IEC TC 113 takes the first steps towards the nanoelectronics standards roadmap

IEC TC (Technical Committee) 113: Nanotechnology standardization for electrical and electronic products and systems, has been in existence for just over two years (see the May 2007 e-tech). The first official meeting took place in Frankfurt in March 2007 under the direction of Secretary, Norbert Fabricius with then Acting Chairman, now Chairman Thomas Chapin, Assistant Secretary, Gerd Weking, and Technical Officer, Rémy Baillif. At the last count, its membership had increased to 30 countries, of which 15 are participating countries from four continents. TC 113 comprises 87 experts from 12 nations who work in close cooperation with ISO TC 229: Nanotechnologies, as their scopes overlap in many areas.

The first working group to be created by TC 113 was JWG 1: Terminology and nomenclature. It is interesting to point out that over a century ago, in 1906, the IEC originated in very similar circumstances when a group of specialist engineers working in highly technical areas of electrotechnology, decided to ensure that all were sharing the same language and direction. In that way, the very first technical committee of the IEC TC 1: Terminology, was formed.

Now familiarly used but not always fully understood, the term nano actually relates to matters of scale. "Nanotechnology" does not concern just one area of technology but is transversal and can be applied to many matters that have a bearing on electrotechnology. The common denominator between all is that the outstanding performance obtained with nanotechnology-enabled products emanates from structures that measure less than 100 nanometers.

Nanotechnology is multidisciplinary and therefore, within the IEC, can be associated with electronics, magnetics and electromagnetics, electroacoustics, multimedia, telecommunication, or energy production. Specific topics that the committee focuses on, in addition to that of terminology, are symbols, measurement and performance, reliability, design and development, electromagnetic compatibility, safety and the environment. Activities revolve around components or intermediary assemblies that emanate from nano-scaled materials and processes. Examples of some of the relevant fields are given below:

• Nano-structured sensors
• Nanoelectronics, materials and devices
• Optoelectronics
• Optical materials and devices
• Organic (Opto) electronics
• Magnetic materials and devices
• Radio frequency devices, components and systems
• Electrodes with nano-structured surfaces
• Electrotechnical properties of nanotubes/nanowires
• Analytical equipment and techniques for measurement of electrotechnical properties
• Patterning equipment and techniques, mask and lithography
• Performance and reliability assessment for nanoelectronics
• Fuel cells
• Bioelectronic applications

Nanotechnology is expected to be one of the key technologies of the 21st century. It has enormous potential for the development of new products with exceptional performance. Recent reports indicate that the materials and equipment market for nanoelectronics was $1.8 billion in 2005 and is expected to grow to over $4 billion in 2010. The continued rapid growth of nanotechnology-based industries has required increased international standardization activities to support equitable and efficient business models. Effective International Standards will permit the use of nano-enabled products in any nation.

Diagramme showing the correlation of Sensors v Products

TC 113 recently collaborated with two US entities, NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) and Energetics Incorporated to conduct a survey of members of the international community on priorities for standards and measurements in this field. The survey ran for approximately 6 months during 2008 and elicited more than 450 completed survey responses from 45 countries.

Energetics Incorporated and NIST then conducted a joint statistical analysis of the survey results and wrote a paper containing details of the analysis. The paper, Priorities for Standards and Measurements to Accelerate Innovations in Nano-Electrotechnologies: Analysis of the NIST-Energetics-IEC TC 113 Survey, was published in the NIST Journal of Research, Volume 114, Issue 2, March-April 2009.

The survey results, which were analyzed by two different statistical methods, gave consistent priorities for items ranked in each of five nano-electrotechnology categories: 1) Properties, 2) Products, 3) Cross-cutting Technologies, 4) General Discipline Areas, and 5) Stages of the Linear Economic Model.

The global consensus prioritizations suggested that IEC TC 113 should focus initially on standards and measurements for electronic and electrical properties of sensors and fabrication tools that support performance assessments of nanotechnology enabled sub-assemblies used in energy, medical, and computer products.

In view of the fact that TC 113 members consulted with a great number of people representing a broad cross-section of the nano-electrotechnology community, it was of no surprise to note the qualitative nature of the findings. The findings served to validate TC 113’s planning efforts and demonstrated that its overall strategy is fully coherent.

The IEC TC 113-NIST-Energetics survey was the first step in developing the INSR (IEC TC 113 Nanoelectronics Standards Roadmap). The survey results will be used by members of TC 113 as part of the inputs to the INSR, intended to formulate a vision of market needs in terms of 1) Products and cross-cutting technologies for nano-electrotechnology and 2) Standards and associated measurements to accelerate innovation, fabrication, commercialization, and use of products during their entire life cycle from research to end-of-life/recycling/disposal.

The INSR will be an IEC integrated roadmap involving IEC stakeholders. These stakeholders include the IEC National Committees that represent the electrotechnical industries in their respective countries as well as IEC TC 113 liaison organizations such as the IEEE (Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International).

The INSR will be developed by a newly formed Task Group within IEC TC 113 and published as a Technical Report which will be revised twice a year. The officers of IEC intend that the INSR will complement other publicly available roadmaps such as the US-based ITRS (International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors) and the IEEE Nanoelectronics Standards Roadmap. By setting up the INSR, TC 113 is leading the way forward, providing the means to other branches of technology to concentrate on their own areas of work while ensuring that they are responding to market needs.