Choosing The Right Interconnect


Efforts to zero in on cheaper advanced packaging approaches that can speed time to market are being sidetracked by a dizzying number of choices. At the center of this frenzy of activity is the [getkc id="36" kc_name="interconnect"]. Current options range from organic, silicon and glass interposers, to bridges that span different die at multiple levels. There also are various fan-out approach... » read more

FD-SOI Adoption Expands


Fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) is gaining ground across a number of new markets, ranging from IoT to automotive to machine learning, and diverging sharply from its original position as a less costly alternative to finFET-based designs. For years, [getkc id="220" kc_name="FD-SOI"] has been viewed as an either/or solution targeted at the same markets as bulk [gettech id="31093" c... » read more

Driving By Ethernet


The race to add more sophisticated and safety-critical electronics into cars is forcing carmakers to revisit the communications systems within increasingly electrified and connected vehicles. Until very recently, communication between components within a vehicle was simplistic, and communication between vehicles was non-existent. All of that is changing quickly. Rapid and secure communicatio... » read more

Automotive Startup Activity Swelling


According to AngelList, there are at least 6,600 automotive startups, with a $4.6 million average valuation. 475 of those are electric vehicle startups with a $5 million average valuation. Indeed, the electrification of vehicles and move towards autonomous driving is having a huge impact, the likes of which the automotive industry has never seen. This is causing the car manufacturers and Tie... » read more

Fan-Outs vs. TSVs


Two years ago, at the annual IMAPS conference on 2.5D and 3D chip packaging, the presentations were dominated by talk of fan-out wafer-level packaging. There was almost no talk of through-silicon vias, which previously had been heralded as vital to 2.5D and 3DIC packaging. Fast forward to this month's 3D Architectures for Heterogeneous Integration and Packaging conference in Burlingame, Cali... » read more

Reliability Of Embedded Wafer-Level BGA For Automotive Radar Applications


With shrinking of chip sizes, Wafer Level Chip Scale Packaging (WLCSP) becomes an attractive and holistic packaging solutions with various advantages in comparison to conventional packages, such as Ball Grid Array (BGA) with flipchip or wirebonding. With the advancement of various fan-out (FO) WLPs, it has been proven to be a more optimal, low cost, integrated and reliable solution compared to ... » read more

Here Comes High-Res Car Radar


A dozen or so startups are developing high-resolution radar chips that use various modulation schemes and processes, such as CMOS, FD-SOI and even metamaterials. In theory, high-resolution radar could boost the capabilities of today’s radar for cars, as well as eliminate the need for a separate LiDAR system. But the technology is still in the research stage and has yet to be proven commerc... » read more

Radar Versus LiDAR


Demand is picking up for vision, radar and LiDAR sensors that enable assisted and autonomous driving capabilities in cars, but carmakers are now pushing for some new and demanding requirements from suppliers. The automotive market always has been tough on suppliers. OEMs want smaller, faster and cheaper devices at the same or improved safety levels for both advanced driver-assistance systems... » read more

Advanced Packaging’s Progress


Shim Il Kwon, CTO at STATS ChipPAC, sat down with Semiconductor Engineering to discuss the current and future trends of chip packaging. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. SE: The outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) vendors provide third-party IC-packaging and test services. What are the big challenges for OSATs today? Shim: The OSAT market is very competitive, w... » read more

Design Challenges Of Next-Generation AESA Radar


Phased-array antennas, first used in military radar systems, are gaining in popularity for a variety of applications with new active electronically-scanned arrays (AESAs) being used for radar systems in satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles. As these systems are deployed, meeting size and performance requirements are critical. To support AESA radar development efforts, electronic design autom... » read more

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