Transfer of an evolving technology

Abstract

This thesis follows the transfer of a thin film from development to manufacturing. Problems of differences in equipment and differences in manufacturing methods were overcome to complete the transfer. The film was characterized using UV-Visible, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy. Hydrogen forward scattering, surface bead angle, and atomic force microscopy were also employed. A series of experiments was conducted to: 1) Analyze the impact of deposition parameters on the performance of the film. 2) Match the performance of films produced in the manufacturing site to the performance of films produced in the development site. Both the development and manufacturing sites were acquired by a new company during the period of this transfer. The cultures of the development and manufacturing sites had not merged before this occurred. This fact, coupled with subsequent reorganization undertaken by the new management, has the potential to slow product introductions. The transfer of this film was successful despite the organizational upheaval occurring at the same time. Three factors contributed to this success: 1) The development engineer stayed with the process throughout the transfer to manufacturing. 2) The collaboration of upstream manufacturing steps integrated the new process with the existing line. 3) Early involvement of manufacturing speeded acceptance and lessened training costs. Recommendations to better link the manufacturing and technology development groups, based on observations made during work on the film transfer, are presented for management's consideration. Key among these is the establishment of common goals and the building of a communication infrastructure between the two sites.