Assembly & Packaging

From product vision into reality

State-of-the-art fabrication, rapid prototyping, and the highest quality assurance

Our Assembly and Packaging Technology bridges the gap between chip design and production-ready systems. With a modern, comprehensive EMS manufacturing footprint, cleanrooms, industry-relevant processes, and ISO-certified production workflows, our interdisciplinary team supports the development, simulation, and fabrication of your concepts.

Thanks to rapid prototyping technologies and close collaborations with reputable manufacturers, we develop dependable functional demonstrators in short cycle times and enable production of small to medium batch sizes. To further accelerate development, we can rely on a growing set of proven core chip systems on which your development can build.

Ein Bestückungsautomat für Bauelemente, Chips und FPGA auf Platinen zur Entwicklung und Fertigung von Terahertzsensorik ist rot und blau beleuchtet. A pick-and-place machine for components, chips, and FPGAs on circuit boards for the development and production of terahertz sensing is illuminated in red and blue.

Bestückungsautomat. © Fraunhofer FHR

Electronic Manufacturing & Quality Control for All Requirements

To ensure your systems operate reliably in every application, we combine state-of-the-art equipment with years of R&D experience. The result: tailored solutions, stable manufacturing processes, and consistently high quality. Wherever possible, we rely on established, automated procedures for efficient production even for highly complex manufacturing tasks.

PCB Manufacturing
Automated Assembly & Soldering
Quality & Inspection Methods
Cleanroom & Certifications
Packaging & Bonding
Mechanical Design & Enclosure Development
Special Processes such as Milling machines for efficient separation of MMICs from wafers and subsequent processing

Eine Laserfräse zur präzisen Strukturierung von Platinen für Terahertzsenorik in rotem Licht. A laser milling machine for precise structuring of circuit boards for terahertz sensing, illuminated in red light.

Laser milling machine. © Fraunhofer FHR

Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Manufacturing

In our Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) development, we create functional, reliable, and manufacturable assemblies for your application – from circuit design and component selection to PCB layout, manufacturing preparation, placement and soldering, and testing and validation.

Our own prototype PCB fabrication processes enable precise structuring, drilling, and vias.

Use of state-of-the-art methods, including stencil printing systems, circuit board plotters, and laser structuring equipment (Protolaser).

Automated Assembly & Soldering

Surface Mount Device (SMD) pick-and-place machines for space-efficient, miniaturized systems in high volumes with reproducible quality.

Vapor-phase soldering for reliable, gentle connections, and laser cutting for precise fusing of MMICs.

Manual systems for demanding requirements such as BGA or Flip-Chip placement.

Ein Wissenschaftler bedient einen Bestückungsautomaten zur Fertigung von Platinen für Terahertzsensorik. A scientist operates a pick-and-place machine for manufacturing circuit boards for terahertz sensing.

Pick-and-place machine. © Fraunhofer FHR

Entwicklung und Charakterisierung von Terahertzsensorik: Wafermessung unter dem Mikroskop mit elektrischen Präzisionssonden im Reinraum. Development and characterization of terahertz sensing: Wafer measurement under a microscope with precision electrical probes in a cleanroom.

On-wafer measurement. © Fraunhofer FHR

Quality & Inspection Methods

Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) with high resolution and real-time placement monitoring.

X-ray analysis for hidden interconnections and for inspecting the surfaces and internal structure of 3D-printed components.

Comprehensive On-Wafer measurement for precise RF/high-frequency characterization.

Cleanroom & Certifications

1,900 m² ISO 4 cleanroom and 400 m² ISO 6 cleanroom for the highest manufacturing precision, including semi-automated assembly and packaging

ISO 9001-certified production of electronic components for stable processes and reliable quality

As a member of the VDI Working Committee on Terahertz Systems, we contribute to standardizing the technology for reliable methods and predictable deployment

Person in Reinraumkleidung arbeitet an einem Stack mit Wafern für die Entwicklung von Terahertzsensorik. Person in cleanroom attire works on a stack of wafers for the development of terahertz sensing.

Cleanroom. © Fraunhofer IMS

Fraunhofer FHR SiGe Chip für Terhaertzsensorik in der Senke einer Platine mit Bonddrähten. Fraunhofer FHR SiGe chip for terahertz sensing mounted in a PCB socket with bond wires.

Wire bonding: SiGe chip on PCB. © Fraunhofer FHR

Packaging & Bonding

Pick-and-place machines for chip placement tools delivering high accuracy and reliability in chip placement

State-of-the-art methods such as wedge-wedge wire bonding with materials including gold (Au) or aluminum (Al) to create reliable, high-performance, and high-frequency-capable interconnections with ultra-high precision (< 5µm)

Chip-on-film patch techniques enable mechanically flexible electronic systems on polyimide substrates

Hybrid bonding combines different chip technologies (e.g., CMOS and MEMS) within a single package

Photonics integration and QMI technology (quasi-monolithic integration) for the highly integrated combination of heterogeneous chiplets within a unified system architecture to create high-performance optical interfaces for advanced applications such as LiDAR.

Advanced inspection systems ensure the quality, integrity, and reliability of bonding interconnections and support continuous optimization of the overall manufacturing process.

Mechanical Design & Enclosure Development

We ensure that the enclosure is suited to the environmental conditions at its deployment location, mechanically compatible with the printed circuit board (PCB), compliant with applicable standards, and integrable into standard manufacturing and assembly processes.

Both subtractive manufacturing methods such as 5-axis CNC machining and additive manufacturing processes such as 3D printing (metal and polymer laser sintering) enable the production of high-precision millimeter-wave and terahertz components.

Electroplating surface finishing processes such as gold plating or nickel plating ensure durable surface quality, even for submillimeter-wave applications.