Nuremberg, Germany &#151 Bigger and more international than ever, exhibitors at SMT/Hybrid Packaging, June 2-4, Nuremberg, Germany, focused their product showcases around the theme of automotive electronics, or used the venue for the European launch of new products. Overall, 632 exhibitors and 87 represented companies occupied 29,600 sq m of exhibition space that was divided into 3 halls. Taking it all in even in three days was a little like trying to cram a visit to the Louvre all in one day. Although companies serving the circuit board assembly market still appeared to dominate, representation from the advanced packaging market, and yes, even the front-end semiconductor industry more than implies that the shift from the over-the-wall development days to parallel technology development is underway, and the end-product is the driving force. Here’s just a sample of what there was to see.

In his opening comments during the event press conference, Herbert Reichl, Ph.D.of Fraunhofer, IZM and committee chairman of the event talked about the potential with PCBs, and work his team is involved with to develop multi-functional substrates. Silicon integration is key, he said, as well as integration of components in and on the circuit board. Bare chip embedded technologies, such as the HIDING DIES project’s chip in polymer (CiP), also requires collaboration between chip, package and board from design, processes, test, inspection, and materials perspectives.

Atotech, headquartered in Berlin, Germany, is one materials company positioned to address these anticipated advancements in technology roadmaps. The company’s strategy is to promote the concept that process suppliers need an intimate knowledge of supply chain requirements now and in the future. Atotech’s product portfolio includes PCB and IC substrates; advanced dielectrics, imaging systems and surface protections; and wet chemical metal deposition for advanced wafer level packaging applications.

In addition to its assembly materials product family, W.C. Heraeus showcased a dippable paste suited to a variety of wafer-level applications. Anton Miric, business manager for Europe, Assembly Materials said the paste was first developed for the U.S. market, and is now being introduced to the European market. When compared to tacky flux, Miric explained that the dippable paste provides a higher level of reliability due to its tackier nature. Its conductive properties also make it suitable for flip chip applications, and in package-on-package stacks, it could be used for die-attach, replacing wire bonds. Miric also talked about the overlapping trend between packaging and SMT, especially with regard to system-in-package. He predicted packaging to be a differentiator for semiconductor manufacturers, and not just the chip stack itself. As chips heat up more due smaller size coupled with increased performance, both packaging and SMT technologies must be reliable.

Lord Corporation has set out to address the heat issue across the chip, package and board by introducing several high-performance materials at the show. Visitors to the booth could see developments in thermally conductive flip chip underfill, high performance thermal gel, high thermal conductivity thermal greases, and a new non-silicone thermal die-attach lid.

Well-known for vision and X-ray inspection tools for board assembly, Viscom AG, has expanded its product portfolio not just into the packaging market with its wire bond inspection system, but has introduced a wafer inspection system as well. Volker Pape, president of Viscom, explained the latest enhancements on all three tools. The newest of the three is the MX2000IR, a wafer inspection system based on a patented infrared technology that is able to expose defects in silicon, something conventional X-ray technologies are unable to do. The application scope for the MX2000IR inspection system includes MEMS, wafer bonds, flip chips, and photovoltaic products.

Showcasing BMP Microsystems’ Flashstream technology, which was first launched at Productronica in a manual version, was Lyman Brown, the company’s executive V.P. and COO. This next-generation automated system has done away with the socket card in exchange for modules only. Hardware was the limiting factor for programming flash devices, he explained. This technology works with the speed of silicon and can handle high speed flash devices. “Customers provide the programming, we provide the means to program.” he said.

The Besi Group was out in full-force, promoting their capabilities across the back-end process spectrum from Datacon’s bare die handling equipment, Fico’s molding, trim, form and singulation capabilities, and Meco’s plating tools for leadframes, which operates as a separate entity from Datacon and Fico. The company has not delved into wire bonding, says Michael Auer, V.P. sales, Besi, because it’s not considered to be an innovative technology. He says three of the major packaging houses &#151 STATS ChipPAC, Amkor, and ASE &#151 have indicated a transfer from wire bonding to flip chip technology. In response to that, Datacon as introduced its 8800 Chameo, a high-speed multi-place flip chip machine during SEMICON Singapore. Besi’s strategy as an organization is to remain a European company, explained Auer, and will run R&D, product marketing, and management operations there, while moving much of the production to Kuala Lampur.

According to sales engineer, Patrick van Asch, ASM Assembly Products wants to stand out from the beginning to the end of the line. Its parent company, ASMI offers wafer processing equipment, while ASM Assembly products focuses on package assembly equipment. They’ve launched two major tools in the past few months; the Eagle Xtreme gold wire bonder, introduced at SEMICON Singapore, and the MCM12 multi chip die bonder for bonding flip chip and SMD components. SiP assembly is the target application for this tool, introduced 2 weeks prior to SMT/Hybrid/Packaging, and according to van Asch, already getting positive feedback.

One step removed from assembly equipment itself was CTQ, who showcased their machine accuracy measurement system. Mathias Keil, Ph.D., managing director for CTQ, explained how the system is used on production lines to calibrate and check existing machines.With 9 service locations and 3 in the US, the goal is to give suppliers valid technical data of the equipment in the field. Currently, CTQ’s major market is Europe, but Keil says business is growing in the US and Asia. He explained that the units are mobile and compact enough for technicians to travel with them. Latest capabilities include checking c-force measurement for pick-and-place tools, and checking the accuracy of wire bond systems. The units also double as housings for espresso makers, as was demonstrated to one tired editor at the company’s booth, much to her appreciation.