IFTLE 600: A Notice of Intent from the CHIPS NAPMP
Jul 24, 2024 · By Phil Garrou · Blogs, Packaging IFTLE
3D In Context View all
AI and VLSI
What do oxide transistors, ferroelectrics, 2-dimensional channel layers, CFETS, Advanced packaging, AI, and tradewinds have in common? They were all topics at the IEEE VLSI Conference in June. The VLSI conference is held every June alternating between Hawaii, and Kyoto. In 2024 there were three and a half days of...
Sustainability is Busting Out all Over!
When prepping for this month’s sustainability blog, the song, June is Busting Out All Over, from Rogers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, kept running through my head; possibly as it’s in May, June, and July, when the majority of companies sustainability reports are released. Once the reports are released, the sustainability experts...
Semiconductor Industry Collaboration is the Key
40 years ago in 1984, the semiconductor industry was in one of its many transitions. The USA had lost its leadership role in memory and companies were starting to transition out of the DRAM business. Logic chips were gaining in importance as the personal computing business was a few years...
Will AI be Powered by Renewables? Maybe, But Not for Long
Earth Day has passed. Companies’ ESP/social responsibility reports are beginning to appear and they have been commenting on their progress in their Q1 earnings report. The early data in the semiconductor and microelectronics segment looks encouraging. The percentage of renewables in their energy portfolio is increasing. Water conservation and water-positive...
Francoise in 3D View all
SEMICON West 2024: Riding the Generative AI Winds of Change
Deepak Chopra said, “All great changes are preceded by chaos.” Here’s my Aha! moment from SEMICON West 2024: After great chaos precipitated by the pandemic, geopolitical tensions, the climate crisis, and the talent shortage, one singular driver is driving unprecedented change: Generative AI. Generative AI was referenced in almost every...
ECTC 2024: Advanced Packaging Engineers to the Rescue!
If you were one of the almost 2000 attendees at ECTC 2024, held May 28-31 2024, in Denver, Co, then you must be feeling very important right now; especially if you’re an advanced packaging engineer. Whether you’re improving energy efficiency, increasing yield, delivering innovative process control solutions, designing next-generation advanced...
The Nexus of Innovation for U.S. Semiconductor Manufacturing
Will Arizona be the nexus of innovation for U.S. semiconductor manufacturing? It certainly looks that way. The speakers and panelists who presented at SEMI’s Arizona Breakfast Forum on May 1, confirmed what those of us who live and work here already know: The sun isn’t the only thing heating up...
IMAPS DPC 2024 Makes Advanced Packaging Fun Again!
At last week’s International Microelectronics and Packaging Society’s Device Packaging Conference, (IMAPS DPC 2024) we didn’t need TrendForce to tell us that advanced packaging is the hottest technology in the semiconductor industry. We just needed to look at the record attendance of more than 700 advanced packaging enthusiasts who turned...
From Different Dimensions View all
Sustainability 101: Employee Action Groups for Sustainability
Lofty sustainability goals like becoming carbon neutral by a specific date or committing to science-based targets for greenhouse gas emissions sound good. Making them public can spur progress at your company and with suppliers and customers. However, these goals can also feel overwhelming or too distant to tackle. Employees need...
Generative AI Needs Advanced Packaging Solutions
The adoption of Generative AI is growing every day. Apple is the latest to announce the use of Generative AI in its Siri App. With this rapid growth of the use of AI in our day-to-day life, comes the need to train the models behind these tools. This requires a...
June Member News Highlights Semiconductor Design Tools, Collaborations, and More
This June, we’ve seen exciting strides in AI for semiconductor design, showcasing how AI and Digital Twin technologies are revolutionizing chip design and manufacturing. New software tools are boosting design and verification, and our members are driving innovation through key collaborations and contributions. From product development to workforce initiatives that...
Sustainability 101: PFAS-Free Filters
Fluoropolymers are excellent materials for filters. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), the same polymer used in Teflon coatings, is inert, stable, hydrophobic, and durable, making it an ideal filtration media. Except for one potential problem. PTFE is a member of the PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) class. Even though PTFE no longer contains...
Interconnectology 101 View all
An Overview of the Global Semiconductor Secondary Equipment and Parts Market
Even though it seems like everything has a computer chip these days, the semiconductor industry was not immune to the destruction of COVID-19. As millions of people geared up to work from home, a global chip shortage emerged. Rapid fluctuations in the automotive market exacerbated this. Because so many people...
Understanding the Role of Inspection and Metrology for AI Packages
At this point, we can’t deny it – we’re truly living in the age of AI. But in today’s changing world where ChatGPT generates information faster than ever imagined, one thing is certain: today’s technology-driven society would not be feasible without advanced packaging. To help me write this article, I...
Why Are HBM Manufacturers Choosing Liquid Mold Underfill?
As the world demands faster and smarter technologies than ever before, the importance of underfill is gaining traction in the realm of advanced packaging. Underfill is an epoxy that helps fill gaps between a chip and its substrate. It’s important because it works to relieve stress on the chip, thus...
Innovative TSV Processing is Critical to Enable the AI Era
With all the data that needs to be processed, stored, accessed, and rewritten for advanced technology applications like artificial intelligence (AI), High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) is the key that drives these innovations forward. To learn more, I spoke with Aaron Fellis, general manager at Lam Research, about advanced packaging breakthroughs...
Packaging IFTLE View all
IFTLE 599: Prismark’s 30-Year Perspective of the Electronics Industry
Prismark Partners consultants, based in Cold Spring Harbor NY, is having its 30-year anniversary this year. As part of that celebration, Jeff Doubrava of Prismark has taken a look at what has happened in the electronics industry over the past 30 years. First, let’s see what was going on in...
IFTLE 598: NSTC Update
In February 2024, CHIPS announced that $5B would be spent in the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) to drive innovation in the United States. As a public-private consortium, NSTC members will have access to an investment fund, facilities, partners, and additional funding opportunities to research, test, and scale up semiconductor...
IFTLE 597: Samsung Glass Substrates; Samsung SAINT
Samsung Announced Glass Substrates Effort Samsung Group’s electronics subsidiaries have announced a joint research and development effort between Samsung Electro-Mechanics and the group’s major electronics affiliates, including Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display to accelerate the commercialization of glass substrates to commercialize faster than semiconductor rival Intel in the U.S. Samsung...
IFTLE 596: Advanced Packaging Reshaping the Chip Ecosystem
The Boston Consultant Group (BCG) recently took a look at the impact that advanced packaging is having on the microelectronics chip ecosystem. Let’s take a look at some of the points that they make. Advanced packaging is replacing simple “scaling”, which had been the traditional way to achieve advancements in...
Latest Posts
IFTLE 595: Updates On U.S. Chips Funding Awards
We’ve been following several stories on U.S. base expansion stories made possible by U.S. Chips Funding Awards. Here is an...
May Member News: Strategic Moves, Product Launches, Sustainability and more
May member news showcases significant strides in advancing semiconductor technologies and fostering sustainability efforts. From strategic divestitures and innovative product...
IFTLE 594: TSMC’s Foundry Market Share; UMC 3DIC for RFSOI
TSMC takes 61% of global foundry market share Counterpoint has released its global foundry market share ranking for 4Q 2023,...
IFTLE 593: Deep in the Heart of Texas
IFTLE has spent a lot of time recently focusing on the availability of U.S. government funds for the “onshoring” of...
Sustainability 101: Rethinking Sustainable Materials
The materials we use to make products are usually chosen with performance as the highest priority, followed by cost. Performance...
How Advanced Lithography Evolution Will Impact 3D Packaging
In 1987, the lithography team I worked with returned from SPIE and presented our findings from the conference. Ultra-violet (UV)...
IFTLE 592: DIBC Hosts Advanced PCBs and Electronic Substrates Industry Day
In early April the Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC) held an “Industry Day for Advanced Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) and...
April Member News: Earth Day, Partnerships, Notable Achievements
As the semiconductor industry continues to experience a surge of innovation, companies worldwide are collaborating to propel technology forward while...
Bridging the Path from University to Industry
The university setting offers a valuable environment for future engineers to explore and learn about technologies that will become part...
IFTLE 591: TSMC AZ & Samsung get CHIPS Money; IMAPS Hosts 2nd Annual Onshoring Conference
We all knew it was coming….it was just a matter of time until it was announced. The Department of Commerce...
SEMI Kicks off Year Three of the SCC and Startups for Sustainability
It is popular for mainstream media to publicize different industry’s energy consumption and environmental habits. The semiconductor industry is not...
IFTLE 590: The NHanced Semiconductors Roadmap
If you have been following the announcements from Bob Patti and his company, NHanced Semiconductors, it would not be surprising...
Sustainability 101: Refuse, Reduce, Repair, Refurbish, Rework
The Hierarchy of the Re’s You are probably familiar with the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle.” You may have heard that...
The Role of 200mm Manufacturing in Enabling a $1 Trillion Semiconductor Industry
The global semiconductor industry is growing steadily as integrated circuits (ICs) are now a pervasive part of our everyday lives....
Taking Stock of Global Investments in Semiconductor Manufacturing
The geopolitical race to take the lead in semiconductors is heating up as global investments in semiconductor manufacturing take hold....
EV Group: More than 40 Years of Growth Fueled by 3D/Heterogeneous Integration
Riding the 3D/Heterogeneous Integration Wave For decades, the ability to achieve the necessary power, performance, area, and cost (PPAC) in...
IFTLE 589: Intel Gets CHIPS Act Funding; Raytheon and AMD Partner on Multi-Chip Package
The Department of Commerce (DoC) has announced Intel as the fourth program it will fund under the CHIPS and Science...
March Member Highlights: Anniversaries, Events, Collaborations, New Products, and More
March buzzed with innovation and collaboration in the semiconductor industry, as key players across the globe joined forces to advance...
IFTLE 588: CHIPS NAPMP Materials & Substrates Program
The Creating Helpful Innovations in the Production of Semiconductors (CHIPS) workforce initiatives are shown in Figure 1: The CHIPS vision...
