Category Archives: Packaging and Testing

January 3, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — Enpirion, Inc. entered into a strategic partnership agreement with JiangyinChangdian Advanced Packaging Co., Ltd. (JCAP) for the manufacturing of silicon-based magnetics utilizing Enpirion’s proprietary micro electronic magnetic silicon (MEMS) technology. Earlier in 2011, Enpirion demonstrated that its MEMS technology achieved all necessary application performance figures-of-merit at record frequencies of 18 MHz in its DC-DC power system-on-chip (PowerSoC). This announcement marks another key milestone in Enpirion’s leadership and commercialization efforts using low-cost silicon-based magnetics partnering with JCAP with its specialized, high volume wafer level packaging manufacturing capabilities. JCAP is implementing and fully qualifying Enpirion’s innovative magnetic material processes.

"I am happy to announce our collaboration with JCAP on the integration of Enpirion’s advanced MEMS technology into JCAP’s innovative wafer level manufacturing operations," said Denis Regimbal, CEO of Enpirion. "Since the company’s inception, we have invested heavily in developing silicon-based magnetic technologies that complement our high frequency CMOS power technology. This will permit Enpirion to continue to extend its leadership in integrated DC-DC power solutions by penetrating into new applications such as cost-effective LDO replacements."

Lai Chih-Ming, President of JCAP said: "We are excited to have been selected by Enpirion, the leader in integrated power management, to bring to market this advanced technology for magnetic materials on silicon wafers for the first time in power applications using our world renowned, innovative, high volume wafer level bump and chip scale manufacturing processes. Clearly this next generation technology will deliver the first low cost, fully integrated DC-DC converter on silicon. We look forward to growing this business with Enpirion."

Enpirion, the leading provider of integrated power management solutions, simplifies design complexity while addressing the space constraint and efficiency needs faced by designers of enterprise, telecom,storage, industrial and embedded applications. For more information about Enpirion, please visit www.enpirion.com .

JiangyinChangdian Advanced Packaging Co., Ltd. (JCAP) is a subsidiary of Jiangsu Changjiang Electronics Technology Co., Ltd. (JCET) a leading manufacturer of discrete semiconductor devices, the largest indigenous packaging subcontractor for discrete and IC packaging assembly and test in mainland China. For more information about JCAP, please visit www.jcap.cn

December 26, 2011 — Yole Développement studies the evolution of inertial micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) and magnetometers and provides reverse costing analysis of the MEMS devices in "Technology Trends for Inertial MEMS," volumes 1 & 2. The report considers 23 MEMS devices.

Four identifiable trends are revealed: future generation of sensors will deliver functions; sensor fusion, combining data from different sensors, is on the rise; new architectures are emerging; and price pressure is still very strong (5% drop per quarter for consumer applications), said Laurent Robin, activity leader, inertial MEMS devices and technologies at Yole Développement.

Yole’s report shares market drivers for inertial MEMS, including consumer, automotive, and high-end applications. Packaging and test trends for the devices are discussed. Over the last 3 years, inertial MEMS & magnetometers have been subject to dramatic market & technological evolutions. This has been driven by a large increase of the consumer market: mobile phones and tablets for accelerometers; gaming for gyros; mobile phones for magnetometers.

Along with “stand-alone” MEMS devices, inertial combo sensors, a combination of several inertial sensors into a single package, are also coming. Main applications are consumer (e.g. accelerometer with magnetometer or accelerometer with gyro) and automotive for ESC and rollover functions first.

On the technical side, form factor is ever decreasing with reduced footprint and thickness. And power consumption has been reduced to a few microA while performances are still increasing. The most successful type for inertial MEMS is based on capacitive transduction. Reasons are simplicity of the sensor element, no requirement for exotic materials, low power consumption and good stability over temperature. But will comb-drive architecture for accelerometers continue to be the main detection principle as MEMS die size keeps shrinking?

Regarding gyroscopes, most are falling into the categories of tuning vibrating fork/plate (STM, Bosch) or vibrating shells (Silicon Sensing Systems). This very common design gives ease of fabrication and possible integration in standard IC manufacturing industry.

For magnetometers, Hall Effect has been the dominant technology for a long time, but today it is changing as Magneto Impedance, Giant Magneto Resistance and Anisotropic Magneto Resistance are used. A new approach, Lorentz effect based on MEMS technology, is currently in R&D (VTT and others). This could bring easier integration in MEMS combo sensors.

"Testing has been also subject to strong evolution over the last years," said Dr. Eric Mounier, senior analyst, MEMS Devices & Technologies at Yole Développement. For example, combo sensors will require new test solutions compared to “stand-alone” sensors. Beyond the usual wafer-level electrical test and package-level electrical and mechanical or functional testing, these sensor combos will need module level testing and calibration of the combined sensors. If they include an MCU in the package, the communication between the sensors and the MCU will also need to be tested. Solutions need to be cost effective with high throughput to test multiple axes of multiple devices, either in parallel or in separate modules, rather like separate chambers in IC equipment.

The world of MEMS testing has moved in the last several years from internal development at MEMS makers to co-development with test suppliers to commercial off the-shelf equipment. So combo solutions that can test all axes of the module in a single tool for higher throughput will also likely be co-developed with the test equipment suppliers and available commercially. Assembly and test houses may also start to offer these test services on an outsource basis for fabless or fab-light MEMS makers. The Yole Développement report will analyze the latest trends in MEMS testing.

In order to understand the key evolutionary changes, a total of 23 different MEMS devices (9 accelerometers, 10 gyros, 3 combos and 1 magnetometer) — mostly consumer MEMS — have been disassembled, analyzed and cost simulations have been constructed for MEMS, ASIC and Packaging/Test. One of the key features of the reports is that ASICs have been analyzed as well. The MEMS have been analyzed and production costs have been simulated by System Plus Consulting, the reverse costing specialist company. The teardown analysis results have been compared in terms of performance, total cost, MEMS size, ASIC lithography node, ASIC size, package size, year for market introduction.

From its analysis, Yole Développement found there is a clear MEMS die size decrease over 2007-2011. For example, in 2008, the average size for an accelerometer (3-axis) was 4-5mm². 3 years later, size is about 2mm². ASIC size has been following the same trend with a lithography node in the range 0.18-0.35μ today. "With latest ST announcement about the use of through silicon vias for inertial, we can expect even lower cost and size in the future," said Robin. The same analysis has been performed for gyros comps, combos and magnetometers.

Companies cited in the report:
Accutronic, Advanced Microsensors, Advantest, Afore, Aichi, AIS/SSS, AKM, Analog Devices, ASE, Baolab, Bosch Sensortec, CascadeMicrotech, CEA Leti, Colibrys, Epson Toyocom, Freescale, Gladiator Technologies, Honeywell, Invensense, Jyve, Kionix, KYEC, Litef, Memsic, Multitest, Murata, Panasonic, Polytec, Qualtre, Rohm, Sensonor, Sensordynamics, Sony, SPEA, SSS, STM, Systron Donner,TEL, Teradyne, Thales, Tronics, VTI, VTT, Yamaha

Dr. Eric Mounier has a PhD in microelectronics from the INPG in Grenoble. He previously worked atCEA LETI R&D lab in Grenoble, France in Marketing dept. Since 1998 he is a co-founder of Yole Developpement, a market research company based in France. At Yole Developpement, Dr. Eric Mounier is in charge of market analysis for MEMS, equipment & material. He is Chief Editor of Micronews, and MEMS’Trends magazines (Magazine on MEMS Technologies & Markets).

Laurent Robin is in charge of the Inertial MEMS & Sensors market research at Yole Developpement. He previously worked at image sensor company e2v Technologies (Grenoble, France) and at EM Microelectronics (Switzerland). He holds a Physics Engineering degree from the National Institute of Applied Sciences in Toulouse. He was also granted a Master Degree in Technology & Innovation Management from EM Lyon Business School, France.

Yole Développement provides market research, technology analysis, strategy consulting, media in addition to finance services. Access the report catalog at www.yole.fr.

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Update, January 18, 2012 – Marketwire — inTEST Corporation’s Temptronic Corporation has closed on the acquisition of Thermonics, Inc. on January 16, 2012, pursuant to the agreement entered into in December 2011. The purchase price for the assets was approximately $3.8 million cash, which included net working capital of approximately $1.1 million.

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December 13, 2011 – Marketwire — Temperature management and semiconductor ATE company inTEST Corporation (NASDAQ:INTT) will acquire the assets and certain liabilities of Thermonics Inc. from Test Enerprises Inc. inTEST’s Temptronic Corporation, of the Thermal Solutions Group, will integrate the company.

The acquisition is expected to close in January 2012.

Thermonics develops precision temperature testing systems with emphasis on speed, accuracy, and reliability. The precision temperature forcing systems are used in semiconductor and other industries to verify product performance at a range of temperatures. Acquiring the company expands inTEST’s semiconductor and non-semiconductor customer base — addressing temperature-related problems in the test, manufacturing, conditioning and process control arenas, said James Pelrin, president of inTEST Thermal Solutions. Pelrin points out that the product ranges are complementary to those of Temptronic Corporation, which inTEST acquired in 2000.

Robert E. Matthiessen, inTEST Corporation’s president and CEO, noted that the thermal products expand inTEST’s served available market in non-semiconductor businesses such as Automotive, Aerospace, Industrial, and Telecommunications. "inTEST Corporation began 2011 with non-semiconductor related bookings of 18% for the first quarter; and the company has systematically expanded its product offerings, with our most recent third quarter non-semiconductor related bookings increasing to 41% of consolidated bookings…During the third quarter of 2011, nearly 60% of our Thermal Group’s bookings came from non-semi customers, driven by requirements from manufacturers of oscillators, industrial sensors, LEDs, equipment for the nuclear process industry, and military/aerospace applications."

inTEST Corporation is an independent designer, manufacturer and marketer of temperature management products and ATE interface solutions, which are used by semiconductor manufacturers to perform final testing of integrated circuits (ICs) and wafers. inTEST’s Thermal Solutions Group provides customized temperature test solutions. For more information, visit www.intest.com.

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December 13, 2011 – PRWEB — DelfMEMS SA named Tronics as its micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) foundry partner. Tronics will manufacture RF MEMS switches for DelfMEMS, with high-capacity runs starting in 2012.

DelfMEMS considered global — US, European, and Asian — foundry partners, tapping Tronics in Dallas, TX, for its ability to meet process requirements and the supply chain needs of DelfMEMS’ customers. Dr. Olivier Millet, CEO of DelfMEMS, enumerates the foundry’s qualifications: an established wafer fab that has processed hundreds of millions of MEMS chips and special expertise in metal bonding and wafer level packaging (WLP).

The companies have completed several key process transfer milestones, enabling Tronics to deliver samples in early 2012, with volume production following late in the year. Within a few years, Tronics will produce 20k+ wafers/year for DelfMEMS. The high-volume potential comes from the cellular handset market, as well as other possible sectors that could take advantage of conductivity, linearity, and reliability of DelftMEMS’ RFMEMS, said Brian Stephenson, president of Tronics Dallas.

Also read: Tronics expands MEMS manufacturing, HQ and RF MEMS packaging collab between DelfMEMS and KFM

Tronics is an international, full-service MEMS manufacturer with wafer fabs in France and the US, and representation in Asia. Tronics’ services range from MEMS design to high-volume MEMS manufacturing. The company builds supply chains for delivery of MEMS ranging from wafers to integrated custom components. Visit http://www.tronicsgroup.com for more information.

DelfMEMS develops and markets radio-frequency switches based on MEMS technology. Visit http://www.delfmems.com for more information.

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December 8, 2011 — Imec and Holst Centre micromachined a vibration-energy harvester with 489µW output power, using piezoelectric material in a MEMS cantilever. The team presented results at IEEE’s International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) this week in Washington DC.

Also read: imec’s IEDM papers reach "record number"

Shock-induced energy, as well as vibration, is harvested by the micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS). One application is energy harvesting in car tires, where the device could power built-in sensors. At 70km/h, the energy harvesters were shown to deliver a constant 42µW.

The harvester design sandwiches a piezoelectric (aluminum nitride) layer between metallic electrodes in a cantilever structure, forming a capacitor. A mass is attached to the cantilever tip, translating the macroscopic vibration into a vertical movement and straining the piezoelectric layer. This generates a voltage across the capacitor.

The harvesters are packaged with a 6" wafer-scale vacuum packaging process. The micromachining production process is compatible with low-cost mass-production fabrication.

The harvester has a record output power of 489µW when the vibrations closely match the MEMS’ resonance vibration, which in this case is 1011Hz. An automotive partner joined with imec to validate the harvester for use in car tires. Depending on car speed and road conditions, the tires — and energy harvesters — receive regular shocks, diplacing the mass. When the mass rings down at its natural resonance frequency, part of the mechanical energy is harvested.

MEMS that harvest machine or vehicle vibration can be used to power miniaturized autonomous sensor nodes, in situations where battery replacement is not sustainable or practical. Harvesters will allow sustainable monitoring on a massive scale. One example is Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) and its successors: a car tire with built-in sensors that monitor e.g. the tire integrity and pressure, the road condition, or the driving style.

Imec performs world-leading research in nanoelectronics. Learn more at www.imec.be.

Holst Centre is an independent open-innovation R&D centre that develops generic technologies for Wireless Autonomous Transducer Solutions and for Systems-in-Foil. Visit www.holstcentre.com.

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December 8, 2011 — JPK Instruments introduced additional quantitative imaging capabilities for the recently launched NanoWizard3 atomic force microscopy (AFM) analytical system. QI, or quantitative imaging mode, enables full control of tip-sample force at every pixel.

The force curve-based imaging mode avoids setpoint or gain adjustment while scanning. Applying JPK’s ForceWatch technology, QI can be used on challenging samples, such as MEMS structures with steep edges, soft or sticky sample, or nanotubes. QI targets high resolution and force sensitivity, obtaining quantitative data.

Measuring a real and complete force distance curve at every pixel of the image gives all information about the local tip-sample interaction with high spatial resolution.

The QI-Advanced software package is an extension of the standard QI version enabling quantitative measurement of nano-scale material properties such as stiffness, adhesion, dissipation and more.

JPK makes nanoanalytic instrumentation for the bio and nano sciences. Learn more at www.jpk.com.

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December 7, 2011 — Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), university-research consortium for semiconductors and related technologies, is working with Cornell University researchers to develop on-chip silicon technologies for mobile devices. The aim is a micro-mechanical resonator for RF MEMS.

The novel micro-mechanical resonator achieves low loss and high quality factor at radio frequencies (RF). Interconnecting the resonators with surrounding circuitry would create on-chip channel-select filters and oscillators.

The design highlighted in this research is a single-crystal silicon micro-mechanical resonator acoustically coupled to junction field effect transistor (JFET) built on a SOI substrate. The high quality factor and low loss can be attributed to the use of single-crystal silicon and an efficient high frequency transduction technique, also developed at Cornell, which circumvents the need for a separate transducer material. This transduction method also results in significantly improved temperature stability for silicon resonators, one of the main challenges to using such devices as frequency references for communication systems. The use of a JFET as the amplifying element will prove beneficial for use in low phase noise oscillators due to its low flicker noise. See more coverage from IEDM here.

While Moore’s Law has enabled exponential increases in the number of transistors and functionality on a single chip with every technology generation, there are still a few critical functions that cannot be realized by using transistors alone. Narrowband RF filtering and the generation of stable clocks are important examples.

“Currently, such functions are implemented using off-chip quartz or acoustic-wave devices, and they limit the system size,” said Sunil Bhave, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell, who led the research team. “The most straightforward and feasible solution to this problem is to implement these functions using integrated silicon devices, which would allow us to make use of conventional semiconductor fabrication methods to reduce the size with minimal tradeoff in performance.”

The research is funded from SRC’s Global Research Collaboration and Focus Center Research Program Center for Materials, Structures and Devices. It builds on previous developments in resonant transistors (at Cornell, MIT, EPFL and CNRS) to demonstrate a transconductance-to-bias current ratio greater than 1 Volt-1, which is important for low-power RF design.

Kwok Ng, Senior Director of Device Sciences at SRC, notes that the research could have a wide impact, including the development of a RF frequency source fully integrated into a foundry CMOS process along with other surrounding circuitry.

More information about the research is published in the paper titled, “Platform for JFET-based Sensing of RF MEMS Resonators in CMOS Technology,” presented at IEEE’s 2011 International Electron Devices Meeting in Washington D.C. The paper is co-authored by Eugene Hwang, Andrew Driscoll and Sunil Bhave of Cornell.

SRC defines industry needs, invests in and manages the research that gives its members a competitive advantage in the dynamic global marketplace. For more information, please visit www.src.org.

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December 6, 2011 – JCN Newswire — Singapore’s A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics (IME) and 3D IC developer Tezzaron Semiconductor signed a research collaboration agreement to develop and exploit advanced through silicon interposer (TSI) technology.

This includes improving and optimizing silicon interposers and creating standardized process, slows, and process design kits (PDKs). In the near term, the partners will look to develop TSI for MEMS and silicon photonics, based on the 3D IC experience.

Early production devices use IME’s TSI technology with 3D ICs from Tezzaron. The team will fabricate devices in IME’s state-of-the-art 300mm R&D fab.

Once a technology is established, IME will drive the TSI Consortium for further optimization and functional demonstrations, to be launched in early 2012. "To build momentum in customer adoption and technology, IME will launch a TSI Consortium in early 2012, to facilitate greater cooperation between foundry, outsourced semiconductor assembly and test providers (OSATs), equipment vendors and supply chain partners to expedite the integration of the supply chain," commented Professor Dim-Lee Kwong, executive director of IME.

Silicon interposers — often considered a bridge technology to true 3D IC — are a "vital component for heterogeneous system integration," asserts Robert Patti, CTO of Tezzaron.

Also read: 3D IC needed? Making a case for 2.5D with Xilinx FPGA launch

IME and Tezzaron have cooperated on research since 2001. Tezzaron used IME’s copper line technologies wafer stacking development. IME researches TSVs, 3D IC cooling, vertical interconnects and interposers; Tezzaron focuses on designing and building wafer-stacked 3D-ICs in its FaStack process.

Tezzaron Semiconductor specializes in 3D wafer stacking and TSV processes, cutting-edge memory products, and wide-ranging collaborations. Information about Tezzaron is available at http://www.tezzaron.com/.

The Institute of Microelectronics (IME) is a research institute of the Science and Engineering Research Council of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). For more information, visit IME on the Internet: http://www.ime.a-star.edu.sg or go to A*STAR’s website: www.a-star.edu.sg.

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November 30, 2011 – BUSINESS WIRE — Mixed-signal semiconductor supplier Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (IDT, NASDAQ:IDTI) developed and demonstrated commercially available oscillators incorporating piezoelectric micro electro mechanical system (pMEMS) resonators.

The IDT pMEMS resonator uses piezoelectric material and single-crystal silicon, which provides stability and low damping. IDT holds or is waiting on more than 40 patents related to the MEMS technology. The company says its passive pMEMS resonator is the world’s smallest hermetically sealed wafer level package (WLP) resonator. pMEMS oscillators will be available in industry-standard pin- and function-compatible plastic packages.

pMEMS resonators have "high native frequencies," which IDT capitalizes on to replace traditional quartz-based oscillators for cloud computing designs requiring high reliability and resistance to shock and vibration, consumer applications requiring multiple outputs, and communications and networking equipment that need low phase jitter. Ted Tewksbury, Ph.D., president and CEO of IDT, called MEMS a "natural step" in the company’s silicon timing product progression.

Also read: MEMS resonators vs. crystal oscillators for IC timing circuits

Integrated Device Technology Inc., the Analog and Digital Company(TM), develops system-level mixed-signal products for the communications, computing and consumer segments. IDT stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Stock Market under the symbol IDTI. Additional information about IDT is accessible at www.IDT.com.

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November 25, 2011 — SUSS MicroTec, a leading supplier of equipment and process solutions for the semiconductor industry and related markets, announces the cooperation with Swansea University´s Centre for NanoHealth (CNH). This cooperation is linked to CNH´s recent purchase of a SUSS Mask Aligner, MA/BA8 Gen3 with SCIL option. SCIL (Substrate Conformal Imprint Lithography) is a technology for large area imprint that enables patterning at nano scale, whilst maintaining consistent uniformity over entire wafer areas.

The research of CNH is addressing challenges in healthcare such as developing next generation solutions to enable early intervention and detection of diseases followed by immediate identification of appropriate treatments. The Centre is backed by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government to address some of the biggest challenges facing the future of healthcare such as enhancing early intervention in diagnosing and treating diseases in non-hospital environments; in the home, community clinic or local doctors’ surgery. This can be achieved through the use of devices such as biosensors to detect disease-relevant biomarker for heart disease, cancer, diabetes or other chronic conditions.

The SUSS Mask Aligner will facilitate the processing of such novel technologies by applying micro/nano fabrication methods to produce biosensors, bioMEMS devices, microfluidics and photonics.

“There are enormous opportunities in the biomedical industry. BioMEMS devices are the platform through which the nanomedicine applies.” states Frank P. Averdung, President and CEO of SÜSS MicroTec AG. “We believe that with the establishment of economical production processes the emerging bioMEMS segment is about to exceed the threshold to become a fast growing market. Our innovative nano imprint solution will enable CNH to develop production processes on large area wafers which is the key to rapid transfer of prototype technologies to cost effective volume production and commercialisation.”

Dr. Matt Elwin, Centre Manager for the Centre for NanoHealth said, “The SUSS MicroTec Aligner will be an essential tool for the development of sensors and devices within the CNH, and there are already numerous projects vying for equipment time. The additional capabilities of SCIL will also open up new possibilities and we are excited about the potential of this new technique. SUSS MicroTec has made a significant contribution to the CNH project, and we are looking forward to developing its applications in the fabrication of new biosensors and medical devices.”

Contact SÜSS MicroTec AG at www.suss.com