Project ALPACA

A holistic approach for the future production of sensor technology

Micro- and nanoelectronics is an innovative and quickly developing research environment. With rapidly advancing digitisation and automation, novel technologies and materials for sensor and actuator technology, the systems used for their production are becoming increasingly important.

ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) and ALE (Atomic Layer Etching) technologies offer high compliance for nanofabrication and the fabrication of miniaturised structures regardless of aspect ratio. Atomic-level control enables material selectivity and etching fidelity, which support the implementation of increasingly complex architectures in modern materials science and nanotechnology.

Advanced materials place high demands on fabrication and protection processes, particularly due to their sensitivity to environmental influences. For applications in sensor technology, controlled manufacturing environments and carefully coordinated process steps are essential to ensure reliable performance. Components need to offer significant potential for faster and more energy-efficient electronic systems, while supporting compact designs and effective thermal management. As device architectures continue to shrink, the importance of precise, high-quality material processing becomes increasingly central.

The ALPACA project will provide a holistic approach for the future production of sensor technology. SENTECH will develop and manufacture a prototype of a multi-process system during the course of the project. Fraunhofer ENAS research institute will develop process steps to be tested using the prototype system during the course of the project.

Project profile

This research and development project is/was funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) in the program “Future of Value Creation – Research on Production, Services and Work” in the funding measure “KMU-innovativ: Zukunft der Wertschöpfung” (funding code: 02P25K000) and supervised by the Project Management Agency Karlsruhe (PTKA). Responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the author.