178-million grant to the Université de Sherbrooke to establish a microelectronics innovation center.
 
The purpose of the project, supported by $83 million from the Canadian government and $95 million from the Quebec government, is to create a global center of excellence for research and innovation in 200-mm based MEMS and 3-D wafer level packaging, as well as advanced technologies associated with the assembly and packaging of silicon chips.
 
Founding partners include DALSA, IBM Canada and Université de Sherbrooke. The founding partners and various semiconductor equipment suppliers will provide support for ongoing operations.

SAN JOSE – Peter C. Tortorici and Paul Gerris of Medtronic Microelectronics Center will keynote the Medical Electronics Symposium this month.
 
Tortorici’s presentation will cover implantable medical devices: past successes, current status, future possibilities and challenges; Gerris will discuss a leading application for integrated 3-D systems.
 
The event, hosted by SMTA and MEPTEC, will take place Sept. 16-17 at Arizona State University in Tempe. 
 
Other sessions will include market trends and forecast in medical electronics; emerging and enabling technologies; component manufacturing at the chip and packaging level; technologies that enable implantable devices; materials and design at the board and systems levels; systems manufacturing; reliability, safety and regulatory testing, and system level products and applications – external instrumentation.
 

BRUSSELS – The European Chemicals Agency has proposed 15 new candidate candidate substances of very high concern (SVHC). 
 
The agency issued a release stating a 45-day consultation period would begin today for selection of the next set of candidate substances of very high concern.
 
After the 45-day period, ECHA and the member states will review comments and decide on the final list of candidate SVHCs, which will immediately be reportable under Article 33 of REACH, in addition to the previous list of 15 substances.
 
New additions are expected twice per year, says Design Chain Associates, an environmental consulting firm.

For more information, visit http://echa.europa.eu/consultations/authorisation/svhc/svhc_cons_en.asp.

 

LONGMONT, CO – EMS firm Reliant Manufacturing is shuttering its facility and selling its equipment at auction, CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY has learned.

 

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