What I’m Thankful for This Thanksgiving
Nov 25, 2020 · By Francoise von Trapp · Blogs, Francoise in 3D
3D In Context View all
EDPS 2020: An Inside Look at the Manufacturing-centric Presentations
Like many other industry conferences, the Electronic Design Process Symposium (EDPS 2020) had to go virtual. Not only did it keep our audience safe but allowed us to attract almost 200 registrants worldwide. Thanks to sponsorships from – ANSYS, Cadence, CEDA, Intel, Mentor – A Siemens Business, and Synopsys –...
IC Packaging Technologies Contribute to Smaller, Faster, Cheaper Electronic Systems with Longer Battery Life
During in-person and on-line meetings, I often discuss with friends the impressive progress our industry has made in the last 50 years following Moore’s Law. In 1981, when I joined the industry, on-die feature sizes were 3 microns (= 3000 nm). Today, some IC designers already rely on 3 nm...
Highlights from SEMI’s Smart MedTech Webinar Series
If you bought a new car recently, you must have noticed that it warns you if one of its functions needs your attention. It even alerts the factory if repairs or major adjustments are needed. Wouldn’t it be nice to have similar capabilities for our bodies that will call for...
The TSMC 2020 Virtual Technology Symposium and OIP Ecosystem Forum
Just like most other events that attract a large number of people, TSMC 2020 events were held online too. While I missed the many friends I normally meet at TSMC events, I was able to follow the powerful messages from TSMC, its Open Innovation Platform (OIP) partners, and satisfied customers...
Francoise in 3D View all
The Semiconductor Industry’s Role in The Social Dilemma
Nothing vast enters the life of mortals without a curse – Sophocles, and the intro to Netflix, The Social Dilemma. I was really excited to see that Facebook’s Ron Ho was presenting a keynote at IMAPS Symposium last month – not because of the topic he was going to discuss,...
Virtual IWLPC Focuses on Panel Level Packaging
The 2020 International Wafer Level Packaging Conference (Virtual IWLPC) brought up the caboose of several weeks of virtual conferences that for me started with SEMICON Taiwan and included IMAPS International Symposium. The content featured one keynote, a panel discussion, 40 technical presentations, and 23 virtual exhibits where you can access...
The Softer Side of the IMAPS Symposium
Because IMAPS is a society, there is a strong community aspect to its events. It was good to see that captured at this year’s symposium. I really enjoyed attending the live versions of the Society Awards presentation and the Diversity and Inclusion Roundtable. I also popped into the Student-Industry Roundtable...
IMAPS International Symposium Offers a Glimpse of the Emerging Chiplet Ecosystem
I have finally been in this industry long enough to understand the cycle of discussion, scrutiny, call to arms, and discussions that emerging technologies go through on their way to adoption. What I first witnessed with the building of the 3D IC ecosystem, is now happening with chiplets. This past...
From Different Dimensions View all
Jack McCauley Augments Reality with MEMS Sensors
Jack McCauley understands the interplay between video game hardware and human interaction like few others in the industry. He designed the guitar and drums for Red Octane’s (later Activision’s) Guitar Hero video game series. As co-founder and chief engineer of Oculus VR, he designed the Oculus DK1 and DK2 virtual...
Virtual SEMICON WEST: A Kiterocket Perspective
The current pandemic is wreaking havoc across the globe and forcing organizations, employees, and volunteers to either cancel events or find ways to do things differently. And wouldn’t you know it; leading up to the 50th Anniversary of SEMICON West, the SEMI organization had to make a call. It decided...
What A Difference a Quarter Makes!
At the end of the 1st quarter and into early June, the thinking was that the semiconductor and packaging industry would have a rough 2020, or at least back-to-back down years. The impact of Covid-19, supply chain interruptions, and uncertainty surrounding Huawei all were creating fear, uncertainty, and doubt about...
SEMICON West 2020: Sentiment, Sustainability, Diversity and Pandemic
Another SEMICON West has come and gone. Well almost gone, this one will be with us virtually until mid-September. SEMI’s 50th SEMICON West wasn’t the celebration that they expected; however, I think it turned out all right, considering the circumstances. As Larry Broome posted “my feet hurt less, the food...
Packaging IFTLE View all
IFTLE 465: AMD’s Bryan Black Opines on Chiplets
In the second great keynote presentation of the Annual IMAPS Symposium a few weeks ago [see IFTLE 465 “ Intel Reviews Leading Edge Packaging Technology”] AMD’s Bryan Black, the Godfather of chiplet technology, opined on “Chiplets: How to Utilize Them, Some of Their Challenges and What They Can Do” Back in...
IFTLE 465: Intel Reviews Leading-Edge Packaging Technology
In recent blogs, we have discussed the damage done to Intel’s leading-edge technology reputation by major delays in both their 10nm and 7nm product introductions [ see IFTLE 458]. We have also seen them try to put a positive spin on the fact that they may have to go external...
IFTLE 463: DoD Focuses on “Reshoring” Electronics to the US
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) launched its Electronic Resurgence Initiative (ERI) in 2017 with the intention of reshoring a domestic chip industry that has been moving steadily offshore for decades. Microelectronics are a foundational building block of most of our defense systems. At this year’s virtual ERI conference...
IFTLE 462: If Not a Node then What?
In the August issue of IEEE Spectrum magazine, Samuel Moore published an article entitled “The Node is Nonsense”. (Note: Samuel Moore not Gordon Moore) Let’s take a closer look at what Moore is trying to tell us and see how advanced packaging fits in. Where the Node Came From Back...
SemiSisters View all
How is COVID 19 Impacting the Semiconductor Industry’s Diversity and Inclusion Efforts?
A headline on CNN Business caught my eye last night: Working mothers are quitting to take care of their kids, and the US job market may never be the same. I started reading and went down a rabbit hole of related articles that revealed a few things: Unlike the recession...
SemiSister Success Story: A Woman on the Edge of 3D Technology
Severine Cheramy has devoted her career to developing 3D integration technologies and bringing them to market. She was the first person to show me what a TSV wafer looked like when I visited CEA-Leti’s cleanroom in 2009 during my Tour de France in 3D. At the time, she was a...
Diversity, Parity, Prosperity: Perspective of an Industry Veteran
“Don’t surround yourself with yourself …” Yes, from I’ve Seen All Good People. “At Japan’s Most Elite University, Just 1 in 5 Students Is a Woman.” The New York Times, 08 December 2019 “The semiconductor industry isn’t known as a standout example of diversity and inclusion. But that’s changing.” Jane...
As a Pioneer in EDA, Dr. Mary Jane Irwin Pays it Forward
Tomorrow evening (Nov. 7, 2019), Dr. Mary Jane Irwin will take the stage at a dinner being held in her honor, as she becomes the first woman to ever receive the 2019 Phil Kaufman Award for Distinguished Contributions to Electronic System Design. The award is presented annually by the Electronic...
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Are You Ready for an Onslaught of Virtual Events?
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Smart Mobility: An Impactful and High-growth Market
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IFTLE 459: imec Develops Nano-TSV for Heterogeneous Integration
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ISES 2020 Highlights Asia’s Advanced IC Packaging and HI Capabilities
Several decades ago, Asia began its quest to be a reliable and cost-effective IC packaging, assembly, and test partner for...
IFTLE 458: The Demise of US Chip-making Accelerates as Intel Falls Further Behind
Back in the late summer of 2018 IFTLE unleashed one of its more sarcastic cartoons to note that GlobalFoundries had...
DAC 2020 Addresses Chiplet Design and Integration
In the early days of ASIC technology, only logic library elements and basic I/Os with up to 10s of transistors...
IFTLE 457: Hybrid Bonding Comes of Age
I first started covering Ziptronix and its hybrid bonding technology back in 2007 when I was writing Perspectives from the...
TechSearch Presentation Highlights Key Developments in Advanced Packaging
In a recent MEPTEC / iMAPS webinar, Jan Vardaman, President, and Founder of TechSearch International presented growth drivers for advanced packaging...
IFTLE 456: SPIL Fan-out Embedded Bridge (FOEB) Technology
in this week’s post, we continue our look at the 2020 IEEE ECTC virtual conference. Siliconware’s presentation “Scalable Chiplet Package...
Cruising the Virtual SEMICON West Expo Hall
This morning at Virtual SEMICON West, I tried to attend a bunch of sessions and take notes so I could...
COVID 19 and Black Lives Matter Change the Conversation for SEMICON West Keynotes
I had a dream last night that the SEMI team was a little upset with me because we were getting...
How we Helped a Customer Deliver a GEM-compliant Equipment using CCF
Welcome to the first posting in the Cimetrix CIMControlFramework (CCF) Services blog series! While Cimetrix has been providing professional services...
Semiconductor Back End Processes: Selective GEM300 Adoption
GEM and GEM300 Adoption In a previous blog, I shared how the relatively new SEMI task force in North America called...
3D ICs Tear Down the Dreaded Memory Wall and Save Power
About 50 years ago, I started my career as a system-level designer, focused on an interface card for the Siemens...