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We present the current status of the LUCA project whose aim is to develop an innovative device combining ultrasound and diffuse optics for an improved screening of the thyroid cancer.

The use of SiC technology to face the automotive challenges in the coming years is among the objectives pursued in the ECSEL JU project WInSiC4AP. The project is supported with a synergy between ECSEL JU and ESI financing that will enable complementary activities with significant economic and social impact. The Project led by DTSMNS (Distretto Tecnologico Sicilia Micro e Nano Sistemi) started on June 2017 for a duration of 36 months on research, technology, package and applications. This paper will address the main activities in 2nd year of project for automotive with a focus on innovations in SiC technology and the power module packaging.

We present a new full-custom instrument for time-domain diffuse optical spectroscopy developed within Horizon 2020 LUCA (Laser and Ultrasound Co-Analyzer for thyroid nodules) project. It features eight different picosecond diode lasers (in the 635 - 1050 nm range), two 1.3 × 1.3 mm2 active-area SiPMs (Silicon PhotoMultipliers) working in single-photon mode and two 10 ps resolution time-to-digital converters. A custom FPGA-based control board manages the instrument and communicates with an external computer via USB connection. The instrument proved state-of-the-art performance: an instrument response function narrower than 160 ps (fullwidth at half-maximum), a long-term measurement stability better than 1%, and an output average optical power higher than 1 mW at 40 MHz. The instrument has been validated with phantom measurements.

We present the current status of the LUCA-project whose aim is to develop an innovative device combining ultrasound and diffuse optics for an improved screening of the thyroid cancer.

We present a compact instrument for time-resolved diffuse optical spectroscopy based on two pulsed diode lasers, a Silicon PhotoMultiplier working in single-photon regime and a custom-made Time-to-Digital Converter. The temporal width of the Instrument Response Function is narrower than 300 ps (Full-Width at Half Maximum) and the time measurement unit exhibits 10 ps temporal resolution with a Full Scale Range of 80 ns. The laser pulses are injected into the sample through two 400 μm core optical fibers and re-emitted light is collected by 1 mm core plastic optical fiber aligned with detector active area. The instrument is housed in a compact 200 × 160 × 50 mm3 metal case, weighs less than 2 kg and requires a single 15 V DC voltage power supply, with a power consumption lower than 10 W, thus being suitable for battery operation. The long-time measurement stability makes the system ideal for monitoring applications on the field, where state-of-the-art bulky time-resolved systems cannot be exploited.

In the last decades the main focus for improvements in Power Electronics was mainly addressed on chip technology. Therefore, Power Electronic performance depends by a high ratio on package technologies and on their interconnections. In particular, the automotive industry has high requirements regarding cost efficiency, reliability and compactness. Increasing power densities, cost pressure and more stringent reliability target for modern power semiconductors are making thermal system optimization more and more important in relation to electrical optimization. This article will give an overview of the new methodological approach leaded by Finite Element (FE) simulation for new packages and interconnection solution ideas. A viscoplastic creep modelling is adopted for the solder taking into account time, temperature and stress dependences in Thermal Cycle. A parametric study is performed by changing geometrical solutions. The results obtained from the modelling has been used to form design guidelines that were also matched with experimental data.

Wet chemical and electrochemical etching of doped Si samples is a promising technique with a variety of applications ranging from micro-mechanical manufacturing to profiles delineation in electronic devices. We have developed simulation tools specifically designed to support the optimization phase and the control of these processes. The morphologic evolution of sub-micrometric portions of the material is simulated at atomic level by means of a stochastic approach, in which the single atom detachment probability depends on its coordination status. Etching profile evolution is simulated using a level-set technique for propagating interfaces. The nano-structural features (e.g. surface status) of the etched material are accessible using an atomic level stochastic approach. The simulation results show a general agreement with the experimental finding on etched material characterization, capturing also many peculiar characteristics of the real profiles and nano-structures of the etched material.

This paper presents a complete, compact, and low power consumption instrument designed for time-domain near-infrared spectroscopy. It employs two custom-designed pulsed diode lasers (operating at 830 and 670 nm, with average optical power higher than 2 mW at 40 MHz repetition frequency), a single-photon detection module (based on a 1 mm2 active area silicon photomultiplier), and a custom time-to-digital converter with 10 ps time resolution. The system experimental characterization shows an instrument response function narrower than 300 ps (full-width at half maximum), with measurement stability better than ±1% over several hours of operation. The instrument, which is housed into a compact aluminum case (size 200 × 160 × 50 mm3), is specifically tailored for portability and ease of operation, hence fostering the diffusion of time-domain diffuse optics techniques. Thanks to a total power consumption lower than 10 W, this system is suitable for battery operation, thus enabling on-field measurements.

In this paper, we present an innovative instrument for near-infrared time-resolved spectroscopy. The system is based on eight custom-designed pulsed diode lasers emitting at different wavelengths in the near-infrared region (635–1050 nm), all exhibiting an average optical power higher than 1 mW at 40 MHz pulse repetition rate, two custom-made single-photon detectors based on wide-area silicon photomultipliers and two time-measurement units based on a custom time-to-digital converter with 10 ps timing resolution. The system instrument response function has a width narrower than 160 ps (fullwidth at half-maximum) and stability better than ±1% for several hours for all the wavelengths. All the components of the instrument were designed in order to be compact. The entire system will be hosted in a standard 19 inches, 5U rack case (size 48 × 38 × 20 cm3 ). The system communicates with the external computer through a USB 2.0 link and is designed to be employed in a clinical environment. The proposed instrument, thanks to the reduction of its cost and dimensions, paves the way to a wider diffusion of multiwavelengths near-infrared time-resolved spectroscopy systems.

The presented analysis has been aimed to evaluate the impact of die solder and sintering solution for automotive power modules in terms of thermal behavior. First, dedicated temperature measurements have been performed to evaluate the module thermal impedance in the two cases. Then, a lumped equivalent networks has been calculated, by means of a dedicated numeric, and finally function structures have been extracted