This year the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM presented the Research Award for outstanding achievements in the realm of packaging and interconnection technology for the fifth time in a row. The prize winners this year are Dr. Hermann Oppermann and Dr. Mathias Nowottnick of Fraunhofer IZM Berlin.

Dr. Nowottnick was honored for his work on liquid solder joints for high temperature electronics. These solders can be processed as solid materials at room temperature, but turn liquid when reaching operating temperature. It is important to prevent interface dissolution in the liquid solder. This was achieved by adding a special inhibitor.

Dr. Oppermann’s specialization is the development of solder processes with Au/Sn solders for opto-electronic and RF applications. These processes enable a fluxless assembly and facilitate creep and corrosion resistant interconnections with high stability and high melting temperatures.

Both winners received their awards from Fraunhofer IZM’s director, Prof. Herbert Reichl, during a ceremony at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences in Berlin on December 21, 2004.