IFTLE 626: Rumors Swirl about Intel and TSMC; Update on Panel Level Processing (PLP)
Is TSMC Acquiring 20% of Intel fabs? Reports are that Intel and TSMC have reached a preliminary agreement to form a joint venture that will operate Intel’s manufacturing facilities. TSMC will hold a 20% stake in the new company. The news comes from Reuters, which cites a report from “The...
The Evolution of Inspection and Metrology in the AI Era
By Bastian Troeger, Director Product Marketing & Sales Support; Eyal Segev, Director of Marketing As artificial intelligence continues to push the boundaries of computing, the demand for high-performance processors has led to significant advancements in semiconductor design. The industry is transitioning from monolithic dies to chiplet-based architectures, integrating high-bandwidth memory...
Unlocking the Mystery of X-Ray Imaging for Electronics and Semiconductor Inspection
By Till Dreier & Julius Hållstedt, Excillum In 2025, it is now clear to those who manufacture semiconductor devices that the path to enhanced performance, lower power consumption and lower cost per function lies in chiplet integration using advanced packaging technologies. However, as package feature sizes shrink and interconnect densities...
IFTLE 625: If Intel Ohio is on Hold – Do They Still Get CHIPS Act Funds?
An aerial view from February 2024 shows construction progress at Intel’s Ohio One campus of nearly 1,000 acres in Licking County, Ohio. Intel announced plans in January 2022, to invest more than $20 billion in the construction of two new leading-edge chip factories in Ohio. The company broke ground in...
Mitigating Semiconductor Supply Chain Risks in an Unpredictable World
Without a global supply chain, many of the microelectronics industry’s innovations wouldn’t have come to fruition. Although we often talk about the technical aspects of the advanced packaging industry at 3D InCites, at the end of the day, we need access to equipment to create the packages of the future....
Sustainability 101: Recommitting to the UN SDGs
Last month’s announcement that the United States “rejects and denounces the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals” is consistent with the current administration’s isolationist policies. They don’t want to invest any time or money in helping people in other countries, nor do they support the rights...
The Benefits of Photonic Debonding in Advanced Semiconductor and Electronics Manufacturing
The semiconductor industry is rapidly advancing, with an increasing emphasis on cutting-edge packaging techniques such as heterogeneous integration (HI), 3D heterogeneous integration (3DHI), and chiplets. These innovations necessitate efficient, cost-effective, and damage-free debonding processes to ensure high-yield manufacturing. Conventional mechanical and laser-based debonding methods often introduce challenges such as thermal...
Multi Physics Analysis of 3D Integrated Circuits
3D integration is becoming a valuable alternative to the ongoing, yet challenging, transistor scaling known as Moore’s Law. This is especially true for semiconductor products that are becoming limited by single die designs (e.g., in terms of form factor, size, and technology node). Homogenous 2.5D-IC approaches help bring about the...
Onshoring Advanced Packaging Update
Rarely a week goes by without Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, being in the news. In late March, during Nvidia’s GTC developers conference, Huang was in the news daily as he updated the world on how Nvidia was addressing hardware and software needs for AI, as well as starting...
IFTLE 624: TSMC widens lead on Samsung, Leads in 2nm Chip Production
TSMC widens edge over Samsung The Taipai Times recently offered the following interesting discussion concerning the TSMC versus Samsung rivalry: “As US semiconductor giant Intel Corp. has faced continuous delays developing its advanced processes, the world’s two major wafer foundries, TSMC and Samsung, have overtaken it and become the main...
Automated X-Ray Metrology: Enhancing Quality and Efficiency in Wafer and Panel-Level Applications
In today’s digital world, the demand for more powerful, efficient, and compact electronics is surging. With every leap in performance and shrinking chip size, the pressure is on for manufacturers to adopt cutting-edge metrology solutions that can keep pace and ensure flawless quality even as production volumes soar. Here, Ben...
IFTLE 623: TSMC Advanced Packaging Coming to the U.S.A.
TSMC Invests Further in Arizona Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC) plans to make a $100B investment in the United States that involves building five additional chip facilities there in coming years. TSMC said the expansion plans included three new chip fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities and a major research...
Innovation Without Borders: Key Takeaways from ISS Europe 2025
Semiconductors have the power to drive technological breakthroughs and fuel geopolitical tensions. As we stand on the precipice of change, the path we choose will define the industry’s future. I recently attended the Industry Strategy Symposium Europe (ISS Europe 2025) in Sopot Poland, hosted by SEMI. This experience gave me...
March Member News: Shaping the Future of Technology
In the month of March, the semiconductor industry saw significant advancements, strategic expansions, and key industry events shaping the future of technology. New innovations in microelectronics, packaging, and automotive systems highlighted the industry’s focus on efficiency and performance. Major acquisitions reinforced the growing emphasis on secure manufacturing and connectivity, while...
A Tribute to Paul Werbaneth: Friend and Colleague
Earlier this month, in the middle of the IMAPS Device Packaging Conference Welcome Reception, I got an upsetting text from a fellow SemiSister, Jane Evans-Ryan, founder and principal of Genuity PR, telling me that she had just learned of Paul Werbaneth’s unexpected death on February 7. 2025 at his home...
Taking 3D IC Heterogeneous Integration Mainstream
By Tony Mastroianni and Todd Burkholder, Siemens DIS Over the last several years, chiplet-based heterogeneous package integration has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional monolithic package solutions; the so-called homogenous SoC design. 3D IC heterogeneous integration is a system approach, wherein what typically would be implemented as an SoC...
The Growing Importance of Advanced Packaging in Europe – Recap of ERS TechTalk
Advanced packaging has emerged as a critical enabler of next-generation applications for artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing, wearables, 6G communication, and defense technologies. As traditional scaling approaches face increasing limitations, Advanced packaging enables further miniaturization and improved performance through heterogeneous integration, chip stacking, and high-density interconnects. In Europe, advanced packaging...
Sustainability 101: Making Sense of Sustainability Reporting Requirements
The business news is head-spinning, so it’s understandable that many people feel like they don’t know which way is up. At the risk of publishing something that’s out of date by the time it gets uploaded to the 3D InCites website, I’m going to try to make sense of sustainability...
IFTLE 622: US Joint Consortium; Intel Rumors
When I was first asked why I had not yet covered the “US Joint Consortium” I responded “tongue in cheek” that I would leave that for Cheech and Chong. However, with the recent announcement of 3M joining the consortium and my subsequent understanding of the involvement of my old friend,...
An Update on AI Development From IMAPS DPC 2025
This year’s IMAPS Device Packaging Conference (DPC) had much to say about AI. As the industry’s golden child, it’s well-known that AI is driving many of the innovations we’re seeing in the advanced packaging space. In my opinion, the biggest takeaway from the event was how AI is creating a...
