Adding Value With Unit Level Traceability (ULT) In Automotive Packaging


Automotive product traceability has existed in one form or another for several decades. Traceability generally refers to tracking and tracing each component that comprises every subsystem in a car. Traditionally, this has been achieved with direct part marking on mechanical or electronic components, using 1D or 2D barcodes or radio-frequency identification (RFID). Since vehicle recalls are cost... » read more

Testing Analog Circuits Becoming More Difficult


Foundries and packaging houses are wrestling how to control heat in the testing phase, particularly as devices continue to shrink and as thermally sensitive analog circuits are added into SoCs and advanced packages to support everything from RF to AI. The overriding problem is that heat can damage chips or devices under test. That's certainly true for digital chips developed at advanced node... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Chipmakers and OEMs Intel wants $9.7 billion in subsidies for use in building a leading-edge fab in Europe, according to a report from Reuters. As reported, in March, Intel re-entered the foundry business, positioning itself against Samsung and TSMC at the leading edge, and against a multitude of foundries working at older nodes. Eighteen members of the European Union recently launched an ... » read more

Will An Adhesion Promoter Prevent Delamination?


Power semiconductor packages are used in high temperature, high voltage environments. With the increase of electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) in the automotive market, demands on (and for) power packages have been growing. Packages for automotive applications must pass extensive testing for safety, therefore, packaging reliability is essential. As more semiconductor pack... » read more

Making Chip Packaging More Reliable


Packaging houses are readying the next wave of IC packages, but these products must prove to be reliable before they are incorporated into systems. These packages involve several advanced technologies, such as 2.5D/3D, chiplets and fan-out, but vendors also are working on new versions of more mature package types, like wirebond and leadframe technologies. As with previous products, packaging... » read more

Advanced Packaging For Improved Network Communications


The global demand for data increases day-by-day. At the same time, the data transmission rate will increase to exceed 1 Terabits per second (Tbps) near the middle of this decade. To address this situation and provide a third alternative, engineers are increasingly looking into the chiplet approach with multiple smaller dies integrated in a single package. Only the logic portion that needs to... » read more

What Goes Wrong In Advanced Packages


Advanced packaging may be the best way forward for massive improvements in performance, lower power, and different form factors, but it adds a whole new set of issues that were much better understood when Moore's Law and the ITRS roadmap created a semi-standardized path forward for the chip industry. Different advanced packaging options — system-in-package, fan-outs, 2.5D, 3D-IC — have a... » read more

Meeting The Challenges Of 5G RF Production Test Services


Implementation of the 5G radio frequency (RF) standard is increasing rapidly [1]. Over the past four to six quarters, there has been an increased focus on publications and products that have been introduced to the marketplace. Some of the more popular RF eco-system applications include cellphone, Wi-Fi, automotive, Internet of Things (IoT), location services, and more. Wi-Fi and cellphone servi... » read more

Chip Board Interaction Analysis Of 22nm FD-SOI Technology In WLP


Recently, Wafer Level Packaging (WLP) has been in high demand, especially in mobile device applications as a path to enable miniaturization while maintaining good electrical performance. The relatively inexpensive package cost and simplified supply chain are encouraging other industries to adapt WLP capabilities for radio frequency (RF), communications/sensing (mmWave) and automotive applicatio... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Government policy The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) this week submitted its final report to Congress and the President. The goal is to develop a national strategy to maintain America’s AI advantages related to national security. As part of the long and complex report, the NSCAI came to a sobering conclusion: “The U.S. government is not prepared to defend t... » read more

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