Henkel opens new research center

The 53,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility will house R&D and applications engineering for the company’s die attach, semiconductor underfill, encapsulant and semiconductor mold compound products. Application engineering activities for the company’s electronics assembly materials, including solder paste, surface mount adhesives, conformal coating, potting and board level underfills will also take place in the new Irvine, CA location. The facility is the new global headquarters for the electronics group of Henkel and marks the first official opening of several planned new worldwide facilities for the electronic materials leader. “Combining the research and development operation with applications engineering has many benefits,” says Dr. Larry Crane, Global Director of semiconductor research, development and engineering for the electronics group of Henkel. “This shared expertise gives us the ability to enhance the coordination of customer projects, streamline product introductions, build and test parts for customers and bring advanced materials to market more quickly. It is an incredible facility.” The majority of the facility is dedicated to a cutting edge R&D laboratory complete with a state of the art analytical and failure analysis lab and focused on the development of advanced materials for electronics assembly and semiconductor packaging. The facility is equipped with a 5,000 square foot Class 10,000 clean room, complete with next-generation semiconductor production equipment, including a placement system for stacked die and wire bonding applications. Also part of the new operation is a 2,000 square foot surface mount production line with screen printing, reflow and dispensing capabilities, which will enable the applications team to run prototypes of various surface mount assemblies, including Pb-free, 0201s and chip-on-board. The combination of all of these leading-edge tools will enable the technical staff to build electronics assemblies and semiconductor packages utilizing advanced materials developed by the electronics group of Henkel. Patrick Trippel, president of the electronics group of Henkel, says this investment further illustrates the company’s promise to provide customers with access to the most advanced research and engineering tools. “Henkel has committed tremendous resources to product development, technical service and our customer support infrastructure. The Irvine Research and Applications Center is an investment in the successful future of our customers and the continued growth of our business.” The new Research and Application Center will be fully operational by January 2005, with a grand opening ceremony planned for February 21, 2005.