While announcing my retirement after 20 years in the industry at IMAPS Symposium brought my career in advanced packaging full circle, wrapping up my 3D InCites career at SEMICON Europa brought closure.
It was at SEMICON Europa 2007, held in Stuttgart, where my fascination with 3D integration and packaging first took hold. It was where I got my Queen of 3D moniker. And it was where I got, hands down, the coolest and most useful swag item: a crossbody beer bottle holder from EV Group. In retrospect, I can’t believe I hadn’t brought it with me every year I attended. It made navigating the Wednesday night booth parties this year a hands-free experience – I could enjoy both food and beverage without compromise.
My goal for the week was simple: celebrate retirement at the 3D InCites Stammtisch; see as many of our 3D InCites members as possible; help SEMI Europe celebrate its 50th anniversary by making that the main topic of discussion on the podcast; and pass the blogging torch on to Jillian McNichol, who has proven to be a worthy and eager successor. I dubbed her the Empress of AI. But Jillian is humble. So we’ve settled on the Princess of Packaging. She likes the alliteration. And she’s quickly rising to the challenge – diving deep into the sessions and soaking it all up.
So while I indulge in some reminiscence, Jillian’s upcoming blog will cover the keynotes and the Advanced Packaging Conference, because I didn’t attend either of them. But first, she’s hitting the Christmas markets in Munich, Prague, and Berlin. (She’s got her priorities straight!)
When I first started following the advanced packaging story, I didn’t realize how long it takes for change of any kind to happen – whether it is technology innovation or a shift in the entire the manufacturing infrastructure. I’m glad I got to see advanced packaging’s star rise to the top. I’ll be watching to see how geopolitics impacts the future of semiconductor manufacturing.
One question I asked all my interviewees this week was how they saw advanced packaging expanding in Europe. I’m not sure why I expected to hear about investments in another high-volume OSAT (Amkor’s got one in Portugal). It turns out the “where” for advanced packaging isn’t changing any time soon.
Even if it’s not a major manufacturing hub, Europe is the center of advanced packaging development. Much of the equipment and materials are developed here. Pilot lines are popping up all over. Which is why much of the process development happens here at R&D centers including imec, Fraunhofer, and CEA-Leti. It’s been that way for my entire career: Design happens in the US, development happens in Europe, manufacturing happens in Asia. The industry thrives on global collaboration. I say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
While the region still endeavors to have 20% of total semiconductor manufacturing, it probably won’t be in the advanced packaging space. Europe’s greatest challenge is increasing device demand locally. There is no shortage of supply, according to imec’s Luc Van den hove. But the automotive market is in a slump, and they are feeling it. Experts point to the increase in inexpensive Chinese vehicles glutting the local market.
I also asked all my podcast interviewees to recall their first SEMICON Europa. Some couldn’t remember their first ones. They’ve all blended one into the other in their memories. Some thought they’d always been held in Munich. Others remembers the year’s back and forth between Grenoble and Dresden. Sally Ann Henry, of ACM Research remembered her first being in Geneva, and then Zurich, both times in March. The shrewd attendees knew to plan skiing holidays around that event. All agreed that co-locating with Productronica and Electronica was a great move, and that the event has grown significantly ever since.
The 3D InCites Stammtisch on Monday, Tuesday’s SEMI Networking Night, and the Wednesday booth parties gave me plenty of opportunities to catch up with old friends and say farewell to everyone. I was not prepared for so many gifts! Thank you all! It’s a good thing Stephen thought to pack an extra bag so I could get them home. So many great times in photos called for a slide show.
I’d like to close out with a brief anecdote from Wednesday evening. We were about to go to Silicon Saxony when I got a text from Jillian at the Advanced Packaging Conference – my business card was pulled from the HCL Lucky Draw – I’d won an Apple Watch! But they wouldn’t let her accept it on my behalf. I headed over to claim my prize, only to discover that they had drawn another name. Apparently when I put my card in earlier that day, I’d missed the fine print: Must be present to receive the prize. So, someone else is wearing Stephen’s Christmas present. Let this be a lesson to you all! ~ FvT
For more coverage of SEMICON Europa 2025, be on the lookout for Jillian’s posts, and the podcast episodes coming December 6 and 12, 2025.
