3D InCites Grows Up: Passing the Torch
While raising my daughters, I ascribed to the philosophy: “A parent’s charge – give them roots and give them wings.” I believe this also applies to brainchildren. At some point, your work is done, and rather than clinging to them and holding them back, you let them go, so they...
IFTLE 652: The End……….
By now you know that Francoise von Trapp is retiring from 3D InCites. That has led me to also pull the curtain down on “Insights from the Leading Edge” or IFTLE as it has become known. As I told you all in IFTLE 500, IFTLE’s predecessor PFTLE (Perspectives from the...
Beyond Transport Modes: Balancing Cost and Speed in Semiconductor Logistics
Before a chip becomes a CPU or GPU, it undergoes a complex journey through fabrication, assembly, testing, and packaging, often spanning continents. With major OSAT facilities still offshore, the packaging process adds cost, delays, and emissions, while every hand-off increases the risk. For businesses managing key semiconductor materials and components...
December Monthly News: That’s a Wrap on 2025
December 2025 was an action-packed month for the 3D InCites community and the semiconductor industry. Major leadership appointments, innovative technology launches, and global collaborations highlighted the month. Advances ranged from AI-powered process optimization and hybrid bonding production to new materials and solder solutions. Industry events showcased cutting-edge manufacturing experiences and...
IFTLE 651: Intel and Amkor Join Forces for EMIB
Amkor and Intel report that they are teaming up for Amkor high volume manufacturing (HVM) of EMIB due to “interest from the AI Industry.” Through this agreement, Amkor will implement EMIB assembly processes at its Korea, Portugal and upcoming Arizona manufacturing facilities, creating an alternative source for this advanced packaging...
Memories, IEDM, and Looking Forward
How to start what is potentially my final blog for 3D InCites: Memories, So Long, Farewell, (that one might get me in trouble), or Back to the Future? I started this venture at SEMICON West in 2019, where I helped Françoise cover the show and wrote my first 3D InCites...
Sustainability 101: Farewell From Julia
It’s bittersweet to be writing my last blog post for 3D InCites after 50+posts over four and a half years. My professional relationship with Francoise goes back much further to when we were both at Advanced Packaging Magazine 20 years ago. In Dec of 2015, Francoise approached me about writing...
My Message for the Advanced Packaging Industry
Since 2009, when Francoise started 3D InCites, she’s been sharing her insights on advanced packaging – an industry, she told me, that people used to dismiss. “Back then, advanced packaging was still seen as a cost-adder, versus adding value through enhanced performance.” she said. So much has changed since then....
IFTLE 650: Tax Credits for Materials Suppliers; Amkor Automotive
SEMI Investment Act Tax Credit to Include Materials Suppliers SEMI, the industry association, has announced support for the introduction of the Strengthening Essential Manufacturing and Industrial Investment Act (the SEMI Investment Act) which would extend the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit established under the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act through...
Reflections on My Year as the 3D InCites Editorial Intern
Over the past year, my role as the 3D InCites editorial intern has given me a front-row seat to one of the most dynamic corners of the semiconductor world: advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration. My duties spanned writing Member Monthly News, creating LinkedIn content, contributing feature articles, and even representing...
Is Copper Sintering the Key to Advancing Wide Band Gap Semiconductors?
By Rejoy Surendran and Xinpei Cao, Henkel Adhesive Technologies In the mid- to high-voltage power semiconductor sector, which enables EVs, telecom networks, energy infrastructure, and industrial innovation, wide band gap (WBG) semiconductors like gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) are on their way to surpassing silicon (Si) for power...
IFTLE 649: Let the Hybrid Bonding Wars Begin! Also: Samsung Locks in Glass Interposer Source
Adeia vs AMD Hybrid bonding is a semiconductor packaging technique that enables direct Cu-Cu and oxide-to-oxide connections, eliminating the connection using microbumps. This approach improves interconnect density, electrical performance, and thermal efficiency, making it an important advanced packaging technology for next-generation semiconductor devices. Adeia Semiconductor Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary...
The EU’s Semiconductor Strategy: CHIPS Act 2.0, Investments, and More
I recently attended SEMICON Europa in Germany to learn how the EU is approaching the next phase of its semiconductor development. From what I learned, the EU is moving its industry forward by planning for its CHIPS Act 2.0 legislation, attracting new investments, and funding competitive R&D pilot programs. In...
November Member News: Shaping the Future of Semiconductors
November was a dynamic month for the 3D InCites community and the broader semiconductor industry, with companies showcasing innovative technologies, celebrating leadership achievements, expanding global operations, and advancing workforce development. From product launches and AI‑enhanced design platforms to award recognitions and strategic partnerships, industry leaders highlighted breakthroughs in advanced packaging, inspection,...
IFTLE 648: Unimicron Glass Core Substrates and Hybrid Bonding
With all the hype surrounding the potential use of glass interposer substrates and hybrid bonding, I thought taking a deep dive look at the recent publication “Flip Chip on Glass Core Substrates with Microbump and Cu-Cu Hybrid Bonding” ,which appeared in the IMAPS Journal of Microelectronics and Electronic Packaging, by...
Co-Packaged Optics: Today’s Biggest Packaging Push
Co-packaged optics is one of the most talked about innovations in advanced packaging right now, and it’s for good reason. It promises higher bandwidth density, lower power consumption, and reduced latency over other packaging approaches – all of which are essential for enabling smarter AI solutions. To learn more about...
IFTLE 647: Micross AIT on Track to Deliver 300mm Bumping Onshore
Continuing our look at program information deemed “OK for public release” at the recent IMAPS Onshoring conference, let’s examine what Micross had to say about progress on its Re-shore Ecosystem for Secure Heterogeneous Advanced Packaged Electronics (RESHAPE) 300mm bumping line, sponsored by DARPA’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) program....
Passing the Torch: Reflections from SEMICON Europa 2025
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...
IFTLE 646: TSMC 3Dblox 2.0 Helps Advanced Packaging Designs
The 3Dblox Open Standard Continues to Evolve Introduced in 2022, the 3Dblox open standard has provided EDA vendors with a pathway to model the essential physical stacking and logical connectivity information for 3D IC designs in a single format. 3Dblox reportedly simplifies 3D IC design by providing a complete view...
SEMICON West Navigates Semiconductor Industry Changes
As Benjimen Franklin said, shortly after the US Constitution was written, “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” I’ll add one comment to that: Change. Change is constant. Over the past year, there has been a significant amount of change in the semiconductor...
