Michael Mayer, PEng

Michael Mayer is an Associate Professor in the department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. From 2000 to 2004 he was a senior R&D engineer with a semiconductor equipment manufacturer, ESEC, in Switzerland. He received a diploma (masters) degree in Physics in 1994 and a PhD degree in Technical Sciences in 2000, both from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich.

Michael has prior experience as a senior process engineer, project leader, and intellectual property responsible. Since joining the University of Waterloo, Michael has conducted projects with several companies including Microbonds Inc., MK Electron, Bosch, Oerlikon, Intel Corp., Kulicke and Soffa, Orthodyne Electronics, Futurewei, Microfab AG, Montfort Lasers, and others. Michael is serving on the executive committee of the IEEE Electronics Components and Technology Conference.

Michael has co-authored many technical publications and patents. He has developed improved bonding methods and various microsensor tools for diagnostics of processes and reliability of microjoints and more recently has been working on direct bonding and laser joining of biological materials.

Miniaturized joining (microjoining) processes are essential to microelectronics and include microelectronic soldering and ultrasonic wire bonding. In our research, we contribute e.g. to the identification and description of processes and reliability, real-time monitoring of mechanisms during microjoining using e.g. custom developed ultrasonic sensors, and numerical modeling. Microjoining is also important for the automotive, medical devices, and aerospace industries. Welding biological materials with laser has promising applications in surgery. There is a need for practical solutions e.g. when sealing living skin of organs after surgery or e.g. for improved repair-processes for vessel ruptures. We are working towards studying how parameters such as laser energy, auxiliary process materials, and inventive mechanical setups can assist laser joining (laser welding) of biological materials. Direct Bonding is the joining of two components based on atomic bonding of its surface atoms. For direct bonding to be successful, the faying surfaces must be sufficiently smooth, flat, and clean. It can be extremely tricky to achieve these requirements. Nevertheless, direct bonding promises for improvements in the fields of photonics and 3D integrated circuits. We are working towards direct bonding processes for optical glasses for the subsequent production of more economical solid state lasers.

Graduate researchers in Michael’s group conduct experimental, analytical, and numerical investigations. They work with new materials, methods, and theories, and collaborate with other research groups on campus. Students and postdocs out of Michael's group were hired by companies like Microbonds, Kulicke and Soffa, Samsung, Bell, Telus, Government of Canada, Analog Devices, Tesla, Meta, Qualcomm, Nvidia, Google, SK Hynix, etc.

• 2000, Doctorate Technical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Switzerland
• 1994, Diploma in Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Switzerland

• 2010 Best paper of session

• BME 282 - Materials Science for Biomedical Engineers
  • Taught in 2021, 2022
• ME 115 - Structure and Properties of Materials
  • Taught in 2023, 2024
• ME 436 - Welding and Joining Processes
  • Taught in 2020, 2021, 2023
• ME 596 - Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering
  • Taught in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024
• ME 735 - Special Topics - Welding and Joining
  • Taught in 2019, 2023
• MTE 111 - Structure and Properties of Materials
  • Taught in 2019, 2020, 2021
• MTE 482 - Mechatronics Engineering Project
  • Taught in 2024

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.

• Zhou, J., Mei, N., Leonenko, Z., Zhou, N., & Mayer, M.; Direct glass-to-glass bonding obtained via simplified ammonia-based low-temperature procedure resists high shear stress and powerful CW fiber laser irradiation. RSC advances, 2022
• AbdelAziz, M., Xu, D. E., Wang, G., & Mayer, M.; Electromigration in solder joints: A cross-sectioned model system for real-time observation. Microelectronics Reliability, 2021
• Feng, J., Xu, D., Tian, Y., Mayer, M.; SAC305 solder reflow: identification of melting and solidification using in-process resistance monitoring. IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology, 2019
• Xu, Di Erick and Kim, Jang Baeg and Hook, Michael David and Jung, Jae Pil and Mayer, Michael; Real time resistance monitoring during sintering of silver paste, Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 2018
• Laor, Ari and Athia, Depayne and Rezvani, Alireza and Clauberg, Horst and Mayer, Michael, Monitoring of thermo-mechanical stress via CMOS sensor array: Effects of warpage and tilt in flip chip thermo-compression bonding, Microelectronics Reliability, 60, 2017
• Xu, Di Erick and Hook, Michael David and Mayer, Michael; Real time joint resistance monitoring during solder reflow, Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 3002, 2017
• Campbell, Eric E and He, Ruijian and Mayer, Michael, Conductive pathway on cotton fabric created using solution with silver organometallic compound, Materials Research Express, , 2017
• Hook, Michael David and Mayer, Michael, Miniature environmental chambers for temperature humidity bias testing of microelectronics, Review of Scientific Instruments, 034707, 2017
• Laor, A. and Herrell, P.J. and Mayer, M., A Study on Measuring Contact Resistance of Ball Bonds on Thin Metallization, Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology, IEEE Transactions on, 704, 2015
• Athia, Depayne and Rezvani, Alireza and Clauberg, Horst and Qin, Ivy and Mayer, Michael, Numerical Simulations of Joint-to-Joint Temperature Variation During Thermo-Compression Bonding, Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC), 2017 IEEE 67th, 1906, 2017

• Method for producing a wedge-wedge wire connection, TW200529397A, Granted 2006-01-21
• Method for the calibration of a wire bonder, US6739496B2, Granted 2004-05-25
• Method for the calibration of a wire bonder, US6648205B2, Granted 2003-11-18

• Students walking on air after microgravity competition win