11/01/2007 One of the hottest topics in microelectronics today is microsystems in which low-power electronics and wireless interfaces are being merged with sensors to form networks of miniature information-gathering devices.
11/01/2007 Recent developments in combining sensors, microprocessors, and radio frequency (RF) communications hold the potential to revolutionize the way we monitor and maintain critical systems.
11/01/2007 The Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST) has published two new Recommended Practices (RPs)-one provides guidance for maintaining a cleanroom at the level for which it was designed, and the other covers the design and testing of modular gas-phase adsorber cells in single pass or recirculating air-cleaning systems where high-efficiency removal of gaseous contaminants is required.
11/01/2007 As logistical supply-chain management increasingly helps determine success for both commercial and military objectives, the application of MEMS sensors and circuit integration with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is becoming crucially competitive.
11/01/2007 Freescale (www.freescale.com) has combined advanced MEMS technology with a microcontroller and RF transmitter to create a versatile, system-in-package (SiP) tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that differs from most others.
11/01/2007 As the Netherlands nurtures its food and nanotechnology pursuits to produce what may be the world’s leading locale for advancing food-related development, it finds a unique support structure
11/01/2007 The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today that some 100 known terrorists were passed through security checkpoints at three different major airports in March of this year.
11/01/2007 The Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST) is responsible for the origination, publishing, and revision of 36 recommended practices (RPs) on topics of interest and of value to the contamination control industry. Currently, IEST has 59 working groups (WGs) engaged in RP production. The contamination control (CC) division of IEST is involved with the detection, measurement, and control of all forms of contamination in cleanrooms and other controlled environments.
11/01/2007 Infection control concerns have recently caught the nation’s attention with media reports specifically related to the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) “superbug,” which led to the death of a Virginia teen in October.
11/01/2007 3D integration in packages involves stacking two or more planar devices, increasing their capability as the vertical grows, much like the old-fashioned game of checkers.
11/01/2007 Clean metal surfaces are critical to bumping and soldering processes. Poor cleaning can result in delamination of plated metal layers and lackluster wetting during soldering.
11/01/2007 Copper pillar bumps were introduced in 2006 by Intel in their 65-nm “Yonah” microprocessor. Wafer bump foundries and semiconductor manufacturers are actively evaluating this new technology. Integration of photolithography and electroplating is critical to the fabrication process.
11/01/2007 Semiconductor assembly and test service (SATS) providers have been all over the news this year, with mergers and acquisitions, R&D collaborations, and technology innovations.
11/01/2007 In 1887, Heinrich Hertz first observed the photoelectric effect. Over the intervening years, that early observation gave rise to the optoelectronics industry.
11/01/2007 Significant inroads to integrate surface-acoustic-wave- (SAW-) based electronics with sensors are producing more high-demand areas for packaging applications.
11/01/2007 Is package design an extension of IC design or PCB design, or both? Should pin-outs be driven by the ICs and components on the package, or by the PCB(s) on which the package will be mounted? With the increase in package design complexity, can we live with the same tools we have had in the past? Answers to these questions depend on the company, application, organization and type of package being designed.
11/01/2007 For US-based editors of an international publication, SEMICON Europa was a great venue for meeting with industry experts, equipment and material manufacturers, and service providers we generally only communicate with electronically.
11/01/2007 The increased use of lead-free solder in BGA packages, widely used in portable devices, makes them susceptible to brittle fracture failures at the solder ball to pad interfaces when subjected to mechanical shock. Brittle fractures at the interfaces between solder balls and package substrate bond pads are considered unacceptable.
