February 15, 2012 — Hesse & Knipps Inc., the Americas subsidiary of backend packaging equipment supplier Hesse & Knipps Semiconductor Equipment GmbH, opened a West Coast Demo and Applications Laboratory at its manufacturer rep Chalman Technologies, Anaheim, CA. Chalman Technologies has served as Hesse & Knipps
Category Archives: Materials and Equipment
February 15, 2012 — Electronics materials supplier Engineered Material Systems released the DA-5045-2 and DA-5045-4 high-thermal-conductivity die attach adhesives for light emitting diodes (LEDs) and small power semiconductor die packaging.
The new thermally and electrically conductive adhesives enable high thermal transfer for LEDs and power electronics. Thermal conductivities are greater than 20 W/mK when measured by laser flash. Both products feature high glass transition temperatures (Tg) and modulus, enabling wire bonding. They are electrically conductive for static drain. DA-5045-2 and -4 withstand JEDEC level 1/260
February 8, 2012 – PRNewswire — Theta Delta (TD) will incorporate Core Wafer Systems Inc. (CWS) technologies into its burn-in test and long-term reliability test systems for semiconductors. Core Wafer Systems provides parallel measurement schema for semiconductor test.
This alliance covers an install base of over 350 system testers, including customers such as Raytheon and Triquint.
The exclusive agreement allows Core Wafer to market, sell, and deliver improvements to TD’s burn-in and long term reliability system testers. Improvements for building functionality into CWS software and creating advanced reliability test libraries for long stress times for specific use cases are identified. Core Wafer will retool the tester to use their proprietary source measure units (SMU) and reliability algorithm test library, PDQ-WLR 7, for better performance. The goal is faster and lower-cost wafer test, allowing the correlation in test variables as users move from accelerated times to long-duration stress times.
Also read: CWS upgrades on-wafer accelerated reliability line for Agilent testers
The alliance with TD joins Core Wafer’s semiconductor and nanotechnology business and magnetics test systems unit as a third revenue stream.
"This alliance positions Core Wafer Systems as the only company that can address semiconductor manufacturers’ needs from accelerated to long-term testing and burn-in which allows direct data correlation from on-wafer to package devices," said Greg Miller, member of the Board of Directors at APII and marketing director at CWS, adding that the partnership has already led to contractual conversations with a Taiwanese manufacturer with an estimated value of over $800,000 in the second half of 2012. Core Wafer expects to pull in $6 million+ over the next 24 months thanks to the TD alliance.
Action Products International, Inc. (OTC Pink:APII.PK) is the parent company of Core Wafer Systems, Inc., which provides parallel measurement schema for evaluation of physical phenomena in semiconductor and magnetic devices and processes. Learn more at http://www.corewafer.com or http://www.actionproductsinternational.com.
February 9, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — Synova SA formed an OEM agreement with its partner Makino Milling Machine Co. Ltd., wherein Makino will manufacture Laser MicroJet (LMJ) tools based on Synova technology.
Laser MicroJet systems virtually eliminate heat in applications such as semiconductor wafer dicing, via drilling, etc. The LMJ
February 7, 2012 — BTU International Inc., thermal processing equipment supplier, won multiple orders for PYRAMAX solder reflow ovens from semiconductor assembly and test subcontractors (SATS) in Asia.
PYRAMAX reflow ovens feature high throughput, with closed-loop convection control of heat and cooling, constant heat transfer, and low nitrogen consumption, among other elements.
The orders total over $1 million. Shipments will be completed during the first half of 2012.
Major SATS companies require high-performance solder reflow ovens, commented Jim Griffin, vice president of sales and service for BTU International, adding that the SATS market segment remains "one of the strongest in the electronics industry."
BTU International provides advanced thermal processing equipment and processes to the alternative energy and electronics assembly markets. Internet: www.btu.com.
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February 6, 2012 — Rudolph Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:RTEC), process characterization equipment and software supplier, delivered the first MetaPULSE metrology system to measure under bump metallization (UBM) and redistribution layers (RDL) in advanced package manufacturing.
The MetaPULSE system has been proven in metrology for front-end wafer processing applications. This is the first use in back-end packaging metrology. The MetaPULSE system offers nondestructive measurements with small spot size, speed, and accuracy for measurements on patterned wafers. It can measure each layer within the completed multilayer stack or separate layers as they are deposited.
The tool was shipped in Q4 2011 and has been installed at the user site, a major IC manufacturer. The evaluation program took over 12 months.
The customer decided to implement on-product metrology as decreasing feature sizes and increasing pattern densities introduced pattern-dependent deposition effects in their plating process, Rudolph representatives stated.
Numerous other logic, memory and foundry customers are considering the metrology technology to expand into additional critical back-end applications. RDL and UBM route dense I/O signals between the circuit and the electronic system. Pattern-dependent deposition effects that must be measured on patterned product wafers, rather than the unpatterned monitor wafers used in previous process generations.
Rudolph Technologies Inc. designs, develops, manufactures and supports defect inspection, process control metrology, and data analysis systems and software used by semiconductor device manufacturers. Additional information can be found on the company
February 6, 2012 — Semiconductor process equipment maker SUSS MicroTec launched the XBC300 Gen2 high-volume 3D wafer processing tool for permanent wafer bonding, or debonding and cleaning of 200mm and 300mm wafers.
The Gen2 tool doubles the number of process modules available over the first generation of XBC300. It can be configured for any major permanent bonding process, as well as mechanical debonding processes at room temperature. Cleaning processes for 3D integration and 3D packaging are also supported. Cu-Cu, polymer, fusion and hybrid bonding processes can take place in the tool.
When configured as a debonder and cleaner the XBC300 Gen2 is the complementary platform to SUSS MicroTec’s XBS300 temporary wafer bonder. Device wafers are temporarily bonded to a carrier in the XBS300 and are debonded at room-temperature and cleaned on the XBC300 Gen2 after passing all the backside processing steps. The XBC300 Gen2 debonder/cleaner is configured for handling carrier wafers or film frames.
Also read: SUSS Microtech adds Brewer Science ZoneBond to wafer bonders
SUSS MicroTec, listed on TecDAX of Deutsche Boerse AG, provides equipment and process solutions for microstructuring in the semiconductor industry and related markets. For more information, please visit http://www.suss.com.
February 2, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — 3M launched a high-capacitance Embedded Capacitance Material (ECM), targeting improved power integrity and reduced electromagnetic interference (EMI) for small form factor computer hardware, high-performance RF boards, microphones, integrated circuit (IC) packaging, and consumer electronics. The ECM material contributes to hi-fidelity signals, high-signal-to-noise ratio in radio frequencies, and higher speed digital signals.
Previous 3M ECM versions have a maximum capacitance density of approximately 10nF/inch2. The 3M ECM High-Capacitance Density products offer a 20-40nF/inch2 capacitance density range. The ECM material is halogen-free and RoHS compliant.
Also read: 3M, IBM to make 3D chip adhesives
The material matches the needs of increased fidelity and rapid miniaturization in electronic devices, said Abhay Joshi, global business development manager, 3M Electronic Solutions Division, Interconnect Business.
3M
February 1, 2012 — Semiconductor test equipment provider Multitest launched its tri-temp 16-site pick-and-place platform, MT9510 x16, with an installation at a high-volume chip test site in Asia.
Based on the MT95XX platform technology, the MT9510 x16 performs temperature testing and device under test (DUT) handling for high parallel test from -55 to +175
January 31, 2012 – JCN Newswire — Bonding wire supplier Tanaka Denshi Kogyo K.K., of Tanaka Precious Metals, will establish a production subsidiary for manufacturing copper bonding wire in Taiwan, with manufacturing ramp on February 1.
Tanaka Electronics Taiwan Co. Ltd. will be a production center in Zhongli City, Taoyuan County, Taiwan. This is Tanaka Denshi Kogyo’s 4th wire production center globally (Japan, Singapore, and China). It will have capital of TWD285 million (approx. 730 million yen). Tanaka Denshi Kogyo decided to transition from just sales & support in Taiwan to full-scale production due to accelerated copper wire adoption. The 4th location also spreads Tanaka’s supply base to offset impacts by natural disasters.
Copper wire demand from semiconductor manufacturers and semiconductor assembly subcontractors in Taiwan is rapidly increasing. The company aims to ship 100 million meters of wire per month by 2014. Approximately 1 billion meters of bonding wire is produced per month worldwide, estimates Tanaka Precious Metals.
Copper wire is a lower-cost alternative to gold bonding wire for semiconductor packaging. Copper wire accounts for about 20% of all bonding wire at present, and could reach 40% by 2013 as more packages transition from gold to copper wire bonds.
Tanaka Denshi Kogyo has the world’s leading share in bonding wire as a whole, and gold wire. Website: http://www.tanaka-bondingwire.com/
Tanaka Precious Metals has a diversified range of business activities focused on the use of precious metals. Learn more at www.tanaka.co.jp.
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