DCU Student Receives an HP Invent Award
Friday 20 January 2006

Minister Mary Hanafin, Mr. Lionel Alexander, vice president and general manager of HP Manufacturing Ltd., and DCU B.Eng. Mechatronic Engineering graduate Mr. David Noonan.

DCU student, David Noonan, who graduated with a First Class Honours BEng in Mechatronics Engineering this year, has been awarded a Joint Runner-Up Prize in the 2005 Hewlett-Packard Invent award. The prize was awarded by the Minster of Education, Mary Hanafin, T.D., at a ceremony in HP’s manufacturing plant in Leixlip, Co. Kildare on 1 Dec 2005.

This award recognises the best Final Year Projects in undergraduate science and engineering programmes on the island of Ireland

David’s project, supervised by Prof. Patrick McNally in the School of Electronic Engineering, focused on the use of advanced x-ray analytical techniques for evaluating the impact of the removal of lead (Pb) from solder interconnections in silicon microchips. As a result of European Union legislation, toxic lead metal is being phased out of integrated circuit semiconductor device production. David analysed the feasibility of using Nickel as an alternative solder metal and his work will help pave the way for future efforts in this regard. Prof. McNally noted that “David’s work is of such high quality that we will be publishing it in an international journal in 2006”.