Professor Changqing Liu

MSc, Ph,D CEng, SMIEEE, MIOM3, MInstCT

  • Professor of Electronics Manufacture

Background

Changqing received BEng of Materials Science and Engineering from Nanjing University of Science and Technology China; MSc of Corrosion Wear and Protection from Institute of Metals Research of Chinese Academy of Science; and PhD of Engineering Design and Manufacture from Hull University UK. His previous roles include Assistant Professor in the Institute of Metals Research for the Chinese Academy of Science, and Postdoctoral Researcher at Birmingham University. He joined the Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering at Loughborough University in 2000 as a Research Fellow, and has been a Professor of Electronics Manufacture since 2011. 

Qualifications and Awards

  • Fellow, Higher Education Academy 
  • Senior Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Inc. USA 
  • Member (2005-15)Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, UK   
  • Chartered Engineer (CEng) (2005-15), Engineering Council, UK 
  • Committee member, ECTC, ESTC, EPTC, ICEPT of IEEE flagship conferences 
  • Overseas Research Scholarship, Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals (CVCP), UK 
  • Royal Society Kan Tong Po Visiting Professor, City University of Hong Kong, (2012) 
  • Visiting (Guest) Professor, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen) China, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Huazhong University of Science and Technology China.  

 

Research interests

Changqing's research is centred around the Electronics Manufacturing Research to address the challenges in the design, integration, materials and manufacture of electronics intensive products, applicable across multiple industrial sectors including telecom, transport, energy, healthcare/bio-medical, IoTs/wearable electronics and space/aerospace. 

His research is aligned closely with potential industrial applications concerning the development of novel Advanced Interconnect Materials (AIMs) which are manufacturable, reliable and affordable. His research team conducts the underpinning research into advanced materials and manufacturing processes to enable 3D heterogeneous embodiment, integration and miniaturisation of future generation complex multifunctional devices. His work has a primary emphasis on the research challenges commonly presented in terms of multi-material interfacial interactions/behaviour across meso- micro- to nano-scale and the evolutions under the harsh, severe and extreme environments. In order to fulfil the material microstructural stability and functional robustness, a wide range of manufacturing routes have been exploited to achieve the goal. For instance, through novel soldering, sintering or bonding with micro- and nano-particles, pastes and preformed thin films, electrochemical process, selective, additive and subtractive processes. Over several decades, his team has participated and delivered numerous research projects through active engagement with the industrial consortia, national and international groups, in initiating, leading and participating in multi-institutional and multi-national research activities. 

His recent research efforts have been diversified into two ever challenging and adventurous fields: (i) Advanced materials and manufacturing processes for interconnection and integration of power electronics exploiting high performance/reliability of third-generation Wide-band Gap (WBG) semiconductor devices. (ii) Across disciplinaryresearch into diverse materials and constructionmethods of bioelectronics and smart wearable electronicsembodying multifunctional attributes for medical and healthcare applications. 

Grants and contracts

  • 07/2018 - 07/2022: Quasi-ambient bonding to enable cost-effective high temperature Pb-free solder interconnects, in collaboration with Imperial College London and University of Manchester, EPSRC Ref: EP/R032203/1, PI.
  • 11/2017 - 4/2022: Heterogeneous integration to enable manufacture and assembly of power electronics: EPSRC Underpinning Power Electronics 2017, in collaboration with Nottingham, Ref: EP/R004501/1, Co-PI.
  • 06/2018 - 02/2019: 3D CTE Controlled Integration Supporting/Encapsulation Materials, EPSRC Challenge Network in Automotive Power Electronics, in collaboration with University of Nottingham and University of Manchester, Ref: CN/FEAS/3D CTE, Co-I.
  • 02/2017 - 01/19: Precondition Parameters for Solderability Test of Tin-containing Coating, HIRPO20160804, Huawei Technology, Ref: HO2016050002BH, PI.
  • 05/2017 - 12/2017: Miniaturising Magnetics through 3D Design and Manufacture, EPSRC (via CPE at University of Nottingham). Ref: CN/FEAS17/MiniMags, Co-PI.
  • 02/2015 - 10/2016: Novel under-bump metallisation to enable low cost Pb-free solder interconnects for power electronics, EPSRC Centre of Power Electronics, Ref: FS14/Cliu , PI.
  • 07/2011 - 06/2015: Micro- Multi-Material Manufacture to Enable Multifunctional Miniaturised Devices (M6), European Union, FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IRSES: No. 269113, PI.
  • 01/2011 - 12/2011: High Density Electroplated Indium Bump Technology for Advanced Instrumentation, EPSRC-KTA in collaboration with STFC-RAL, PI.
  • 01/2011 - 07/2012: Micro-interconnects Using Mono-sized Polymer Microspheres for Large Format High Resolution Sensor Packaging, EPSRC-IeMRC, PI.
  • 12/2010 - 12/2011: Surface and Adhesive Modification for Compact Component Assembly in Optoelectronics, EPSRC-KTA in collaboration with Oclaro, PI.
  • 12/2010 - 12/2013: WHISKERMIT – Manufacturing and In-service Tin Whisker Mitigation Strategies for High Value Electronics, EPSRC-IeMRC, Co-I.
  • 10/2010 - 10/2013: Reliability study of microelectronics under harsh, severe and extreme environments, EPSRC-IeMRC-DTA in collaboration with GE Aviation, PI.
  • 12/2009 - 05/2010: Megasonic Enhanced Wafer Bumping to Enable High Density Electronics Interconnection, EPSRC-IeMRC, PI.
  • 06/2008 - 12/2010: Ultra-fine Pitch Copper Interconnections for Future Generation Miniaturised Devices, British Council, PI.
  • 10/2008 - 07/2010: Nanoparticle Preservation and Stabilisation for Large Volume Production – a Feasibility Study, IMCRC / EPSRC, Co-I.
  • 10/2006 - 07/2010: Surface Preservation Coatings to Enable Versatile Metal Particle Deposition and Sintering, EPSRC - IMCRC, Co-I.
  • 05/2005 - 05/2010: 3D Mintegration - EPSRC-Grande Challenge, Co-I.
  • 07/2007 - 12/2010: Surface and Adhesive Optimisation to Enable High Density Optoelectronics, EPSRC and Oclaro Case studentship, PI.
  • 12/2006 - 11/2009: Bump Bonding and Metallisation for X-ray Detectors, EPSRC via IeMRC and STFC-RAL DTA award, PI.
  • 04/2006-03/2009: Micro-interconnections with Single Crystals, EPSRC via IeMRC DTA award, PI.
  • 10/2005 - 11/2006: Micro-Materials Integration and Evolution in Digital Electronics Manufacturing, EPSRC-IeMRC, PI.
  • 05/2003 - 05/2006: Manufacture to end life of lead free micro-joints, EPSRC-IMCRC, Co-I.
  • 09/2004 – 08/2007: Liquid Solder Interconnections, EPSRC, RF.
  • 07/2002 – 04/2003: Droplet Weld, Funded by European Union, EU-FP6 project, RF.
  • 01/2001 – 06/2002: Surface coatings to enable fluxless soldering for environmentally friendly electronics packaging, EPSRC, RF.
  • 02/2000 – 12/2000: Chip-scale soldering studies based upon the low cost flip-chip assemblies, an EPDM project (EPSRC), RA.

Current teaching responsibilities

  • WSA604 - Materials and Manufacturing Processes - 20 credits
  • WSB600 - Manufacturing Process Technology - 20 credits
  • WS50META - Individual Projects
  • WSDPIS - Industrial Placements

Current administrative responsibilities

  • Academic Lead of China Partnership 

External collaborators 

Industrial:

  • TRIBUS-D
  • TT Electronics/Semelab
  • HVMC-MTC
  • Dynex Semiconductors
  • Indium Corporation
  • Oclaro
  • MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions
  • Micross Components
  • STFC-RAL(Rutherford Appleton Laboratory)
  • Huawei Technology
  • GE Aviation
  • Conpart AS Norway
  • Printed Electronics Ltd
  • Xaar

Academic:

  • Tennessee Technological University, USA 
  • Fraunhofer IZM, Berlin, Germany 
  • University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern (FHKL), Zweibrücken, Germany 
  • VTT, Oulu, Finland 
  • Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore 
  • National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan 
  • Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Wuhan, China 
  • Xi’an JiaotongUnivesrity, Xi’an, China 
  • University of Milan, Milan, Italy 
  • Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, India 
  • City University of Hong Kong 
  • Nottingham University, Nottingham, UK 
  • Imperial College London, UK 
  • Manchester University, Manchester, UK 
  • King’s College London, UK