Canada s National Design Network Community Research Innovation Opportunity
Over the past five years, more than 7000 researchers in the National Design Network have benefited from industrial tools, technologies, and support services valued at over $120 million. More than 500 Canadian companies have collaborated with academic researchers or hired graduate students with microsystems competence and experience. Canada s National Design Network (NDN) enables excellent multi-disciplinary research and complex prototype microsystems with the potential to be rapidly commercialized, positioning Canada to be a competitive player in all economic sectors. The effectiveness of the NDN is dependent on the interactions between many individuals and organizations. 1000+ and growing Faculty members And their collaborators at 45+ postsecondary institutions across Canada INDUSTRY PARTNERS POST- GRADUATE STUDENTS More than 30 Micro-nano technology (MNT) facilities Providing lab processes and equipment at Canadian universities MNT FACILITIES FACULTY PUBLIC FUNDERS More than 50 Industry partners and suppliers Around the globe 5000+ Post-graduate and undergraduate students Supporting a high level of academic output. Many graduate to jobs in industry CMC 10+ Public funders From both federal and provincial levels From researchers, technical staff, and academic administrators, to individuals from industry and government, the reach of the NDN expands across Canada and around the globe. CMC Microsystems 25-year history providing a foundation for microsystems R&D by managing projects and delivering infrastructure, services and support
The products and services available to the NDN community assist faculty, graduate students, and other researchers in designing, prototyping, and testing novel integrated microsystems. LEADING-EDGE TOOLS, TECHNOLOGIES & SOLUTIONS A comprehensive support environment and strong supply partnerships for micro- and nano-technologies enhance research excellence and international competitiveness. Microelectronics. Photonics. MEMS. Microfluidics. Embedded systems. The NDN supports researchers in developing devices, components and systems in these technologies. Early-stage R&D activities also benefit from investigating and applying emerging technologies. In 2010/11, for example, investigative activities focused on designing and manufacturing technologies for prototyping in 3D. A breakthrough at the University of Toronto led to the most sensitive biosensor of its kind in the world, paving the way to improved diagnostic tools for rapid disease detection in almost any environment. The novel biosensor integrates new and advanced materials with biomolecular probes on standard semiconductor technology, improving the detection of viruses and bacteria. Dr. Leyla Soleymani, now a professor at McMaster University, accessed fabrication services through CMC, in partnership with the Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre, to perform the biological experiments. Related products and services include leading design tools from more than a dozen software and CAD vendors over 20 design kits that can be used for simulation or for taking devices to fabrication modular development systems that accelerate the exploration and realization of functional system prototypes multi-project wafer and custom fabrication services targeting 20 different processes from 14 technology suppliers assistance for prototyping and travel to enable the use of universitybased micro-nano technology fabrication facilities a full range of packaging and assembly services with eight custom options for developing physical multi-technology components over 100 pieces of test instrumentation and peripherals available for short-term loan from the Equipment Pool online and onsite access to a range of highly-featured RF, digital, mixed-signal and photonics test instruments test fixtures for the most popular microelectronic device footprints as well as for MEMS and microfluidic prototypes a library of 150 researcher-authored application notes a comprehensive support environment including engineering support and a wealth of materials to help students ramp up to use tools and technologies Dr. Sylvain Martel credits the National Design Network for his team s ability to take on a multi-disciplinary array of challenges, in areas as diverse as electrical and computer engineering, mechatronics, biochemistry, biology, and physiology. The Network was instrumental in helping us move into each of these fields, says Dr. Martel, Professor and Director at the NanoRobotics Laboratory, Department of Computer and Software Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal.
A principal event of the National Design Network, the Annual Symposium brings together individuals from academia, government and industry in a celebration of microsystems research excellence. NETWORKING, PARTNERSHIPS & COLLABORATIONS Interactions between academia, government, and industry enable and support the creation and application of micro- and nano-system knowledge. The network connects individuals, groups, and organizations involved with microsystems research and development in Canada and from around the world, helping to set technical direction, jump-start projects and speed the development of groundbreaking discoveries. Collaborators from engineering and medicine are using silicon circuitry to provide medical researchers with intelligent tools to gain a better understanding of the brain and neurological diseases. According to Dr. Colin Dalton at the University of Calgary: No one person can know all this anymore. To be successful you need different people with different backgrounds working together. The National Design Network supports the joint aims of the community experts from universities, industry and government assess novel ideas in rich workshop environments that combine technical background with the best of brainstorming researchers gather for comprehensive handson training, such as for the UBC/CMC silicon nano-photonics course that combines design, modeling, fabrication and testing of photonic integrated circuits, culminating in physical prototypes the community collaborates to influence national and global technology roadmaps established supply partnerships from around the globe provide researchers with competitive tools and technologies CMC Connections database helps professionals find each other for consulting and partnering researchers share solutions to problems in community forums opportunities to connect, gain insights into community activities, and celebrate research talent abound at the Annual Symposium The McMaster research lab of Engineering Physics professor Dr. Andrew Knights, an expert in silicon photonics, is the only North American academic participant in the internationally renowned UK Silicon Photonics Consortium. Knights and colleague Dr. Paul Jessop (seated), shown above, broke new ground recently when their team integrated all the photonic devices required for tunable waveguide detection on a single silicon device.
NDN-supported research by Dr. Rafaat Mansour from the University of Waterloo has resulted in a fabrication process for developing high-performance RF-MEMS devices. The process is brokered by CMC to help supply other researchers with this technology. TRANSLATING RESEARCH TO COMMERCIAL SUCCESS Researchers in the National Design Network first create and then apply their novel ideas in multiple sectors of the economy. These commercial successes contribute to the nation s economy by driving the creation and retention of jobs, and the development of novel products that improve the quality of life for Canadians. The National Design Network community benefits from strategic supply partnerships, opportunities to connect and forge collaborations, and competitive intelligence and market data. NDN researchers receive industryquality tools, technologies and solutions to train the next generation of innovators, as well as to design, prototype and validate their novel microsystems and prove their commercial viability. Activities result in...startup companies patents and licenses interactions with Canadian and foreign industry highly qualified graduate students bringing their knowledge to industry Dr. Sorin Voinigescu, a researcher at the University of Toronto, is co-founder of Peraso Technologies Inc., which focuses on developing mm-wave technology. By transmitting data up to 50 times faster than some of today s best technologies, the fabless semiconductor company will address one of the biggest challenges in cell phone networks. Keeping highly skilled researchers in Canada motivated Dr. Voinigescu to found the company, he says. The LabPET scanner, designed by Dr. Réjean Fontaine and Dr. Roger Lecomte at the Université de Sherbrooke, is being used at research institutions across Canada. Fontaine explains: Our team was able to evaluate our design concepts before building them, by using tools and technologies provided through the NDN. Without these resources, the design and eventual commercialization of the scanner.
Faculty members, graduate students, and other researchers benefit from the infrastructure and support of the National Design Network to design, manufacture and test microsystems concepts for future applications in multiple industrial sectors, while experts from academia, government, and industry partner to further microsystems R&TD around the globe. The resulting research outcomes are bringing social benefits and economic success to Canada as students graduate to jobs in Canadian industry and university research is translated into innovative value-added products. Research Outcomes 2006 2010 5-year total Journal or Other Publications 12,277 National and International Awards 779 Graduate Student Courses 1,540 Undergraduate Student Courses 2,081 Commercialization Outcomes 2006 2010 5-year total Startup Companies 33 Patents (applied for/or issued) 637 Licenses 134 Interactions with Canadian Industry 1,606 Value of Canadian Interactions $77.5M Interactions with Foreign Industry 290 Value of Foreign Interactions $11.3M We invite you to join the growing, dynamic National Design Network community. To learn about the infrastructure, partnership, and commercial benefits available to you, visit www.cmc.ca/catalog Distributed at the Annual Symposium 2011