Issue

Business is booming at most of the major assembly and test subcontractors. More of them returned to profitability in the third quarter of 2003, some saw record revenue, and most gave an optimistic outlook for the fourth quarter.

How many times has an advanced technology/engineering marvel been implemented into a new or existing product, only to be thrown over the fence to the manufacturing group?

To bridge the gap between biology and electronics in neurons on chip, IMEC, the University Hospital of Leuven (Leuven, Belgium) and Hebrew University (Jerusalem, Israel) researchers are exploring new transducer concepts, surface chemistry solutions and packaging techniques. We believe that the key to efficient and reliable ionoelectronic devices is surface chemistry.

Each New Year brings with it a hope for continued growth and prosperity. This year is no exception. Let's face it; the last two years in electronics assembly have been grim. However, most signs point upward for 2004.

Heat generation rates in electronic components and systems continue to increase, as performance expectations rise and sizes are decreased. Traditionally, the key metric for defining the thermal challenge has been the heat flux, or the rate of heat generation per unit area.

As the industry continues to shrink die sizes and package footprint requirements, increase clock speeds and demand greater thermal performance, package design selection now goes well beyond a simple assessment based on physical attributes.

The classic function of a socket is to provide a connection mechanism from the IC to the circuit board with as little electrical load as possible. This allows the IC to function as it is soldered into the printed circuit board (PCB), but can be replaced by another IC to upgrade or test multiple ICs.

The move toward acceptance of lead-free materials in electronics is coming. Either you jump on the bandwagon or you will be left behind.

System-in-package (SiP) has long been "next year's technology" when considering the introduction of new packaging concepts. While OEMs and original design manufacturers (ODM) expect plug-and-play solutions, the design cycle for traditional system-on-chip (SOC) often runs to 18 months for advanced designs.