Riding the Waves of Triumphs and Transformations: Legacy of Philips on Strijp-S, Micro Devices (Greenhouse)

Introduction

The rich history of Strijp-S, driven by Philips Research, unfolds over decades, marked by groundbreaking inventions, and the emergence of world-class companies. Originating approximately 25 years after the founding of Philips & Co by Gerard Philips and his father Frederik Philips in 1891, NatLab (Philips Physics Laboratories) was established in 1914 on Emmasingel, Eindhoven. In 1923 NatLab was relocated to Strijp-S location. In 1996 (73 years later) the company decided to move its research activities to High Tech Campus, Eindhoven. Then in 1997, as part of re-branding efforts, the company renamed Natlab to Philips Research.

Figure 1 below depicts an old (aerial) photo [1] of Strijp-S from 1928 that shows various factory buildings of Philips, with the paper factory building (#2) being the location of MicroLab building as we know today.

The legacy of Philips Research (Natlab) on Strijp-S encompasses triumphs and transformations with major innovations and the rise of globally recognized companies such as ASML, NXP, Signify and more. In the early years, Natlab hosted lectures, amongst others by luminaries like Nobel laureate Albert Einstein in 1923 [2,4,5]. The pivotal move of Philips R&D to the High Tech Campus in 1996 and later the headquarters to Amsterdam catalyzed Eindhoven's transformation into the 'per square meter smartest region in the world' [7,8].

In October 2017, NatLab received 'Historical Site' status, a plaque from the European Physical Society [2,6], now serving cultural and educational purposes. Today, the only active Philips entity on this historic site is Philips Micro Devices (Greenhouse), operating in the MicroLab building.

Figure 2 below depicts a recent photo of the historical Philips Natlab building, with MicroLab shown in the back. MicroLab building houses many companies, incl. Philips Micro Devices (Greenhouse).

Philips Micro Devices (Greenhouse)

Established in the early 1980s, Philips Micro Devices (Greenhouse) has played a crucial role in supporting internal Philips businesses and external customers in diverse sectors for decades. Situated in the multi-tenant MicroLab building, Philips Micro Devices has the expertise and a team of professionals to support its customers throughout the entire Product Life Cycle. Philips Micro Devices is also known as the Greenhouse, which stands for cultivating projects in a protected environment (right set of skills, knowledge, infrastructure) to ensure rapid growth and with high quality.

Focus Areas and Expertise

Philips Micro Devices specializes in the assembly and manufacturing of (figure 4):

• Highly complex PCBA’s
• Customer verification & validation boards, and application boards
• Micro assembly, e.g. medical devices, such as F2R based wafer-to-3D-assembly of catheter tips
• Photonic micro assembly, e.g. F2R (Flex-to-Rigid)

Vertically integrated, Philips Micro Devices excels in project management, procurement, New Product Introduction (NPI), and manufacturing support ranging from prototyping to high-mix/low-volume production.

Operating Model

Philips Micro Devices offers unmatched quality, flexibility and professional manufacturing services based on two project execution models, namely contract manufacturing and contract engineering:

These two models are very well orchestrated to deliver best-in-class manufacturing services.

Please reach out to me with all your inquiries with respect to your micro-electronic and photonic manufacturing and assembly needs.

References

[1]? Eindhoven Strijp-S, https://fabriekofiel.com/strijp-s/

[2]??HISTORIE NATLAB, www.natlab.nl/nl/pQEQJSd/historie-natlab

[3]??Philips innovations, www.philips.com/a-w/about/our-history.html

[4]??Einstein‘s visit to NatLab, www.ed.nl/overig/hoog-bezoek-philips-kon-einstein-niet-volgen~a26eff4e/

[5]??NatLab Historische plek met toekomst, www.architectuurcentrumeindhoven.nl/archief/natlab-een-historische-plek-met-toekomst/

[5]??Ontmoet Gerard Philips, www.philips.nl/a-w/about/news/archive/standard/about/news/articles/2023/20230525-ontmoet-gerard-philips-grondlegger-van-brainport-eindhoven.html

[6] Natlab inaugurated as historic site by EPS, https://www.baltanlaboratories.org/library/natlab-inaugurated-as-historic-site

[7]??Eindhoven: The smart city, https://www.inbrabant.nl/en/library/eindhoven

[8]??Silicon Valley Beware of the “Smartest Square Kilometer in the World”!, https://medium.com/predict/silicon-valley-beware-of-the-smartest-square-kilometer-in-the-world-cf287cd8f4fd

[9]??High Tech Campus Eindhoven

Written by?Ercan Sengil

Business Development Manager, Philips Micro Devices (Greenhouse)