The global economy is benefiting from the fast evolution of the semiconductor industry. The primary driving force of the semiconductor industry is the increasing integration density, which has lead not only to higher transistor density but also to increasing power density. Power density is expected to increase up to 135 W/cm2 in 2024 for single chip packages. This puts significant stress on thermal management technology. Obviously, there is a need for improved thermal management within the field, and innovative TIMs constitutes a key component in reaching this goal. TIMs with dispersion of CNTs in polymer matrices for improved thermal conductivity have been reported. However, the thermal conductivity in these composites is insufficient and fundamental limitations stem from the huge interfacial contact resistance between the CNTs and the contact resistance between the CNT ends and target surfaces. Therefore, SMARTHERM project is initiated aiming to build up a pilot production line for high-performance TIMs based on functionalized CNTs. The utilization of vertically aligned CNT structure eliminated the CNT-CNT contacts along the heat transfer path and the functionalization at the CNT ends dramatically decreased the contact resistance. The main outcomes of the SMARTHERM project are two types of CNT based TIMs manufactured in a roll-to-roll manner which allows large scale production at industrial level. The TIMs will be demonstrated by two demonstrators proposed by TRT. The consortium consists of 5 partners from 3 European countries and integrates competence from 2 big companies, 2 SMEs and 1 university. TRT and SHT have been funded by the FP7 framework programme NANOPACK and SMARTPOWER, in which SHT and TRT have obtained great amount of knowledge on CNT based TIMs. Therefore, SMARTHERM project will make use of the previous research results and push the material a big leap forward to the market.

METATHERM will demonstrate a versatile energy harvesting and communication system for unattended environment sensors arrays, allowing the development of maintenance free and autarkic operation devices. The novelty builds up from several different innovations, the main one being the microwave antenna, based on epsilon engineering using metamaterials, allowing the antenna to show extremely high gain and an extreme compactness [FETOPEN Project NANOPOLY]. The energy efficiency of the antenna allows the electrical power need to be decreased accordingly, which allows the consideration of novel energy harvesting technologies to be used to power the system. In METATHERM, the energy of the sun is harvested using a novel ionic thermoelectric device. This technology is based on ion migration under a thermal gradient, and show higher Seebeck coefficient than usual tellurium based semiconductors without the use of rare or toxic elements: a significant advantage in the context of the rapidly growing energy demand for IoT and mobile electronic systems. Used in addition to a supercapacitor to store the electrical energy and a thermal energy storage device, METATHERM platform will allow continuous operation of the device day and night. Moreover, due to the similarity in device structure between the iTE device and the supercapacitor, METATHERM will benefit from manufacturing know how of the latter. A substantial maturity level increase is then expected for the iTE devices. Finally, the project aims to develop a platform integrating all these technology in a single device, and exploration of its potential applications. To ensure market fit, the project plans a 3 phases exploitation plan, gathering potential user interest at the beginning of the project, selecting most promising applications at the demonstrator design stage, and produce a transfer plan at the end of the project.

Future micro/nano-electronics components production will need to be smart and provide instantaneous information on all items for complete traceability. This is necessary as enormous quality requirements have to be met by industrial manufacturers to be competitive in this growing multi-billion market. The crucial ingredient for this development is the availability of rapid in-line-capable inspection systems to unequivocally detect production flaws and defects in the component. To respond to these challenges, the fast, contactless and non-destructive full-field thermometric methods of Pulse-Infrared Thermography (PIRT) and Thermoreflectance (TR) are exploited for the first time to enable 100% in-line inspection in the production line. INLINETEST’s objective is to take up these challenges in design, realization, deployment and test: Existing prototypes for both methods will be adapted and upgraded to the challenges of inline testing, enhanced by hard- and software innovations. For validation under real-life conditions, both failure analytical method’s hard- and software will be customized and integrated into two production lines and demonstrated on two encapsulated power multi-chip module (MCM) components and one in-line production tool at the project partners, covering crucial aspects of the avionics, telecom and automotive sector. The consortium, composed of five partners from industry, SME and academia from 3 European countries, pools excellence and interdisciplinary skills to address these tasks. We are convinced that INLINETEST will enable the first in-line-capable inspection system for 100% monitoring of micro/nano-electronics production based on the thermographic methods of IR and TR, meet the aggressive precision and efficiency targets presented in the proposal and hence boost productivity and radiate out to other lines and products where non-contact failure analysis below surfaces of various emissivity is needed. Thus, the route for smart production is pre

THERMOCOOL addresses critical global challenges - energy transition and digitalization. With 20% of global energy used for cooling, and 1.6 billion AC units in use, energy-efficient alternatives are vital. Thermoelectric coolers (TE) offer a solution, saving 1795 kWh/y and reducing CO2 emissions by 38% per person compared to standard AC. Additionally, TE has applications in high-power computing and batteries where conventional cooling falls short. The project leverages novel thermoelectric materials to drive advancements. In parallel,THERMOCOOL contributes to digitalization. The Internet of Everything (IoE) necessitates trillions of connected devices. To power them sustainably, thermal energy harvesters are explored, tapping into heat sources like the human body, buildings, and the sun. This approach reduces maintenance costs and indirectly cuts CO2 emissions by optimizing information flows. THERMOCOOL focuses on three key objectives: 1.Enhancing the efficiency of energy conversion devices, including thermoelectric generators and pyroelectric generators for electricity generation, and thermoelectric coolers and electrocaloric coolers for cooling. 2.Prioritizing low-cost, sustainable materials with minimal reliance on critical raw materials and emphasizing recyclability. 3.Demonstrating the effectiveness of these technologies in challenging environments where conventional systems are less efficient. Collaborative research will elevate these technologies from TRL3 to TRL5, involving researchers with complementary expertise in thermoelectric and ferroelectric materials. These solid-state devices share key advantages: zero maintenance costs, compactness, lightweight, silence, and environmental friendliness. They have the potential to revolutionize energy conversion and cooling, addressing pressing global challenges. THERMOCOOL offers efficient, low-cost, and eco-friendly solutions that will benefit society, the environment, and the economy, heralding a promising future.