This EURAMET EMRP theme has enabled the European metrology community to work collectively towards an improved measurement infrastructure for industrial innovation that has the potential to underpin future economic growth. The projects have brought together metrology expertise in physics, chemistry, and biology to develop new analytical methods and statistical approaches which support increased uptake of innovative materials and processes.

The European Commission together with national governments have invested 100 million euro in collaborative research projects, involving research groups in 35 European NMIs and Designated Institutes (DIs), 83 academic groups, and 117 businesses.

Advanced analytical instrumentation based on a range of atomic and spectroscopic effects offers the ability to understand and assess the characteristics and performance of a wide range of innovative materials. These instruments are used in a wide range of sectors – such as electronics, optoelectronics, aerospace and medical devices – where the chemical and physical structure of surfaces and thin films is critical to the functionality and performance of devices and components. Establishing traceability for these instruments increases their value to product and process innovation as it provides reliable quantitative assessments of material structure and performance. EMRP projects Metrology for the manufacturing of thin films and Traceable quantitative surface chemical analysis for industrial applications developed reference materials and transfer standards for a range of analytical instrumentation that are being used by instrumentation manufacturers to validate their products, provide traceability to their customers and support instrument R&D.

For example, Bruker Nano Analytics has used certified reference materials to improve its energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) instruments that support innovation in catalysts for car exhaust systems and coatings for faster and more durable microelectronics. Kratos Analytical, a manufacturer of high-value X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) instrumentation, has used reference materials to improve the performance of its XPS instruments for innovation in biomaterials, polymers and catalysts.

Improved metrology supports innovation in the instrumentation sector. Improved metrology capabilities at NMIs directly support the development of commercial measurement and test instrumentation, both by enabling the performance of innovative products to be assessed and by acting as a demanding customer of instrumentation and component suppliers. EMRP research teams collaborated and shared research results with a large number of companies in the instrumentation sector.

For example under EMRP project Vacuum metrology for production environments, INFICON, a manufacturer of instruments for gas analysis, used a new NMI vacuum metrology system to demonstrate that its innovative gauge for dynamic pressure responded twenty times faster than the previous model. This offers opportunities to INFICON’s customers in the semiconductor sector to reduce the processing time for manufacturing steps conducted in vacuums.

TETRA, under EMRP project Metrology to assess the durability and function of engineered surfaces, a manufacturer of automation and robotic equipment, developed a novel optical sensor for a high-performance friction test system at a metrology institute. This sensor has since been used to improve TETRA’s own high-end positioning system, making it one of the best on the market and supporting new sales.

Bartington Instruments, under EMRP project Metrology for advanced industrial magnetics, a manufacturer of high-performance fluxgate sensors, used new metrology facilities for magnetic measurements to validate the performance of its sensors across a wide temperature range. These sensors have been used as part of the preparation of navigational instruments for future gravitational astronomy missions like LISA.

Extending light-based technologies to control the factory of the future requires precise methods for determining component positioning during assembly and confirming the quality of finished products. As a result of EMRP project Metrology for movement and positioning in six degrees of freedom, systems have been developed that will make exact lab based interferometry measurements more accessible to industrial users. These systems will enable greater positioning accuracy across the entire range of product assembly, from the very largest of components such as aircraft wings or wind turbine blades to the smallest electronics used on silicon wafers.

Proof-of-concept prototypes based on laser tracking and other optical technologies, capable of measuring distances of tens of metres with micrometre precision, have been developed, fully characterised, and trialled in an industrial environment provided by Airbus as a result of EMRP project Large volume metrology in industry. The IP developed has been protected by five patents, with two of the prototypes being adopted by companies for commercialisation.

Accurate positioning on the nanoscale is essential in the semiconductor industry. A new laser light source, which has sufficient power to provide the multiple interferometry light beams required for size constrained silicon wafer production environments, is now available as a result of EMRP research. This is being incorporated into a prototype wafer production system that will help facilitate EU independence in electronics manufacturing.