Mosaic Microsystems is focused on providing thin glass substrates and through glass vias (TGVs) for RF communications devices, particularly for 5G, as well as MEMS and sensors for the internet of things (IoT) and has reported a significant investment into the business. The company recently raised $2 million in a seed round led by BlueSky Capital, with participation from Corning. Jeremy Wooldridge, General Manager of Samtec Microelectronics, will join Mosaic’s Board of Directors. In 2019, Mosaic secured an exclusive license from Corning for thin glass handling solutions, as well as an NSF SBIR contract to establish manufacturable implementation of thin glass for electronics packaging. Mosaic leadership team includes technology experts from Kodak, Corning, and ON Semiconductor.
“Mosaic’s offering is well-timed with the rapidly increasing demand for solutions that expand upon the performance of incumbent material choices, and drive business results,” said Madison Hamman, Managing Director of BlueSky Capital. “We believe the market will continue to require new and differentiated thin substrate solutions for RF communications and advanced packaging. Mosaic is well positioned to establish these solutions for the industry and we are excited to collaborate with and support them as they work to build a great company in an exciting industry.”
Mosaic's through glass via (TGV) process flow. Source: Mosaic Microsystems.
Mosaic says its solutions provide customers with the ability to establish high volume manufacturing of thin glass solutions using existing industry standard equipment and processes. According to the company, at the heart of Mosaic’s solution is a proprietary temporary bond technology, which uses innovative approaches to support thin glass substrates during downstream processing. Key features and benefits of the Mosaic platform include: (a) an extremely thin temporary bonding layer, allowing for precision via fill with conductive materials using current semiconductor processes and equipment, (b) ability to process at elevated temperatures (i.e. greater than 400C), (c) no outgas from the temporary bond layer, and (d) a mechanical de-bond that leverages existing industry processes.
“With our patented process, we are unlocking the advantages of thin glass solutions, while fully leveraging well-established processes and equipment in the existing supply chain to maximize the benefits, while minimizing cost,” said Christine Whitman, Mosaic’s Chairman and CEO. “With the financial support and domain expertise of Samtec Electronics, we will be able to execute our vision even more rapidly and broadly -- and with the benefit of experience, perspective and relationships of our industry.”
BlueSky Capital is focused on component technologies and enabling hardware advances, such as silicon, materials, optics, and sensors. The company has close ties with Samtec.
Following up on the 2019 Phase I National Science Foundation (NSF) SBIR grant, Mosaic has recently been awarded the subsequent Phase II SBIR grant from the NSF and an additional Phase I grant from the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL). During the NSF Phase I SBIR project, Mosaic made significant progress on both technical and commercialization fronts establishing facility operations, extending on the base technology to enable commercial applications, and providing capability to enable initial company sales. The NSF Phase II funding targets to build on these key achievements to increase process capability, robustness and further increase capacity.
Thin glass wafer with through-holes temporarily bonded to silicon handle wafer. The bonded wafers can then be processed like a standard silicon wafer. Source: Mosaic Microsystems.
The Phase I SBIR award through AFRL (and AFWERX) partners Mosaic with the electronics and sensing facility within GE Research. Combining Mosaic’s thin glass handling technology, the capabilities for fabricating advanced RF modules at GE Research and key technology from the Air Force Research Laboratory allows Mosaic to lead the effort to establish critical next generation antenna technology in the Ka band. The goal for this project is to enable enhanced satellite communications with significantly reduced size, weight, and power. The objective is also to leverage the aggressive approach of this AFWERX program to quickly transition the technology to the DoD customers.
“These awards are the culmination of an immense amount of work and focus from the Mosaic team over the past year. This adds to an exciting time for Mosaic as we continue to grow and accelerate our capabilities and work towards growing the business and addressing a wide range of opportunities in both commercial and defense applications,” said Whitman.
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