A Methodology for Evaluating the Technological Maturity of Micro and Nano Fabrication Processes

Given that Micro and Nano Technologies (MNTs) is still an emerging field, it is important to adopt a tool for evaluating the maturity of MNT-based products and the production processes enabling their manufacture. In particular, as a risk assessment tool, it could help both the pace of technological adoption and the successful exploitation of these technologies. In this context, the objective of the research presented is to describe a methodology for assessing the maturity of MNTs. The paper also demonstrates the implementation of this methodology for a set of micro and nano manufacturing processes employed for tooling and replication. It could also be easily implemented to evaluate the maturity of other production processes for MNT-based products such as micro assembly technologies. The reported study was conducted in collaboration with two networks funded through the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) of the European Commission (EC), namely the Multi-Material Micro Manufacture (4M) Network of Excellence (NoE) and the μ SAPIENT Coordination Action (CA). By analysing data from R&D projects carried out in the field of MNTs by partner organisations in these two consortia, the maturity phases targeted by each project could be evaluated and as a result, the maturity profiles for given technologies could be extracted. An important output of this study is to help inform the industry, the global research community and policy makers about the current level of maturity reached by the MNTs which are developed in R&D projects carried out at European level and in particular, within the 4M NoE and the μ SAPIENT CA.