Public Funding for M-Solv Ltd

Wiring in aircraft, cars and many consumer electrical goods is done by hand. It is an expensive and laborious process that is prone to errors that can cause failures and sometimes even fires. The LiveWire project will create a machine that can automate manufacture and embed wiring into a component, such as: an airline seat, or a wall or floor panel, or perhaps a control panel in the flight deck. This will reduce cost and make lighter, higher-quality components. The technology will provide new employment opportunities in the UK and on-shore jobs lost to the fair-east.

The aim of this project is to provide more efficient and accurate solutions for the semiconductor test industry by designing, developing, and demonstrating next-generation high-density vertical MEMS probe card (HD-VPC), that meet the accuracy and precision requirements of high-performance semiconductor products. By developing and applying this new probe card, the project seeks to further advance the global semiconductor industry. The HD-VPC probe cards will consist of four components: probes, multi-layer IC/PCB substrate or circuit extender, space transformer and a probe card guide plate. The UK-based work will focus on the fabrication of the probe card guide plate, made up of ceramic material, through precision laser cutting and drilling processes. Laser cutting will be used to produce the guide plate substrate to the required size, followed by the drilling of high-precision holes over the guide plate for the probes. The probes, made from multi-alloy materials, will offer improved wear resistance and electrical conductivity. The assembled probe cards will undergo high-frequency electrical characteristics testing, mechanical strength testing, and long-term reliability assessments to ensure their performance and reliability. This project represents a significant leap forward in probe card technology, addressing current limitations and setting new standards for size, precision, and scalability in the semiconductor industry. By improving the overall performance and reliability of probe cards, it will lead to more efficient and accurate semiconductor testing. Through fostering innovation across design, manufacturing, and assembly of HD-VPC, this project will enable the production of advanced semiconductor devices, driving economic growth and establishing the UK as a leader in high-value semiconductor component manufacturing. Additionally, it will make the UK a key supply chain player in the global vertical probe card market, estimated to be $2.2 billion in 2027 with expected growth at a CAGR of 8.8%.

Wiring in aircraft, cars and many consumer electrical goods is done by hand. It is an expensive and laborious process that is prone to errors that can cause failures and sometimes even fires. The LiveWire project will create a machine that can automate manufacture and embed wiring into a component, such as: an airline seat, or a wall or floor panel, or perhaps a control panel in the flight deck. This will reduce cost and make lighter, higher-quality components. The technology will provide new employment opportunities in the UK and on-shore jobs lost to the fair-east.

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"With the increase in electric vehicles and the slow fade out of fossil fuelled combustion engines, there is an ever-increasing demand for energy storage devices in the automotive industry. This in turn means that there is an ever increasing requirement for critical elements such as cobalt, nickel, manganese, lithium and graphite. In addition, at the end of life of these energy storage devices, increased value can be obtained from extracting and reusing the components and materials. To answer this critical need, responding to the business opportunity, we must develop the supply chain for battery materials reclamation and reuse. Enabling a circular economy with a more connected supply chain for the automotive battery, and ensuring a traceable supply of good quality materials for anode and cathode materials production, supports the future activity for the UK in this sector. In order to investigate the reuse aspects of cell materials and remanufacture of lithium ion batteries from the reclaimed and recycled components this project will develop the first UK industrial scale capability to reclaim and reuse battery essential metals. R2LIB will bring together ICoNiChem, the only cobalt salt producer in the UK, to manufacture transition metal precursor salts, to provide materials into the UK materials manufacturing supply chain. PV3 will investigate the use of these salts in a recycled cathode production, partnering with other parts of the equipment and materials supply chain in the UK; MSolv, (laser tools), JLR (end of life and LSA), Circa / York (green solvents), WMG (reclamation and cell remanufacture). Battery materials are at the forefront of the battery supply chain, and currently the UK manufacturing base is limited. The quality and control of these materials is essential for consistency of electrodes and inherently the good performance of a lithium ion battery. Ensuring a good quality material supply, with a good heritage, will support the move to manufacturing batteries in the UK. This project will look to demonstrate the UK's potential capability in this field, ultimately assisting to advance the UK's competitive position in battery cell technologies and production, and importantly, the transition to a low-carbon economy."

The project objective is to develop and inetgrate new and sophisticated materials and processing techniques for which there is a latent demand in the healthcare and industrial markets where new low cost digitally connected flexible electrical circuits can give improved performance characteristics for technical and commercial advantage. Ultimately a high productivity and high profitability integrated manufacturing process will convert 2D nanomaterials into components which enable a broad range of unique novel life changing digitally connected lighting and sensor based products. Flexotronix Ltd will work with Harman Technology, Synergy Devices and Nottinghsam Trent University to create advanced ink formulations. Flexotronix will print multilayers of ink on thin plastic sheet. Deposited layers will be patterend by M-SOLV to define small regions with microstructured detail.

Processes will be developed to produce a quantum dot based frequency modifying system for flexible light emitting sheets. New silicon based light emitting diodes will be developed with integral beam shaping and driving logic that will be integrated into a number of flexible substrates with emission spectra tailored to be compatible with the absorption curves of the quantum dots. Printed organic logic circuits will be developed in order to drive these flexible light emitting devices to allow them to be used in fast moving consumer goods, biophotonic medical devices and flexible light sources for temporary structures (tents or in disaster relief). The partners will build up a UK supply chain from the low cost production of quantum dots or phosphorescent nanophosphors, through the conventional printing of flexible substrates and growth of Si based LEDs/microelectronics to the medical and non-medical device manufacturing stakeholders. The partners are: Nano Products Ltd (NAN), PolyPhotonix Ltd(PPX), FlexEnable Ltd(FEN), Plessey Semiconductors Limited (PLS), M-Solv Ltd (MSV), Pharma2Farm Ltd(P2F) and Nottingham Trent University (NTU) who bring together expertise in development of inks, devices and end users to take the products to market.

The technological challenge of successfully implementing colour & video capability within a reflective (non-backlit) display has been challenging the display industry for years. Reflective E-reader displays are slow to refresh and only available in black and white, whilst backlit LCD and emissive OLED screens consume high rates of power: this limits the information display applications that these technologies can be applied to. Development of a feasible low power, multi-colour display technology could see many new avenues of opportunity open for new reflective information displays including in wearable devices and the internet of things. UltraSRD addresses this unsatisfactory compromise on colour, speed and energy consumption: based on research completed at the University of Oxford and with industry support, Bodle Technologies intends to investigate the feasibility of developing a commercially viable, high resolution, bistable, rapid refresh, colour reflective display by 2020 using novel phase change materials.

This collaborative industrial R&D project with Nissan UK, Ceres Power and M-Solv aims to demostrate a compact, high power density, low emission SOFC battery charger for range extension of light commercial electrical vehicles (LCEV) such as the Nissan eNV200. This will involve the design, build, test and demonstration of a compact, robust, fast-response SOFC power module. This project aims to advance the key enabling technologies for a low emission SOFC/EV range extender system suitable for operation with a variety of high efficiency fuel types (including biofuels) applicable to the automotive sector. Success could lead to an APC bid, which would look to raise the market attractiveness of EV by enabling LCEVs to operate for long periods without the restrictions of electrical recharge from the grid. This highly disruptive approach supports the UK's move towards greater use of electric vehicles, supports Nissan UKs leading position in commercial EV development, opens up the 1.4 million annual EU sales of light commercial vehicles and makes significant progress towards the UKs 2030-50 low carbon energy targets.

The purpose of this project is to use a novel cell interconnect process to enable perovskite based semi-transparent Photovoltaic (PV) modules with non-standard dimensions for Building Integrated Photovoltaics (windows of high rise buildings), flexible PV modules using the material CIGS or for industrial roofs, and conventional thin film PV modules (CIGS/CdTe). In this project, the interconnect is achieved using a new laser ablation/inkjet process that works at speeds of up to 3m/sec. The sales target for this new process is >$10M per annum with attractive ongoing sales of specialist inks. The project will dramatically changes the way PV modules are manufactured reducing complexity and cost of manufacture, with flow on savings to customers and increased uptake of solar technologies which will offset fossil fuel demand, decreasing GHG emissions and increasing security of energy supply in the UK.

The project consortium, which includes M-Solv (process developer and small-scale capacitive touch sensor (CTS) manufacturer), Thomas Swan (graphene manufacturer), Printed Electronics Ltd (inkjet ink formulator) and University of Surrey, aims to bring innvoations to CTS manufacture. CTS comprises of structured transparent conductors (TC), which sense the capacitance variations when fingers approaches. Conventional CTS are made of TC, indium tin oxide (ITO), in which indium is known to be scarce and hence expensive in the near future. This project will explore the use of silver nanowire (AgNW), together with graphene to replace ITO for fabricating CTS at a much lower cost.

Mobile device market, e.g., smartphones & tablets, continues to grow rapidly and consumers are demanding ever increasing performance within smaller electronic footprints. To meet these demands the semiconductor industry require process technology for novel IC packaging solutions using glass interposer technology. Forecasts show that by 2017, 2.5D interposers will reach a market value of $1.35Bn. The AMPS project will provide the materials and laser process technology that enables high density electronic metallisation structures for 2.5D and 3D semiconductor packaging systems using glass interposers, therefore ensuring the UK plays a valuable role in the supply chain on the next generation of semiconductor packaging architectures. The consortium partners have IPR and a route to exploitation which, when combined, forms a technology ideal to meet the technological and economic needs of the industry. IML's nano-seed material, deposited and patterned by M-Solv's equipment allows copper to be plated in an additive process with low waste and high density of circuitisation. Atotech and Qualcomm provide access to industry level qualification and exploitation.

The In Touch project aims to develop robust, industrial-grade multi-touch capacitive touch sensors (MTCTS) and a fully digital (ie driven from CAD files with no, or minimal fixed tooling) manufacturing process. The process is designed to be suitable for short, high-product mix, production runs. The MTCTS product will be tolerant to extreme temperature variations, moisture and even corrosive gases in the atmosphere as well as insensitivity to electromagnetic interference and a design lifetime of 25 years. Such high-value, low volume sensors are not currently available and manufacturers of industrial controllers, military and aerospace systems and point of sale equipment are forced to use either poorly specified COTS products or non-touch alternatives. The technology and process developed in this project opens up a large (number) niche market that can be addressed by Touchnetix with cost-effective manufacturing on a small scale, flexible, production line developed from our existing in-house facility at M-Solv.

Printed Electronics is a rapidly growing market for large area devices with limited but highly useful capability, such as certain display components, photovoltaics or OLED lighting . Inkjet printing allows accurate deposition of functional materials: conductors, insulators, OLED, etc. However, drop size and control of wetting on the surface limits printted resolution to ~100um. Several groups have reported surface energy modification by laser surface treatment. We propose to use patterned laser surface modification to define hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions on a surface with much better resolution to control wetting of inkjetted functional inks and enable much higher resolution feature definition. This has a wide range of applications in printed electronics manufacturing. It has potential to be a disruptive manufacturing technology and to open up a large market for sales of machines equiped with laser and inkjet systems. These are agile digital systems, fully driven from CAD files and capable of completely changing the device design from one part to the next.

The touch sensor market is currently experiencing rapid growth with high penetration in to the mobile and handheld device sector. Currently these devices use materials that are deemed to be strategically important, rare, and expensive with volatile trading prices. Light Touch is an ambitious project that will investigate the use of flexible glass as an alterntive to convetional rigid substrates for capacitive touch sensors in mobile applications. In addition to using flexible glass, low cost and non-strategic materials will be investigated to develop a solution processable alternative to ITO as a transparent conductor as well as a continuous R2R fabrication process for coating, curing and singulation. A disruptive technology will be developed that will create cheaper, lighter and more enivronementally friendly capacitive touch sesnors for the mass handheld and mobile market.

Thin film photovoltaics differ from the more common crystalline silicon solar panels which are made up of individual cells, connected in series and laminated to a glass panel. Thin film modules comprise um-scale layers of transparent electrode, semiconductor (containing a PN junction to form a photodiode) and metal back contact directly deposited on a glass panel. The semiconductors are typically silicon, cadmium telluride or CIGS. Organic semiconductors for thin film PV are a very active research field. Thin film PV has many advantages over crystalline silicon PV including reduced materials costs and monolithic series interconnection (needed to generate appropriate voltage and current) during the manufacturing process. Series interconnection of thin-film modules is usually achieved by alternating vacuum deposition of layers with ambient laser scribing processes. This requires breaking vacuum between each of the deposition steps. The ability to deposit the entire stack without breaking vacuum would reduce process and factory complexity, reduce tool costs and give better process control, improving performance. The “One Step Interconnect” (OSI) being developed here interconnects the module, post deposition, using a patented combination of laser and inkjet processes. This drives down the cost per Watt of PV electricity, sustaining PV adoption and reduction of CO2 emissions.

The public description for this project has been requested but has not yet been received.