SHINE-led IEEE FLEPS 2025 Industry Plenary
June 29, 2025
Post Event Report
SHINE-led IEEE FLEPS 2025 industry Plenary
- SHINE-led IEEE FLEPS 2025 Industry Plenary
In conjuction with SHINE 6th Technical Workshop
- June 29, 2025
Time: 8.30 am to 2.00 pm | Venue: Block EA, LT7A, College of Design and Engineering
For the first time, SHINE was pleased to host the IEEE FLEPS2025 Industry Plenary as part of its Bi-annual 6th Technical Workshop, bringing together leading experts and innovators at the NUS College of Design and Engineering. This landmark collaboration highlighted the latest advancements shaping the future of semiconductor packaging, flexible hybrid electronics, and automotive interface design. Throughout the morning session, distinguished industry leaders shared transformative breakthroughs in smart manufacturing, innovative material solutions, and simulation-driven design, underscoring the critical need for intelligent, adaptable, and cost-effective solutions to enable next-generation technologies. The plenary attracted a diverse and enthusiastic audience from both academia and industry, setting the stage for vibrant idea exchange and collaboration.
The session opened with Prof. Lim Yeow Kheng, who spotlighted SHINE’s leadership in heterogeneous integration and hybrid microelectronics, including initiatives such as the SHINE Lighthouse Project and a local “Mix-&-Match” pilot line enabling rapid translation of research breakthroughs into industrial applications and strengthening Singapore’s position in the global microelectronics landscape. By fostering cross-disciplinary research and collaboration among academia, research institutes, and industry, SHINE serves as a national platform to develop next-generation flexible and hybrid electronic systems.
Several distinguished industry plenary speakers during the event included:
- Chris Sim, Director of Package Development Engineering at Micron Technology, shared smart manufacturing AI and digital twin technologies are transforming semiconductor packaging. He highlighted advancements in system-level co-design, predictive models, and process controls that enhance efficiency, quality (predictive outputs), and agility well- aligned with Industry 4.0. Mr. Sim also outlined Micron’s strategic innovations across HBM, NAND, and DRAM, showcasing the role of intelligent manufacturing in driving next-generation semiconductor solutions.
- Madhu Stemmermann, CEO of SunRay Scientific, introduced ZTACH® Anisotropic Conductive Epoxy (ACE), a magnetically aligned conductive epoxy that enables superior adhesion, reliable, cost-effective interconnections for Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) using existing SMT lines. She highlighted its ease of integration, low-temperature processing, and versatility across applications, including smart labels, RFID tags and wearables, exemplifying its potential to simplify FHE manufacturing and accelerate adoption across industries.
- Mr Dontireddy, Kalivaraprasad Reddy from Continental Automotive shared insights on the design and challenges of automotive display interfaces. He discussed the use of flexible printed circuit boards (PCBs) for modern vehicle interiors, highlighting their advantages in fitting compact spaces while also addressing critical signal integrity concerns that posed electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) issues. Advanced simulations enable early detection and resolution of these challenges, ensuring high-quality, cost-effective designs that support the future of connected, sustainable, and intelligent mobility solutions.
- Dr. Ajay Virkar, Vice President of Advanced Circuits and Packaging at DuPont (USA), introduced DuPont’s ActivegridTM, a flexible, stretchable silver nanowire-based transparent conductor that outperforms conventional materials. Compatible with low-temperature, high-speed processing, ActivegridTM is integrated into flexible consumer electronics and is expanding into emerging applications, including smart windows, transparent EMI shielding, photovoltaics, displays, biomedical devices, and automotive sensor heating. He also highlighted recent advances in concentrated silver nanowire inks and materials as advanced fillers, enabling next-generation flexible and printed electronics.
- Dr. James Lee, Deputy Chief Engineer at TCL Corporate Research, discussed TCL’s flexible printed OLED TV technology, enabling rollable, scrolling and foldable “TV Mobiles” integrated with sensors, AI, and 5G/6G connectivity. Key breakthroughs include advanced oxide TFTs, top-emission OLEDs, MURA-free printing, advanced thin film encapsulation, and cost- efficient mechanical release technology. TCL’s 31” 4K flexible OLED TV demonstrates high resolution, excellent contrast, wide colour gamut, and tight curvature, marking crucial progress in performance and production.
- Dr. Sudheer Kumar, Chief Operating Officer at the National Centre for Flexible Electronics, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, presented advancements in Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE), which integrates printed electronics with traditional semiconductors to enable lightweight, bendable systems. He emphasized the need for direct-write technologies, reduced metal content, and low-temperature processing to meet evolving market demands. The talk also highlighted material property control as the key to device performance, with emerging applications in advanced packaging and healthcare.
- Mr. Shimizu Ryota, Chief of R&D at Satosen Corporation, Japan, presented a stretchable PCB technology using liquid metal channels embedded in elastomers, offering enhanced flexibility, durability, and reliable conductivity. He highlighted its scalable fabrication process and potential for wearable electronics and flexible sensors, demonstrating strong electrical performance and mechanical robustness under strain, advancing the development of highly deformable electronic devices.
This inaugural SHINE-hosted IEEE FLEPS2025 Industry Plenary not only demonstrated the industry’s rapid progress but also paved the way for deeper collaborative innovation in flexible electronics, printable sensors and semiconductor technologies.
On the last day of IEEE FLEPS2025, SHINE hosted 25 attendees for an exclusive tour of the SHINE Advanced Packaging Centre and the E6NanoFab—NUS’s state-of-the-art nano-microelectronics research facilities. Led by David Xu, E6NanoFab’s process engineering RF lead, participants received an overview of the facilities before visiting advanced stations for lithography, etching, deposition, metrology, characterisation, and packaging.
This behind-the-scenes experience offered guests firsthand insights into Singapore’s world-class innovation infrastructure, highlighting the strong synergy between cutting-edge research and industrial application. The tour served as an inspiring finale to the conference, reinforcing SHINE’s pivotal role in driving collaboration and advancing the future of flexible and hybrid electronics.
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