Press Release - October 2023

Indium Corporation Acquires SAFI-Tech to Advance Low-Temperature Soldering Technology

Indium Corporation, an international electronics materials refiner, smelter, manufacturer, and supplier, is proud to announce the acquisition of SAFI-Tech, a metal microcapsule technology innovator specializing in supercooling technology. The acquisition expands Indium Corporation's product portfolio while enabling the industry leader in low-temperature soldering to continue providing the most innovative, future-forward soldering solutions to its customers around the globe. Among its current portfolio of low-temperature products are traditional bismuth- and indium-containing alloys, new Bi+, and cutting-edge Durafuse® LT technology for high reliability. 

The acquisition follows an established, mutually beneficial partnership between the two companies. Last year, Indium Corporation collaborated with SAFI-Tech to launch a supercooled BiSn solder paste using the latter's innovative solder platform. This patented technology platform allows molten metal to remain liquid far below its freezing point by encapsulating it in a smooth shell—known as supercooling. The shell of these microcapsules can be removed using a traditional flux and reflow process, or by mechanically crushing a powder of supercooled liquid metal microcapsules. Using this platform, industry-standard alloys such as SAC305 can be soldered at below typical low-temperature solder (LTS) specifications, while other alloys can be soldered at temperatures as low as ambient. 

"SAFI-Tech's supercooling platform is an exciting addition to our award-winning product portfolio, allowing us to deliver next-generation soldering materials," said Ross Berntson, President and COO of Indium Corporation. "This innovation has far-reaching potential and embedding SAFI-Tech into Indium Corporation gives it the opportunity to succeed widely and quickly."

In addition to acquiring the Iowa-based company, Indium Corporation will also benefit from SAFI-Tech's co-founder, co-inventor, and President Dr. Ian Tevis joining the company as an R&D Manager. In this role, Dr. Tevis oversees a team dedicated to application technology and manages the ongoing research and design of SAFI-Tech supercooled products. 

"As a key partner to SAFI-Tech over the past five years, we have witnessed Indium Corporation's position as an industry leader first-hand," said Dr. Tevis. "We are confident that the company's state-of-the-art facilities, network of customers and equipment suppliers, and talented team members will accelerate our work in bringing supercooled solder to a worldwide audience."

Originating from Iowa State University with the discovery of no-heat and low-heat solder and metallic joining products, SAFI-Tech was founded in 2016 by Dr. Tevis and Dr. Martin Thuo. It was backed by Rhapsody Venture Partners. 

"We have been tremendously impressed by Indium Corporation's vision for SAFI-Tech and the capabilities they possess," said Carsten Boers, Managing Partner at Rhapsody Venture Partners and lead investor in SAFI-Tech. "This transaction was the natural next step in our great collaboration and we look forward to seeing the success which comes from it." 

Prior to serving as President and Chief Technical Officer of SAFI-Tech, Dr. Tevis did postdoctoral work at Iowa State University and UMass Boston. He was also a Research Scientist at a company specializing in the production of carbon nanotubes. While working at Iowa State University, he invented and patented supercooled liquid metal technology, along with Dr. Thuo, which ultimately led to the establishment of SAFI-Tech in 2016. Dr. Tevis earned his doctorate degree in materials chemistry from Northwestern University and his bachelor's degree in chemistry, with a minor in mathematics, from Bradley University. 

About Indium Corporation

Indium Corporation® is a premier materials refiner, smelter, manufacturer, and supplier to the global electronics, semiconductor, thin-film, and thermal management markets. Products include solders and fluxes; brazes; thermal interface materials; sputtering targets; indium, gallium, germanium, and tin metals and inorganic compounds; and NanoFoil®. Founded in 1934, the company has global technical support and factories located in China, Germany, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.

For more information about Indium Corporation, visit www.indium.com or email Jingya Huang. You can also follow our experts, From One Engineer To Another® (#FOETA), at www.linkedin.com/company/indium-corporation/.

About Rhapsody Venture Partners

Rhapsody Venture Partners is based in Cambridge, MA, USA and is a private investment firm that specializes in early-stage hard-tech.

 

Press Release - October 2022

Indium Corporation and SAFI-Tech Announce Launch of Supercooled BiSn Product

Indium Corporation®, a global electronics materials manufacturer and SAFI-Tech, an Iowa-based startup that is creating no-heat and low-heat solder and metallic joining products, have announced the launch of a new supercooled BiSn solder paste using SAFI-Tech's innovative solder platform.

Using SAFI-Tech's platform, liquid metal is encapsulated in a proprietary soft shell, keeping the solder alloy in a sub-cooled (liquid) state far below its normal melting/freezing point. The shell of these powder-like microcapsules can be removed using a traditional flux and reflow process, or burst by compression.

SAFI-Tech's supercooled BiSn solder paste can be fluxed and reflowed at 135°C, a temperature that is currently impossible to reach using conventional BiSn solder alloys.

Target applications include flexible hybrid electronics and heat-sensitive applications currently using conductive epoxies.

SAFI-Tech's CTO and President Ian Tevis said, "We are excited to work with Indium Corporation on the release of our supercooled BiSn product. Indium Corporation's network of customers and equipment suppliers will allow us to bring supercooled solder to market."

Indium Corporation President and COO Ross Berntson said, "SAFI-Tech's platform is changing the way in which the electronics industry can use solder. Their BiSn product will allow customers to create fully metallic, electrically conductive joints in applications where this is currently not possible."

SAFI-Tech and Indium Corporation are currently sending their supercooled BiSn solder product to interested parties for testing. For business inquiries and for more information about SAFI-Tech's no-heat and low-heat solder and metallic joining products, contact Andy Mackie and Ian Tevis at ian@safi-tech.com.

About Indium Corporation
Indium Corporation® is a premier materials refiner, smelter, manufacturer, and supplier to the global electronics, semiconductor, thin-film, and thermal management markets. Products include solders and fluxes; brazes; thermal interface materials; sputtering targets; indium, gallium, germanium, and tin metals and inorganic compounds; and NanoFoil®. Founded in 1934, the company has global technical support and factories located in China, Germany, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.

For more information about Indium Corporation, visit www.indium.com or email Jingya Huang. You can also follow our experts, From One Engineer To Another® (#FOETA), at www.linkedin.com/company/indium-corporation/ or @IndiumCorp.

About SAFI-Tech
SAFI-Tech is an advanced materials company creating supercooled molten metal products. SAFI-Tech's supercooled platform was invented by co-founders Dr. Ian Tevis and Dr. Martin Thuo at Iowa State University.

 

Press Release - July 2022

Indium Corporation Announces Partnership with SAFI-Tech New Solder Products Development

Indium Corporation®, a leader in supplying products to global electronics, semiconductor, thin-film, and thermal management markets, is partnering with SAFI-Tech, an Iowa-based startup that is creating no-heat and low-heat solder and metallic joining products.

Metallic soldering represents a key manufacturing process across many industries, including aerospace, automotive, and electronics. Current solder products trade off the reliability of joints formed with the very high processing temperatures needed to form those joints—a problem that has limited material selection and product design. SAFI-Tech’s patented supercooling platform removes this tradeoff by creating capsules of molten solder that can remain liquid far below the normal freezing point of metal. Using this platform, industry-standard alloys such as SAC305 can be soldered below LTS temperatures, and other alloys can be soldered as low as ambient temperature.

Indium Corporation and SAFI-Tech will evaluate market applications for supercooled solder materials and explore the development of new products.

Indium Corporation President and COO Ross Berntson said, “We’re always looking for innovative materials solutions that can give our customers ways to overcome current limitations of solder products. SAFI-Tech’s supercooling platform is a unique approach that has the potential to be a solution across a variety of applications.”

Ian Tevis, SAFI-Tech’s President and Co-Founder, said, “Indium Corporation is a world leader and innovator in electronics solder products. Our partnership with Indium will allow customers to explore the unique opportunities possible with our supercooled solder materials.”

Indium Corporation® is a premier materials refiner, smelter, manufacturer, and supplier to the global electronics, semiconductor, thin-film, and thermal management markets. Products include solders and fluxes; brazes; thermal interface materials; sputtering targets; indium, gallium, germanium, and tin metals and inorganic compounds; and NanoFoil®. Founded in 1934, the company has global technical support and factories located in China, Germany, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.

SAFI-Tech is an advanced materials company creating supercooled molten metal products. SAFI-Tech’s supercooled platform was invented by co-founders Dr. Ian Tevis and Dr. Martin Thuo at Iowa State University.

For more information about Indium Corporation, visit www.indium.com or email jhuang@indium.com. You can also follow our experts, From One Engineer To Another® (#FOETA), at www.linkedin.com/company/indium-corporation/ or @IndiumCorp. 

For business inquiries and for more information about SAFI-Tech’s no-heat and low-heat solder and metallic joining products, contact Andy Mackie at amackie@indium.com and Ian Tevis at ian@safi-tech.com.

 

Press Release - June 2022

SAFI-Tech Awarded $200,000 to fund 8-Month SBIR research grant from DOE

SAFI-Tech has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant totaling $200,000 from the Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct research using its supercooled liquid metal microcapsule technology to replace bump bonding interconnects in semiconductor applications such as high energy physics electronics.

SBIR grants are awarded to promising new technologies that solve important challenges identified by the US government. For the DOE, these awards are granted to promote technology development in strategically important technology areas such as physics and energy infrastructure.

As complexity of electronics increases, thin, large, and high interconnect density for sensors causes warpage and mismatch issues associated with heat. Moreover, current flip-chip bonding methods struggle to address heat-related concerns while progressively decreasing to 10’s of micron features. SAFI-Tech has proposed using its microcapsule technology to create fine pitched conductive interconnects while reducing challenges associated with heat and material preparation.

The selection process for this grant is competitive, with only one or two proposals selected for each topic. The proposals must not only be technically sound, but also must be viable as a commercial product. Ian Tevis, the CTO of SAFI-Tech, commented: “Heat associated with high-density interconnects prevents the progression of electronics design. SAFI-Tech presents the opportunity to create high-density and fine pitch connections without heat-related challenges.”

The grant is set to conclude in early 2023.

 

Press Release - 2020

SAFI-Tech Awarded $200,000 to fund 9-Month SBIR project from DOE

SAFI-Tech has been awarded an SBIR grant totaling $200,000 from the Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct research using its supercooled liquid metal microcapsule technology to enhance tools critical for research in high energy particle physics.

SBIR grants are awarded to promising new technologies that solve important challenges identified by the US government. For the DOE, these awards are granted to promote technology development in energy infrastructure and physics research. In physics, high-density interconnect of sensor arrays increases the resolution of experiments and quality of the data collected at colliders. However, challenges arise during the creation of these interconnects due to high heat and thinness of sensors. SAFI-Tech’s technology enables ambient soldering that allows high-density interconnects to be formed without the risk of heat-related defects.

The selection process for this grant is competitive, with only one or two proposals selected for each topic. The proposals must not only be technically sound, but also must be viable as a commercial product. Ian Tevis, the CTO of SAFI-Tech, commented: “High density interconnects are not only critical for specialized applications, but are also the trend for the next generation of consumer electronics.  SAFI-Tech will enable these interconnects for all types of electronics applications.”

The grant is set to kick off in June 2020.

 

Press Release - October 2019

SAFI-Tech secures $250,000 grant from SEMI-FlexTech for demonstration of Flexible Hybrid Electronics product

Flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) is a growing field utilizing new materials and processes to create flexible, lighter, and wearable devices. Materials and processing techniques abound in this developing space, with a major challenge being joining rigid components to flexible circuits. Solder has always been the tried-and-true method to create these types of interconnects. However, high heat during the soldering process is incompatible with new circuit substrates needed for these technologies.

SAFI-Tech’s supercooled microcapsules enable full-metal conductive soldering at ambient temperatures, removing heat constraints on substrate selection. Using this technology, SAFI-Tech is working with SEMI-FlexTech to develop a product demonstration for Mixed Mode FHE Interconnects. Ian Tevis the company’s CTO responded to the grant’s award, saying, “This grant is an opportunity for SAFI-Tech’s products to be showcased in a specific application uniquely different than rigid assembly. SAFI-Tech’s supercooled microcapsules will provide critical capabilities to enable FHE development.”  

The 18-month development project kicks off in January 2020.

 

Press Release - August 2019

(Cambridge, MA) SAFI-Tech’s no-heat SAC305 receives investment from Rhapsody Venture Partners to bring product to market

The electronics manufacturing world has long been searching for a low-heat or no-heat solder solution. Advanced electronics designs with lightweight flexible substrates or sensitive miniaturized components require a dramatic reduction in processing heat while still meeting high operating temperature requirements. SAFI-Tech’s patented platform allows for SAC305, the market standard, to be processed at temperatures as low as ambient.

SAFI-Tech encapsulates liquid SAC305 in a nanofilm that prevents the alloy from solidifying when cooled below its melting point. SAFI-Tech’s no-heat SAC305 alloy is processed at low temperatures and forms the same metallic interconnects as current SAC305 processed at above 260°C. 

Said Carsten Boers, Managing Partner at Rhapsody Venture Partners: “When we first encountered SAFI-Tech two years ago, we were skeptical that you could encapsulate a molten metal with a nanofilm at 230°C, and maintain its liquid form as it was cooled to room temperature. The team has made incredible strides in the past year, the technology works and is robust.”

SAFI-Tech’s platform and IP were developed at Iowa State University by company co-founders Professor Martin Thuo and Dr. Ian Tevis. Rhapsody’s investment follows SAFI-Tech’s significant developments on a no-heat SAC305. Rhapsody is providing funding and is partnering with the executive team to bring the SAFI-Tech solution to market. The company is initiating a roadshow with the goal of forming a consortium of partnerships to make SAFI-Tech’s no-heat SAC305 the new standard in electronics for conductive interconnects.

 Said Professor Martin Thuo and Dr. Ian Tevis, company co-founders: “SAFI-Tech is at a major inflection point in its company growth, and Rhapsody’s investment and partnership is coming at just the right time. Wherever we go, industry veterans are amazed at the capabilities of our technology and the possibilities it enables.”

About SAFI-Tech

SAFI-Tech produces no-heat solders for use in electronics manufacturing and assembly. SAFI-Tech’s alloy consists of tiny supercooled metal particles that are liquid at room temperature. When activated, the liquid metal flows and solidifies, creating full-metal conductive interconnects.  Removing heat from electronics manufacturing enables smaller, thinner, and flexible designs, currently unachievable with standard materials and processes. In addition to enabling fundamental design innovation, the removal of heat creates economic value by reducing manufacturing costs and increasing throughput. Learn more at http://www.safi-tech.com

 About Rhapsody Venture Partners

Rhapsody Venture Partners is a venture investor in Cambridge, MA that funds early-stage applied science and engineering companies.  Rhapsody’s team works side-by-side with entrepreneurs to engage anchor customers that reduce time-to-commercialization and accelerate growth.  Learn more at http://www.rhapsodyvp.com

 
 

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