Advanced Packaging

Wire bonder debuts with Cu wire optimization, automatic rethreading from ASM Pacific Technology

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:41:00 GMT

The ASM iHawk Xpress Opto Wire Bonder from backend semiconductor assembly equipment supplier ASM Pacific Technology offers new innovations in transport, copper-wire bonding, and automatic rethreading.

Kulicke & Soffa expands Singapore HQ, bolsters bonder tool R&D and manufacturing

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:44:00 GMT

Kulicke & Soffa broke ground on its Singapore global headquarters expansion, near the current leased headquarters location. A state-of-the-art facility in Serangoon will bolster the company’s R&D and manufacturing capabilities, and host service and support functions.

DRIE expands from MEMS to advanced packaging and more applications

Tue, 15 May 2012 19:52:00 GMT

“From 2011 to 2017, the number of DRIE-processed wafers will jump from 5.4M to more than 27M (all wafer sizes). This is >30% CAGR”, explains Dr Eric Mounier, Yole Développement.

"3.5D interposer technology could someday replace PCBs" -- TSMC's Doug Yu

Tue, 15 May 2012 17:05:00 GMT

TSMC’s Doug Yu challenged the current nomenclature and pronounced that interposer technology should be called “3.5D” instead of 2.5D, since it is and will be capable of much more than the simple 3D packaging stack.

Heraeus Al-clad Cu bonding wire avoids metallization changes in power semiconductors

Mon, 14 May 2012 16:20:00 GMT

Heraeus introduced its high-reliability composite aluminum/copper (CucorAl) semiconductor bonding wire, which offers strong mechanical and electrical bonds to semiconductor pads, with good thermal properties.

ASMPT integrates European business with SIPLACE organization

Mon, 14 May 2012 14:04:00 GMT

Asia-based ASM Pacific Technology (ASMPT) Group, a supplier of semiconductor assembly, bonding, and packaging equipment, will integrate with the SIPLACE organization in Europe.

CMOS image sensor suppliers ramp up 300mm capacity

Fri, 11 May 2012 17:53:00 GMT

CMOS image sensors (CIS) are breaking sales records again, after several years without upward momentum, reports IC Insights. New portable systems and embedded imaging are lifting CIS to $6.3 billion in 2012 and new record sales each year through 2016.

FormFactor knocked off semiconductor probe card podium

Mon, 07 May 2012 19:12:00 GMT

Sales of semiconductor probe cards grew 17% in 2011, reaching $1.17 billion, VLSIresearch reports. While short of a record, 2011 was one of the probe card sector’s best, and it saw a new leader knock FormFactor Inc. out of the #1 spot. The outlook is for sales to be flat in 2012.

Lithography challenges for leading edge 3D packaging applications

Mon, 07 May 2012 18:00:00 GMT

The lithography challenges associated with TSV fabrication for various devices structures are investigated. Warren W. Flack, Manish Ranjan, Gareth Kenyon, Robert Hsieh, Ultratech, Inc., San Jose, CA. John Slabbekoorn, Andy Miller, imec, Leuven, Belgium

Camtek ships semiconductor inspection tools to leading US IDM

Mon, 07 May 2012 15:14:00 GMT

A leading, US-based IDM ordered about $5 million of front- and back-end semiconductor automatic optical inspection (AOI) tools from Camtek Ltd.

SATS provider Carsem begins LED packaging and test

Fri, 04 May 2012 13:19:00 GMT

Semiconductor packaging and test services provider Carsem will assemble and test LED packages, partnering with a key customer and applying semiconductor packaging technologies for better LEDs.

Micropelt raises EUR6.5M for wafer-based energy harvesting technology

Thu, 03 May 2012 21:28:00 GMT

Micropelt has raised EUR6.5 million for the roll-out and global expansion of its thin-film thermoelectric energy harvesting technology: EUR5 million by Ludgate Environmental Fund (LEF); EUR1 million from the MUCAP; and EUR0.5 million by the existing shareholders IBG/Goodvent, KfW, L-Bank and SHS.

GaN Systems collaborates with APEI to optimize power electronics packaging

Thu, 03 May 2012 20:29:00 GMT

GaN Systems and Arkansas Power Electronics International will co-develop a high-temperature, high-performance package optimized for gallium nitride (GaN) transistors and diodes.

David McCann of GLOBALFOUNDRIES to speak at The ConFab 2012

Thu, 03 May 2012 18:28:00 GMT

Solid State Technology is proud to announce that David McCann will speak at The ConFab 2012. David, the Senior Director for Packaging R&D at GLOBALFOUNDRIES in Malta, New York, will speak on the evolution toward silicon-based interconnect and packaging, which is having profound impact on how we think about technology development and the supply chain.

Nitto Denko transfers semiconductor encapsulant business to Hitachi Chemical

Thu, 03 May 2012 18:11:00 GMT

Nitto Denko Corporation approved a transfer of its semiconductor encapsulating materials business to Hitachi Chemical Co. Ltd.

High-power semiconductor test contactor hits 500 Amperes

Thu, 03 May 2012 16:53:00 GMT

Multitest introduced the ecoAmp Kelvin contactor for high-power device test of 500+ Amperes. It meets the needs of high voltage/high current test with high thermal and mechanical stability.

Top OSATS raise 2012 capex with semiconductor test focus

Tue, 01 May 2012 10:00:00 GMT

The top three outsourced semiconductor assembly and test services (OSATS) providers raised 2012 capex during their earnings reports, from initial plans announced in January, report analysts at Citi.

Phosphor trends for LED manufacturing

Tue, 01 May 2012 05:00:00 GMT

The phosphor market is largely a game of scale and relationships, as much of the intellectual property (IP) around phosphors was created in the 1970-80s (at least for select element combinations) and protection has by now expired, analysts from Barclays Capital.

MEMS packaging growth, trends, and special requirements

Tue, 01 May 2012 05:00:00 GMT

The MEMS packaging sector is growing 2x faster (~20% CAGR) by unit shipments than the larger IC packaging industry, shows Yole Développement in its report "MEMS Packaging."

The Micron Memory Cube consortium

Tue, 01 May 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Micron has joined with Samsung to create the "Hybrid Memory Cube (HMC) Consortium" with fellow founding members Altera, Open Silicon, and Xilinx. IBM will be manufacturing the the logic layer.