193 Durham Hall
The Electronics Manufacturing Research Laboratory provides a facility to support research in semiconductor and the electronics industry. In particular, the research in the lab focuses on the study and analysis of operational and control problems arising in the semiconductor and electronics manufacturing facilities, as well as the development of new and improved algorithms for their solution.
The research conducted in this lab include:
The lab houses:
Electronic Manufacturing Research (EMR) Laboratory
An Introduction to the EMR Lab
By Dr. Subhash Sarin
The complexity and importance of the semiconductor and the electronics industry is increasing at a rapid pace. This manufacturing sector is critical since it represents cutting edge production technology with implications to all aspects of life, from consumer electronics to specialized chips for military use. Traditionally, design innovations, device shrinks, increments in wafer size, and yield and capital equipment utilization enhancements have been the driving factors behind manufacturing cost reduction. These productivity improvements have been obtained, yet new avenues for large productivity gains should be explored to sustain economic growth and maintain a competitive edge. A paradigm shift in the organization, implementation, evaluation, and operation of the semiconductor factory and electronics assembly plant is needed now to substantially increase throughput and decrease cyle times, thereby increasing flexibility and reducing production cost.
About the Electronics Manufacturing Research Laboratory
The Electronics Manufacturing Research Laboratory provides a facility to support research in this direction. In particular, the research conducted in the laboratory is devoted to the study and analysis of the operational and control problems arising in the semiconductor and electronics manufacturing plants, as well as development of new and improved algorithms for their solution. Example topics of research conducted include: modeling analysis and assessment of chip scale package and direct chip attach assembly yields, reduction in production lead time at a microelectroinics manufacturing facility, modeling and productivity improvement of a printed circuit board assembly line, and operational control of microelectronics facilities.
The laboratory also constitutes the research facility of semiconductor manufacturing, one of hte designated centers of excellence in support of Virginia Tech's initiative in microelectronics. Besides promoting research, this initiative is also involved in the development of a curriculum for a university-wide option in microelectronics. this initiative is supported by Virginia Microelectronics Consortium, Motorola, College of Engineerng at Virginia Tech, the University, as well as a grant from the National Science Foundation. The laboaratory houses five Pentium PCs and several simulation and optimization software.
EMR Lab Personnel
The director of the laboratory is Dr. Subhash Sarin. The other faculty who are involved include Dr. Robert Sturges and Dr. Kimberly Ellis from the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department, and Dr. G.Q. Lu from the Department of Material Science and Engineering.
EMR Lab Sponsors
The research performed in the laboratory has been supported by grants from National Science Foundation, Universal Instruments, Ericsson, ITT, GaAsTEK, M/A-COM, Infineon (now Qimonda) and the Virginia Center for Innovative Technology. The work accomplished on the determination of assembly yields led to the development of a software that has been distributed to numerous packaging companies in the United States.
Subhash Sarin
Paul T. Norton Endowed Professor
551 Whittemore Hall
Phone: 540-231-7140
Fax: 540-231-3322
Email: sarins@vt.edu
