ITRI TODAY

No 64. 1 st Quarter 2011 

ITRI 

TODAY 

Flexible Electronics 

Packing a Punch 

Cellphones, e-books and tablet PCs continue to enjoy unprecedented 

sales levels in the consumer market, so the increasing trend towards 

thinner portable handheld device screens, while presenting varied demands 

for display systems, also heralds opportunities for advancing display technologies. 

At the end of 2010, ITRI hosted the 2010 Flexible Display and Electronics 

Technology Mart, presenting not only the award-winning FlexUPD technology, 

but also displaying a variety of new flexible display technologies, 

materials, modular components, processes, and measurement instrumentation 

innovations. 

Color ChLCD e-book 

Inside 

FEATURE 

1 Flexible Electronics Packing a Punch 

SPOTLIGHT 

this issue 

6 Taiwan’s Satellite Industry Shines at the 

2010 ESNC Awards 

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 

7 ITRI and Oxford Instruments Cooperate 

on HB-LED Packaging Process Technology 

R&D FOCUS 

8 Rapid Color Gamut Measurement Technology 

10 Advanced Backstage Processing Enhances 

Chip Yield 

12 RFID Embedded in PCBs for 

Carbon Footprint Tracking 

COLLABORATIONS 

14 ITRI and Top Japanese Financial Group 

Sign MOC 

15 ITRI’s WAVE/ DSRC Communications Unit 2.0 

Selected by the U.S. DOT for ITS 

Dr. Chen Janglin, General Director of ITRI’s Display Technology 

Center(DTC), remarked that the key to FlexUPD is its ultra-thin and transparent 

soft plastic substrate. Once the transistors are layered onto the plastic 

substrate and enclosed, it can be cut from the glass stage to make an ultrathin 

and rollable display which is only 0.01 cm thick. The secret of its success 

is the instantaneous removal through the use of a non-stick de-bonding 

layer material specially developed by ITRI. It allows smooth removal of the 

plastic substrate from the glass stage. 

ITRI’s DTC premiered the first 5-inch single-layer structure color choles- 

ITRI TODAY 

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SPRING Quarter 2011 

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1 

© 2011 The Industrial Technology Research Institute. 

ITRI Today is a quarterly publication reporting major events and achievements at ITRI.

FEATURE 

Color ChLCD offers a 50 Hz refresh rate and 10 to 20 

screen updates a second, more than 10 times faster than 

traditional passive ChLCD or EPD systems. 

Source:ITRI 

teric liquid crystal display (ChLCD), produced in conjunction 

with display makers providing the TFT active 

substrate. It is an Active Matrix color ChLCD which 

offers a 50 Hz refresh rate and 10 to 20 screen updates 

a second, more than 10 times faster than traditional passive 

ChLCD or electrophoretic display (EPD) systems. 

The ChLCD manufacturing processes are very compatible 

with the traditional TFT LCD processes, and as we 

move towards active color ChLCD driver development, 

in addition to e-book applications, these displays will be 

highly suited for the use in tablet PCs and iPads. 

ChLCD-e-Signage 

The exhibit also featured ChLCD e-Signage, which requires only 80V to drive 

the image change process, and allows adaptable color change in any area, unlike 

in the past where only limited regional color display potential existed. While 

prior A-4 size images required a full minute to update, the new display updates 

completely in only thirty seconds. 

Besides the prior 5 inch displays, it is now possible to use splicing techniques 

to generate A-4 size, with system thickness of less than 1 cm, and power requirements 

small enough that a battery is sufficient to drive operations. 

Green Self-Powered 

Window Modulator 

A-4 sized ChLCD-e-Signage with 

system thickness of less than 

1 cm, and power requirements 

small enough that a battery is sufficient 

to drive operations. 



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2 

Green Self-Powered Window 

Modulator uses EWD display 

technology that allows a very 

low driving voltage requirement, 

higher driver speed, and more 

color selectivity. 


The Green Self-Powered Window Modulator has significant advantages over 

polymer conditioning dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) smart window technologies, 

in that the EWD display has a very low driving voltage requirement of 10V. 

Moreover, the driver speed, color selectivity and other specifications are highly 

competitive for smart window technologies. 

This technology allows for modular shutters to serve as energy-saving smart 

windows. Its lack of any field of vision limitations means that unobstructed views 

are possible even in bright lighting. Electrode changes permit display modulation 

that ensures adaptability for applications such as large department store windows, 

and its long-term use can achieve even better energy-saving results.

Cut it Into Any Shape! 

ITRI’s Electronics and Optoelectronics 

Research Labs (EOL) has developed electro-optical 

substrate and FlexLite technologies, 

which rely on soft silicone packaging 

technology and circuit design to create a 

completely new flexible lighting technology 

with a thickness of only 0.5 cm. 

There are two core technologies involved. 

First, the LED is a light source which emits The FlexLite is not only an illuminant material, but can be used in any contexual 

format. 

heat, requiring a high thermal conductivity 


structure, so ITRI added graphene structure 

technologies to the back of the light, allowing 

generation of high thermal conductivity with concomitant deflection effects. Secondly, in the front of the lamp housing, 

an optical absorption structure was adopted, allowing the use of a flexible honeycomb structural design or tangram 

structure, to achieve uniform effects without disruptive glare. 

With the FlexLite, designers can sculpt any lighting forms they desire, and any soft light source applied to the design 

can be used, ensuring unlimited innovative potential for professional lighting designers. 

R2R Manufacturing of 

Large Area Touch Panels 

Division of Flexible Electronics Technology of ITRI 

EOL has developed the world’s first R2R Manufacturing 

of Single Substrate Direct Bridging Projective Capacitive 

Touch Panel, including full integration of materials, equipment 

and processes. Through the key R2R processes, 

previous single sheet production of digital resistive touch 

panels can advance to much larger sizes no longer limited 

by the sheet type area. Using current 3.5 inch touch 

screens as initial verification tools, we can expect that the 

R2R Manufacturing of Large Area Touch Panels may help 

critical R2R processes will allow future developments of 

Taiwan industries to achieve an integrated flexible electronics 

touch panel supply chain. 

touch panels larger than 20 to 30 inches. 


Following the establishment of the Flexible Electronics 

Touch Panel R&D Alliance, Taiwan has begun to achieve 

an integrated flexible electronics touch panel supply chain, and it is expected that by 2014 there will be four touch panel 

production lines yielding an estimated annual US$100 million in output. 


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FEATURE 

Inorganic/organic Hybrid Substrate 

for Flexible AM 

ITRI’s FlexUPD (Flexible Universal Plane for Displays) was 

specially developed to allow panel makers to convert their existing 

production lines and processes for glass panels to the manufacture 

of flexible displays with minimal investment in new equipment. 

FlexUPD is used between a polymer film and glass carrier, with 

layered coating material, so that when the production process is Combined with the polymer film, glass carrier and 

layered coating material, the layer of the panel’s 

complete, the layer of the panel’s requisite thin film transistor arrays 

can be easily removed from the glass substrate without dam- 

requisite thin film transistor arrays can be easily 

removed from the glass substrate. 


age to the transistors. 

Agglomerated from layered high content silica/polyimide composites, 

with concomitant low forming stress and high heat-resistance, high dimensional stability, high transparency, high 

flatness, and good bending characteristics, it is highly suitable for applications in production processes for most types of 

flexible plastic displays, including LCD, OLED, PDP, FED, SED, E-link, and E-paper. 

The innovative FlexUPD technology has achieved global recognition, having been honored as both the Wall Street 

Journal’s 2010 TIA Gold Winner and R&D Magazine’s R&D 100 Awards. It will assist panel makers to build on their existing 

glass manufacturing advantages as they branch out into producing flexible high-end display or e-book products. 

E-paper Display Quality Inspection 


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4 

ITRI’s E-paper Display Quality Inspection includes 

a high stability light source, with uniform luminescence 

design, and high-sensitivity CCDs, deploying special 

enhancement algorithms for precise calibrations, ensuring 

suitability not only for comprehensive E-paper 

display quality evaluation, but also for LCD panel 

measurements. The system adapts CCD and backlight 

sources to proportionally measure e-paper reflectance: 

color coordinates are determined through four color 

Through ITRI’ s E-paper Display Quality Inspection system, 

filters, deploying CIE curvature, and ensuring proper the low contrast blur phenomenon can be detected and the 

causes elucidated so that processes can be fine tuned. 

identification of panel color accuracy for use in further 


future process improvements. 

Additionally, ITRI’s Center for Measurement Standards 

(CMS) explains that when e-paper is engaged in video switching, there is often a blurred residual ghost image 

from the prior display, and with grayscale image quality and contrast-to-noise ratios of 1:1, they are difficult to detect. 

But with this complete system, the low contrast blur phenomenon can be detected and the causes elucidated so 

that processes can be fine tuned. Moreover, in regard to color coordinates, we can expect further filtering improvements 

to allow greater precision.

Panel Industry Integration 

2010 has been a crucial year for the global panel 

industry. The financial tsunami affected not only consumer 

markets, panel makers, machine foundries, and 

brand factories, but also caused material changes in 

circumstances for the entire industry. ITRI’s Industrial 

Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK) notes three 

interesting phenomena affecting the panel industry. 

First, there were the post-financial tsunami effects 

on machine foundries with less end-market demand, 

resulting in weaker upstream panel demand forecasting, 

causing supply chain imbalances and supply-demand 

instability, such that upstream and downstream networks 

had to cooperate to establish more stable supply 

relationships. This reshuffling has favored the larger 

players. 

Secondly, in order to create higher value, the panel 

industry moved towards diversified development, and 

vertical integration among upstream and downstream 

supplier networks, with panel makers integrating their 

downstream to enjoy better control, while foundries 

also sought to enhance upstream integration to stabilize 

their supply sources. 

Thirdly, there was the rapid rise of the foundry industry, 

not only in terms of the industry itself, but through 

directly engaging distribution networks. For example, 

the wholly integrated foundry business of Foxconn 

Electronics in China established cooperation with the 

fifth largest global distributor Metro to jointly open 

stores. Whether this collaborative model will prove successful 

remains to be seen. 

The success of Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iPad 

has further established the trend towards e-books and 

digital publishing. The current slate of e-book readers 

are mainly three types: bistable (EPD and cholesteroltype 

liquid crystal gel electrophoresis), electrowetting 

(EWD) MEMS display, and notebook computers, tablet 

PCs, and mobile phones. Market trends are in the direction 

of large-size, lower-priced, touch screen, color, and 

flexible displays. 

Vanguard technologies including 

flexible substrate e-paper, color 

e-paper, and built-in touch capable 

e-paper displays, are all likely to 

remain the focus of the market’s 

attention in 2011. 

Looking ahead to 2011, ITRI’s IEK emphasizes that 

Taiwan’s small and medium-sized panel industry is undergoing 

transformation. It is seen much new capacity, 

and continued vertical and horizontal market arrangements 

among panel makers in 2010, resulting in three 

major changes: LCD panel makers acquiring touch 

panel production lines, large demand for flat panel touch 

products resulting in reshuffling among the major players, 

and touch panel makers forming group corporations. 

Expansion by Chinese companies, and investments in 

high technology or niche market products by Japanese 

and Korean makers ensures greater volatility among the 

entire small and medium sized panel industry. 

In terms of the three core technologies, the TFT-LCD 

industry continues to enjoy breakthroughs, with four 

trends to watch: the revolutionary impacts posed by 

new materials like Oxide TFT, the expanding demand 

for wide angle viewing resulting from the success of the 

iPad, the iPhone4 demanding high resolution, as well as 

environmental stewardship and green energy concerns. 

OLEDs are moving towards full functionality including 

touch functions, 3D naked eye, AR, new pixel integration 

and flexible applications. 

Vanguard technologies including flexible substrate e- 

paper, color e-paper, and built-in touch capable e-paper 

displays, are all likely to remain the focus of the market’s 

attention in 2011, with the triple threat of touch 

technology, 3D technology and flexible display manufacturing, 

likely to determine the market success among 

industry participants in Taiwan, China, Japan and Korea 

over the next three years. 


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5

SPOTLIGHT 

Taiwan’s Satellite Industry 

Shines at the 2010 ESNC Awards 


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6 

The 2010 GNSS Innovative Application 

& Business Opportunity 

Forum saw the team from 

ITRI’s Mechanical and Systems 

Research Labs (MSL) receive a 

gold medal for their “Credit Card 

Identification by Knowing Where 

You Are” Project. It was an outstanding 

achievement, ranking 

first among the 45 projects entered 

in the international competition. 

The project makes use of cell 

phone and satellite technology to 

radically decrease the risk of credit 

card fraud and increase individual 

financial security. 

Second prize went to the Finnish 

“Egnos Express Lanes” project, an initiative that 

aims at easing congestion by differentiating toll fees 

based on traffic conditions and flow, making drivers pay 

a different rate to travel along express and main roads. 

The forum’s main event, the European Satellite Navigation 

Competition (ESNC) 2010 Awards Ceremony, 

attracted entrants from many countries including the 

Netherlands, Germany, Russia, Pakistan, China, Indonesia 

and India. 

According to recent analysis, in 2013 when the Russian-operated 

GLONASS and the European GALILEO 

have completed their capacity expansions, the effect will 

be felt within the peripheral satellite service industries 

and demand for navigation equipped cell phones. The 

expansion is expected to generate NTD 3.7 trillion in end 

user business opportunities. In addition, the global smart 

phone industry has also benefited from the vigorous development 

of the satellite navigation industry. Peripheral 

navigation application services are also springing up, 

and this is where Taiwan’s niche opportunity lies. 

Mr. Chan Wen-hsin, Advisor of Department of Industrial 

Technology, Ministry of Economic Affairs noted 

ITRI MSL’ s “Credit Card Identification by Knowing Where You Are” awarded a gold medal at 

2010 ESNC. Chan Wen-hsin (left), advisor of MOEA, presents the prize to the winning team. 

Photograph by Tsai Hung-mou 

that the EU has made the upgrade of Galileo a priority. 

From 2010 to 2011 there has been a steady stream of 

satellite launches and of projects entering the testing 

phase before moving on to the path verification phase. 

It is expected that 2011 will see six satellites in use with 

the eventual expansion planned to reach 14 by 2013. 

With Taiwan’s manufacturing experience and exemplary 

effort in this year’s competition, MOEA hopes that the 

opportunity can be seized, peripheral products developed 

and a leading position can be established in the 

global navigation industry. 

What’s EGNOS 

EGNOS is a satellite based augmentation system 

consisting of 3 geostationary satellites, 4 Mission 

Control Centers, 34 Ranging and Integrity Monitoring 

Stations, and 6 Navigation Land Earth Stations. 

It provides Europe with information regarding the 

reliability and accuracy of the signals, performing a 

function similar to that of the North American Wide 

Area Augmentation System (WAAS).

[ INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ] 

ITRI and Oxford Instruments 

Cooperate on HB-LED 

Packaging Process Technology 

ITRI and Oxford Instruments, 

a world-renowned equipment 

manufacturer, recently announced 

the formal establishment of a joint 

R&D center that will focus on the 

back-wafer level packaging process 

and the integrated micro-structure 

technology of the HB-LED (High- 

Brightness LED). 

Dr. Shyu Jyuo-min, President of 

ITRI, commented that MEMS technology 

is the key technology in the 

back-wafer level packaging process 

of the HB-LED, and the MEMS 

Open Laboratory of ITRI has received 

long-term support from 

Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic 

Affairs (MOEA). The laboratory 

is currently the only one in Taiwan 

with an R&D lab that contains the 

2 to 8-inch MEMS wafer fabrication 

technology. This can help the 

industry to carry out component 

design, manufacturing, packaging, 

testing, trial production and other 

services. 

Dr. Shyu Jyuo-min believes the 

collaboration with Oxford Instruments 

will accelerate technology integration 

for LED wafer packaging, 

and enhance the competitiveness 

of the domestic HB-LED industry. 

ITRI and Oxford Instruments are jointly developing new and improved technology for HB-LED. 

Source: ITRI 

ITRI will also plan for the longterm 

development of micro-nanonel 

for the research and developdant 

supply of energies and personelectromechanical 

critical process ment of LED, Oxford Instruments 

technology, thereby making Taiwan’s 

LED and micro-nano elec- 

overseas R&D center in ITRI to 

is delighted to be able to set up its 

tromechanical industry chain more serve the demands of LED manufacturers 

in the Asia Pacific. In 

comprehensive and giving it a solid 

technical basis. 

addition, Oxford Instruments will 

Mr. Jonathan Flint, CEO of also search for suitable Taiwanese 

Oxford Instruments, said that the companies to join its machine parts 

company has over 25 years of experience 

focusing on plasma etch- 

company to put down roots in Asia, 

supplier network, in order for the 

ing and chemical vapor deposition while at the same time reducing the 

technology, providing key leading equipment costs and speeding up 

equipment for LED upstream patterned 

substrate epitaxy and middle Finally, it is the company’s wish 

the time to market. 

grain manufacturing. Because of for Taiwan to become the machine 

noting the growing importance assembling center in the Asia Pacific 

region in the future. 

of the Asia Pacific market for the 

world’s economy, and ITRI’s abun- 


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7

[ R&D FOCUS ] 

Rapid Color Gamut 

Measurement Technology 

Creating Real, Vivid Colors 


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8 

With advanced algorithms and color gamut 

measurement, LCD displays have reached 

more consistent color quality. 

Photograph by Hsu Yu-kai 

Whether for printed products 

or displays, one universal 

challenge lies in the physical limits 

of color performance, meaning that 

whether displayed on a monitor or 

printed paper, it is never possible to 

completely reproduce all the identifiable 

variety of colors visible in the 

natural world. Thus, defining and 

displaying hue and saturation along 

the color gamut to yield more realistic, 

aesthetically pleasing colors, 

has remained a key challenge for all 

display makers. 

Most display makers choose a 

palette of basic colors for their new 

products based on the colors which 

appeal to the majority of consumers 

as evinced from their existing product 

choices. During the product 

development process, LCD makers 

first select the “screening” panel, 

providing all the panel characteristics 

and parameters, to determine 

whether the desired color effects 

can be produced within the system’s 

range or color gamut; then it 

is necessary to “adjust” the color, to 

match the colors displayed as close 

as possible to the desired colors. 

This is followed by “optimization”, 

whereby the display maker combines 

desired color performance 

factors, taking into account the demands 

of consumer aesthetic appeal 

preferences, to establish the distinctive 

‘look’ and image quality that 

differentiates their products from 

competing brands. 

Precise Measurement, 

Accurate Adjustment 

In the past, precise color measurement 

equipment did not exist, 

so manufacturers relied on the aesthetic 

sensibilities of selected master 

craftsmen to determine appropriate 

color adjustments. Early color gamut 

data measurement technologies 

such as the CA-210 color analyzer 

could only evaluate a single point 

at a time, and given the tremendous 

number of discrete data points in 

any image, processing times were 

simply too long. 

However, the “Rapid Color Gam-

ut Measurement Technology” developed 

by ITRI’s Center for Measurement 

Standards (CMS) reduces the 

time required to evaluate 100,000 

individual data points from almost 

two full computational days to about 

5 hours, an efficiency increase of 

more than 10 times. This means that 

both in terms of time and manpower 

requirements, greater color adjustment 

operations and more varied 

product development activities can 

be undertaken. ITRI CMS Senior 

Engineer Chien Yuh-der noted that 

use of better instrumentation and 

equipment and development of 

more advanced algorithms ensure 

more efficient evaluation, reducing 

the time required, allowing for more 

precise color tuning adjustments and 

reducing the concerns resulting from 

human factors, thus affording better 

and more consistent color quality. 

Using 2D-colorimeter technologies 

with the new algorithm for 

Rapid Color Gamut Measurement 

Technology allows display makers 

more filtering hardware (panel) 

parameters and color reproduction 

choices, and much speedier access 

to the color data needed to provide 

appropriate adjustments. These developments 

have resulted from close 

cooperation between the ITRI CMS 

and the Chi Mei Group’s NEXGEN 

MediaTech firm, building on prior 

product design collaboration results. 

Achieving Solid Color 

Performance 

ITRI CMS Scientist Pong Baojen 

further explains that when 

engaged in analytic processing of 

color data, the Rapid Color Gamut 

Measurement Technology provides 

advantages by allowing simultaneous 

analysis of three RGB inputs, 

providing full correspondence to the 

visual field of monitor viewer LCH 

parameters of lightness, chroma 

and hue. In the resplendent world 

of natural colors, brightness is an 

essential factor. Previously only 

simple measurement and adjustments 

to brightness were possible to 

aid in obtaining better values for hue 

and saturation, but at the expense of 

better color performance possibilities. 

With the Rapid Color Gamut 

Measurement Technology and its 

faster processing abilities, however, 

we can not only accurately account 

for brightness parameters, but also 

provide for three-dimensional variations 

yielding a “3D color gamut”, 

which enhances the color variety 

available from monitors, allowing 

richer results much closer to natural 

color. 

The new technology also creates 

opportunities for collaboration with 

IC makers to develop image control 

IC, which can deploy rapid color 

gamut measurement techniques 

directly on IC, allowing modular 

systems solutions for makers. Currently 

LCD panels and IC hardware 

have reached high quality levels, 

with many makers using pretty 

much equivalent panels or IC. In 

the future, differentiation may lie in 

the image processing technologies 

deployed, including the algorithms, 

databases, knowhow and so on, all 

of which will serve to enhance domestic 

makers’ and the industry’s 

competitiveness. 

Photograph by Hsu Yu-kai 

ITRI’s Rapid Color 

Gamut Measurement 

Technology allows 

display makers much 

speedier access to the 

color data needed to 

make appropriate 

adjustments. 


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9

[ R&D FOCUS ] 

Advanced Backstage 

Processing Enhances 

Chip Yield 

sion circuits, but as the chips get 

smaller the line-widths reduce, and 

the accuracy requirements increase. 

To ensure the optimum quality there 

is a need for more overlay metrology 

sampling and a focus on the accuracy 

of the layering/stacking systems. 

The patent for In-chip overlay 

metrology developed by Dr. Ku and 

the team makes innovative use of 

optical diffraction limits and optical 

detection methods, and can detect 

any error inside the chip overlay. 

This is different from older mea- 


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10 

The patent for In-chip overlay metrology 

developed by ITRI can detect any error 

inside the chip overlay and increase the 

accuracy of the layering/stacking systems. 

Photograph by Tzou Fu-sheng 

As 3C consumer electronics 

products become lighter, thinner, 

and more efficient, improvements 

in chip yield and performance 

become the common goals of the 

international semiconductor industry. 

Dr. Ku Yi-sha, lead researcher 

of ITRI’ s Center for Measurement 

Standards (CMS) has developed the 

innovative In-chip Overlay metrology 

patent. Given a 32 nanometer 

process, in 2009 measurement accuracy 

could measured within 0.57 

nanometers, making this technology 

the leader and standard setter for International 

Technology Roadmap of 

Semiconductor (ITRS) for the past 

4 years. 

Dr. Ku Yi-sha explains that highperformance 

chips depend on preci- 

surement technology, which could 

only measure the chip’s peripheral 

defects. This new detection method 

not only gives immediate and rapid 

responses but it has also improved 

the level of accuracy by 50%, and 

made a great contribution to chip 

yield. It has been implemented in 

large semiconductor enterprises 

such as TSMC and AMD. For 

TSMC this has led to a reduction 

in production costs, to the tune of 

more than NTD 500 billion in annual 

output value. 

Breakthroughs Through 

Collaboration 

Dr. Ku Yi-sha has led the advanced 

semiconductor process 

technology program in developing 

a number of core technologies,

such as lightfield microscope image 

detection technology, laser scattering 

detection technology, and now 

the world leading In-chip Overlay 

metrology. Dr. Ku also emphasized 

that the continual development and 

improvements made in detection 

and testing come from the crucial 

work done during cooperative efforts 

between international players. 

For example, Accent Optical Technologies 

(UK) and Nanometrics 

(US) have both provided their optimized 

measurement design and innovation 

into numerical algorithms 

to improve the performance of the 

online testing machine. 

From 2004 to 2007, Dr. Ku led 

her team along with TSMC and Accent 

Optical to challenge the ITRS’ 

standard- 45 nanometers process 

technology by 2010. TSMC’ s 

group took their Overlay metrology 

technology and combined this 

with a 193 nanometer immersion 

lithography and mask technology. 

Accent Optical provided a 12-inch 

diameter testing device technology. 

Dr. Ku’s team provided the Inchip 

overlay metrology and also 

developed the nano image design 

and new algorithms. The joint effort 

was successful in receiving TSMC 

accreditation. 

Next Challenge: 3D IC Process 

and Test Technology 

Dr. Ku is certainly not shy of 

change, and has been in recent 

years an advocate for innovation in 

IC applications and in 3D IC processing 

and testing. She stressed the 

importance of line-width reduction 

in the semiconductor manufacturing 

process. The move from the previous 

90-nm, to 65 nm, 45 nm, 32 nm 

or even to 22 nm is a trend that in 

next generation will become costly. 

In order to make headway, the 

manufacturers need to expend huge 

resources developing new processing 

equipment. 

Dr. Ku adds that the recent rise of 

3D IC process detection technology 

is different from the existing twodimensional 

integrated circuit chips 

which continue to get smaller and 

smaller. The 3D IC process is maximised 

by three-dimensional integrated 

circuit stacking methods which 

achieve the same density, lightness, 

thinness, height and performance. 

Because of the structural density of 

the 3D IC product as well as the optical 

diffraction limit, there are limitations 

on testing and detection abilities. 

However with infrared confocal 

ITRI’s Bright-field Microscopy Overlay 

Metrology has been transferred to 

Nanometrics Inc. 

Source: CMS/ITRI 

microscope, the high-density stacked 

structure can be tested without the 

chip. This coupled with instant online 

feedback will allow Taiwan to compete 

on the world stage as leaders in 

this 3D IC field. 

In-chip overlay 

metrology not only 

gives immediate and 

rapid responses but 

it has also improved 

the level of accuracy 

by 50%, and made a 

great contribution to 

chip yield. 


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11

[ R&D FOCUS ] 

RFID Embedded in PCBs for 

Carbon Footprint Tracking 

dynamically tracking the carbon 

emission rates of the product at 

its various stages, showing which 

production stages emit the highest 

amount of carbon so that proper 

modifications can be made, to make 

the product even more energyconserving 

and efficient. 

This new technology is far superior 

to traditional barcodes, which 

are bulky and have limited storage 

volume. RFID chips are slim and 

product’s “Carbon Footprint” 

A refers to the precise measurement 

of carbon emission over its 

With RFID reader embedded into the PCB, 

the finished product need not be taken 

apart to read the product number, and the 

chip also displays the product content, 

materials, and carbon amount. 


board). ITRI’s Service Systems 

Technology Center (SSTC) has 

developed microstrip antennas for 

compact, ideal for use within circuit 

boards that are also designed to be 

as thin as possible. The chip also 

includes memory devices, so that 

the circuit board manufacturer can 

track parts and finished products 

at any time. With the RFID reader 

installed, the finished product does 

entire life cycle, from the initial pro- 

general use, which can be embed- 

not even have to be taken apart for 

duction stage as raw material to its 

ded within the PCB without modi- 

the product number, product con- 

manufacturing, packaging, delivery, 

fying the original processing flow. 

tent, materials, and carbon amount 

consumer usage, and eventual dis- 

Each PCB will then have a unique 

to be read. This is extremely con- 

card. Such a carbon tracking system 

identifying EPC (electronic product 

venient in terms of subsequent 

is needed globally, so that all prod- 

code). The RFID reader will record 

product tracking, carbon tracking, 

ucts can be designed to conform to 

the product information within the 

distribution management, product 

low-carbon-emission standards. Yet 

RFID chip, and then store the data 

recall, and product maintenance. 


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Product Carbon Footprint Tracking 

also faces critical challenges. Even 

with identical products, carbon 

emission varies with use of different 

supply chains or sales distribution 

channels. The solution to this problem 

is to apply RFID tagging. 

Just about all consumer electron- 

including information on carbon 

emission into the system’s product 

data file. Using devices from the 

EPCglobal (standard promotional 

unit) Network Structure, products 

tagged with EPC codes can be 

individually tracked via EPCIS 

(Electronic Product Code Informa- 

Real Time Calculation and Precise 

Tracking 

Figure 1 shows how the RFID 

reader monitors the product 

manufacturing process and carbon 

amount. The manufacturer needs to 

first setup a parameter database for 

12 

ics contain a PCB (printed circuit 

tion Services). RFID is capable of 

product carbon tracking, and also

set the retrieval time and method for 

carbon tracking data. Parameters for 

greenhouse gas emission and carbon 

tracking will be estimated by carbon 

factors retrieved at various production 

stages. During the manufacturing 

process, an intelligent meter will 

automatically retrieve power usage 

and operation time parameters at 

each process stage, and then apply 

this data within the carbon tracking 

parameter automatic measurement 

system, to obtain the carbon amount 

emitted at each production stage for 

various product parts. The data will 

be completely recorded within the 

RFID tag embedded within the PCB 

and back-end EPCIS. The EPCglobal 

network structure can then integrate 

front and back-end supply chain 

vendors to immediately track carbon 

emission, and adjust the emission 

amounts. 

ITRI’s SSTC has already achieved 

excellent results in creating addon 

value for electronic products 

by embedding its RFID within the 

product PCB. In 2009, ITRI worked 

with TECO by embedding intelligent 

RFID tags on PCBs to reduce 

manufacturing errors in the production 

line, and to help distribution 

channels to launch product marketing 

more smoothly. In 2011, ITRI 

plans to integrate the RFID chip 

and temperature sensor into a kit 

that can merge effortlessly with unaltered 

processing, to lower production 

costs and elevate customer satisfaction 

at the same time. Because 

ITRI’s new technology has yet to be 

approved by the MOEA’s Bureau of 

Standards, Metrology, and Inspection, 

it will be another six months or 

Figure 1 

Structure for monitoring and calculation of Carbon Tracking 

Source: SSTC/ ITRI 

so before it can be commercialized. is integrated with the PCB to create 

Apart from TECO, ITRI’s SSTC is a parameter database that includes 

also negotiating concerning joint circuit volume, power usage, and 

projects with renowned corporations 

such as Tatung and Simplo. ness. 

rating for environmental friendli- 

Compared with automatic power-cut 

devices commonly used in global standard is to utilize RFID 

The main purpose of the EPC- 

household appliances, ITRI’s RFID technology to track and trace 

utilizes its sensor tag to detect temperature, 

allowing the user to view network structures. With RFID 

products, using currently existing 

temperature information of their technology and PCB Sensor tags, 

device at any time. When the user comprehensive carbon tracking data 

feels that the device temperature is within a product’s entire life cycle 

too high, power can be adjusted immediately, 

thus preventing hazards sured, via the EPCglobal network’s 

can be precisely recorded and mea- 

caused by electronic overheating. integration of supply chain vendors, 

Maintenance personnel can also manufacturers, and distributors. 

read the historical data stored in the Helping suppliers pinpoint the biggest 

carbon sources will work to the 

chip, to accurately diagnose and fix 

any problems. The advantage of benefit of the entire global population 

in the long this innovative technology is that it 

run. 


▂ 


▂ 

13

[ COLLABORATIONS ] 


▂ 


▂ 

14 

ITRI and Top 

Japanese Financial 

Group Sign MOC 

ITRI President, Dr. Shyu Jyuo-min (left) and Managing Executive Officer of Mizuho Corp. 

Bank, Keizo Ohashi (right), signed a business and technology development MOC. 


In efforts to fast track integration 

between Taiwanese small- and 

mid-sized enterprises and their international 

counterparts, as well as 

broaden their reach in global markets, 

ITRI and one of the top three 

Japanese financial institutions – Mizuho 

Financial Group – have signed 

a business and technology development 

Memorandum of Cooperation 

(MOC). The MOC is expected to 

assist Taiwanese industry in learning 

from the operations management, 

brand marketing and service 

standards experience of Japanese 

firms. 

ITRI President, Dr. Shyu Jyuomin, 

points out that ITRI has always 

had a mission of technological and 

economic development, but this year 

it has added an emphasis on promoting 

R&D alliances and upgrading 

local industry. The focus will furthermore 

be linking up ITRI’s “innovation 

company” with external investment 

and seeing industrialization 

of early stage technologies brought to 

fruition. 

Aside from information exchange 

and increasing Taiwanese enterprises’ 

competitive strength in international 

markets, the MOC with Mizuho Financial 

Group will also emphasize 

two large areas of development: 

medicine and green energy. In the 

future, Taiwanese start-ups hope to 

attract financial support from foreign 

venture capital funds with the assistance 

of Mizuho Financial Group, as 

well as its operational recommendations. 

Keizo Ohashi, Managing Executive 

Officer of Mizuho Corporate 

Bank in Asia and Oceania, states 

that Mizuho Financial Group hopes 

to support Japanese enterprises in 

breaking into rapidly emerging Asian 

markets by building on ITRI’s development 

and achievements and 

Mizuho Financial Group’s wide client 

base. Ohashi further expects that 

Mizuho’s collaboration with ITRI 

will promote technology exchange 

between Taiwanese and Japanese 

start-ups, particularly in areas of mutual 

focus such as environmental and 

energy technology. 

Mizuho Financial Group is one 

of the three largest multi-service 

financial institutions in Japan, including 

under its banner a bank, a credit 

agency (trust bank), a securities 

company, as well as a research institute. 

It transacts with 70% of listed 

Japanese companies and has a clientele 

of approximately 100,000 smalland 

mid-sized firms. Mizuho has 

established a foothold in 29 nations 

and has roughly 40,000 employees 

worldwide, with total assets of 1.6 

trillion USD. With its Taipei branch 

established in 1959 as the Kangyo 

Bank, it was Taiwan’s first foreign 

business bank, and it currently has 

branches in Taipei, Taichung, and 

Kaohsiung.

[ COLLABORATIONS ] 

ITRI’s WAVE/ DSRC 

Communications 

Unit 2.0 Selected 

by the U.S. 

DOT for ITS 

ITRI’s WAVE/ DSRC Communications Unit 2.0 elicited 

deep interest from leading domestic companies at the 

Achievements in Critical Telematics Technology and Company 

Exchange Conference. 

Source: ITRI 

ITRI’s WAVE/ DSRC Communications 

Unit 2.0 was one of eight 

devices chosen by the U.S. Depart- 

Information & Communications 

Research Labs (ICL) with support 

from the Department of Industrial 

communication systems inside and 

outside the vehicle, form an interlocking 

network environment that 

ment of Transportation for the ‘Here 

Technology, MOEA. Many indus- 

provides seamless access service at 

I Am’ IntelliDrive Safety Program. 

try leaders such as HAITEC General 

any time or location, and provide 

For ITRI, the sole contractor from 

Manager Liu Yi-cheng, Advantech 

vehicle to infrastructure (V2I), ve- 

Asia selected for the project, this 

Chief Technology Officer Jeff Chen 

hicle to vehicle (V2V) and vehicle 

represented a major breakthrough 

and Microsoft came to the confer- 

to person (V2P) functions. For the 

which is comparable to gaining an 

ence to explore topics including tele- 

IntelliDrive Safety Program, ITRI 

admission ticket to participate in 

matic R&D developments, business 

will provide IWCU 2.0 devices that 

the U.S. Intelligent Transport Sys- 

opportunities and how automotive 

will be added to a DOT Qualified 

tem (ITS). Besides opening up new 

companies can develop applica- 

Product List and be eligible to join 

prospects for international coopera- 

tions from vehicle communication 

the IntelliDrive Safety Pilot model 

tion, this integration of automotive 

technology. 

deployment, provided that the de- 

information and intelligent transport 

Last year, ITRI ICL completed 

vices pass U.S. DOT certification 

systems gives domestic electron- 

Taiwan’s first prototype ITRI 

testing. 

ics, software, service, consumer 

WAVE/DSRC Communications 

Taiwan is already well known for 

and system integration companies 

Unit (IWCU) system. IWCU 2.0 

its prowess in the information and 

a foothold to enter and compete in 

is now entering the most challeng- 

communications technology (ICT) 

international markets. 

ing R&D stage, upgrading single 

field. ITRI hopes that these efforts 

This accomplishment elicited 

deep interest from Hua-chuang 

Automobile Information Technical 

Center (HAITEC), Advantech and 

other leading domestic companies 

at the Achievements in Critical 

Telematics Technology and Company 

Exchange Conference. The 

conference was held by ITRI’s 

WAVE/DSRC interface automotive 

communication devices into multivehicle 

wireless and wired interface 

gateway devices. In addition to 

supporting WAVE/DSRC vehicle 

communication protocol, it also 

supports CAN bus, WiFi, WiMAX, 

and 3G/3.5G communication protocols 

to fully connect to information 

can help Taiwan’s ICT firms quickly 

make the leap over to the automotive 

electronics market. By linking 

up to international markets, Taiwan 

can play a pivotal role in international 

automotive supply chain, giving 

new competitive strength to the 

ICT industry in Taiwan. 


▂ 


▂ 

15

Publisher: Jyuo-Min Shyu 

ITRI is Taiwan’s largest applied technology 

R&D institution. Since its founding in 1973, 

ITRI has accomplished to promote development 

of Taiwan’s high-tech industry. To date, 

ITRI has accumulated over 10,000 patents, 

cultivated 70 CEOs and has assisted in the 

creation of over 165 start-ups and spinoffs, 

including global semiconductor leaders TSMC 

and UMC. Our current focus areas include 

Information and Communications; Electronics 

and Optoelectronics; Chemical and Nanotechnology; 

Biomedical Technology and Device; 

Advanced Manufacturing and Systems; 

and Green Energy and Environment. 

Editor in Chief: Betsy Fan 

Managing Editor: Jeanne Yeh 

Contributing Editor: Dan King, Kristie Lee 

Art Designer: Karen Hsu 

Printed by: Yuen Foong Paper Co., LTD. 

Subscription Inquiries: 

E-mail:enews@itri.org.tw 

Fax: +886-3-582-0494 

Finding Past Issues: http://www.itri.org.tw/eng/publication/index.asp 

Published by: 

Industrial Technology Research Institute 

Rm. 115, Bldg. 51, No. 195, Sec.4, Chung Hsing Rd. 

Chutung, Hsinchu, Taiwan 310, R.O.C. 

Tel: +886-3-582-0100 

Fax: +886-3-582-0045 

Web site: http://www.itri.org.tw/eng 

© 2011 All rights reserved. 

ITRI’s Worldwide Offices 

ITRI International Inc. 

2880 Zanker Rd., Suite 109, 

San Jose, CA 95134, U.S.A. 

Tel: +1-408-428-9988 

Fax: +1-408-428-9388 

Website: http://www.itri.com 

E-mail: seanwang@itri.com 

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TTD Bldg. 3F,1-2-18 Mita, 

Minato-Ku, Tokyo 108-0073, 

Japan 

Tel: +81-3-5419-3836 

Fax: +81-3-3455-5079 

Website: http://w3.itri.org.tw/ 

japan/ 

E-mail: info@itri-tokyo.jp 

ITRI Western Europe Office 

Hohenzollerndamm 187, 7 

OG., D-10713 Berlin, Germany 

Tel: +49-30-8609-360 ext.11 

Fax: +49-30-8642-0677 

Website: http://www.itri.de 

E-mail: LHsieh@itri.de 

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Office 303, Build. 15, 1-st 

Brestskaya Street, 125047, 

Moscow, Russia 

Tel: +7-499-978-6125 

Fax: +7-499-978-9383 

Website: http://www.itri.de 

E-mail: SteveCHLin@itri.org.tw

ITRI TODAY

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