Category Archives: Semicon West

FRANKLIN, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 16, 2005–Speedline Technologies will shine in the SEMICON West 2005 spotlight on the latest platform enhancements and developments of its soon to be released XyflexPro+ Dispensing System.

Delivering an increased speed rating of more than 30% and twice the accuracy, the XyflexPro+ features an advanced composite gantry design structure and linear drive system utilizing the latest in motion control drive technology. The platform is available as a standalone or in-line system and still offers the unique flexibility to be easily configured for a wide range of dispense applications within the electronics, automotive and medical industries.

See the XyflexPro+ as configured for a Class 100 clean room Wafer application throughout SEMICON West in booth number 8705. Also on demonstration: The XyflexPro HVB dual head dispense system and the Accel MicroCel cleaning platform. For more information, visit: http://www.speedlinetech.com.

Nashua, N.H. &#8212 Advanced Packaging Magazine is looking for your latest and greatest products to feature in our July 2005 SEMICON West 2005 Product Preview. If your company plans on exhibiting at SEMICON West 2005, to be held July 11-15, 2005, in San Francisco, Calif., please submit your product press release, preferably with an accompanying electronic image*, to Lee Mather, Advanced Packaging assistant editor, by May 10, 2005.

“Today, silicon designers often do not have the up-to-date EDA software tools needed to rapidly and accurately execute design projects,” says Nozad Karim, Amkor’s VP of applications engineering and characterization. “Electronics end-product design parameters, including package variations, continue to evolve so quickly that it is difficult for EDA tool providers to stay ahead of designers’ needs.”

(November 23, 2004) San Jose, Calif.&#8212SEMI has announced a “call for innovations” for the third annual Technology Innovation Showcase, to be held in conjunction with SEMICON West 2005. The application deadline is February 6, 2005.

Closing the loop


August 2, 2004

To address this problem, engineers at Georgia Tech’s Center for Board Assembly Research (CBAR) have developed a new data-driven, closed-loop control technology that adjusts equipment parameters in real time, resulting in fewer defects and higher yields.

(August 3, 2004) Santa Clara, Calif.&#8212One of the hottest topics at Semicon West in San Jose this year was wafer-level processing. If you walked around the show floor, it was hard to find a wire bonder, but wafer bumping equipment and materials were everywhere. Semi even hosted an executive panel discussion on “Wafer Bumping Technology Strategies and Status,” where it was reported that today, less than 5% of all die are being bumped, but in the next two to three years it is estimated that 20-30% of all die will be bumped at the wafer level. This increased interest and expertise brings us that much closer to true wafer-level packaging (WLP), which offers advantages such as smaller footprint and increased performance for higher speeds and increased functionality in portable devices.

July 19, 2004 – Semicon West attendees have chosen the winners of Solid State Technology‘s 2nd Annual Attendees’ Choice Award competition. The winners include Applied Materials Inc., Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions, KLA-Tencor, Multiprobe, and Feinfocus.

Solid State Technology invited Semicon West attendees to vote on the best products they saw at the trade show, which took place from July 12 to 14 at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center and from July 14 to 16 at the San Jose Convention Center.

There are three categories of awards, which were given BOTH in San Francisco — The Wafer Processing Products — and in San Jose — The Final Manufacturing Products.

The companies and products are:

San Francisco’s Wafer Processing Section:

Most Innovative Product: Applied Materials Inc. PDC Group’s SEMVision G2 FIB analyzer
Best Solution to a Problem: Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions’ HH2016 particle counter
Best Cost-of-Ownership: KLA-Tencor Optical Metrology Div.’s SpectraCD 100 system

San Jose’s Final Manufacturing Section:

Most Innovative Product and Best Solution to a Problem: Multiprobe’s Multiscan Atomic Force Probe (AFP)
Best Cost-of-Ownership: Feinfocus’ WBI-FOX inspection system

Ballots were available in the Attendees’ Choice Awards Directory. Companies with a product listing in the directory appeared on the ballot; there was also a space included for write-in votes.

The complete list of award winners by category is as follows:

We have just returned from SEMICON West. Most of the exhibitors were pretty excited about the bustle of people stopping by their booths to see what’s new in back-end assembly equipment and materials.

SEMI names new chairman


July 14, 2004

Higashi, the current chairman of Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL), succeeds George W. Chamillard, chairman of Teradyne, Inc., who served as SEMI’s chairman for the past year. Higashi has been a member of SEMI’s board of directors since 1999, and began his career with TEL in 1977 after earning his graduate degree from Tokyo Metropolitan University.

(July 19, 2004) Nashua, N.H.&#8212Advanced Packaging magazine has released the names of the winners of its 2004 Advanced Packaging Awards. Electroglas, Inc., ASAT Holdings Limited and Robotic Vision Systems, Inc. are among the companies that received honors for innovations in advanced packaging technology. The awards ceremony took place July 14 at the SEMICON West 2004 exposition in San Jose, California.

Survey respondents anticipate the industry to sell $36.2 billion of new chip manufacturing, testing and assembly equipment in 2004. The forecast indicates that, as the semiconductor upturn is sustained, the equipment market will grow 24 percent in 2005 to reach $44.8 billion. Respondents also see the cyclic market growth contracting slightly in 2006 before resuming low double-digit growth in 2007 to reach $48 billion. The market for equipment to test semiconductors is predicted to increase 66 percent to reach $6.9 billion this year.

(July 14, 2004) San Francisco, Calif.&#8212SEMI, an international association for companies in the microelectronics and display industries, announced yesterday the appointment of Tetsuro (Terry) Higashi as its new chairman of the board of directors. The results of the association’s annual elections were released at the SEMICON West 2004 exposition in San Francisco.

July 13, 2004 – SEMI has appointed Tetsuro (Terry) Higashi, chairman of Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL), as chairman of the global industry association’s board of directors at a meeting held during SEMICON West in San Francisco, CA.

Higashi succeeds George W. Chamillard, chairman of Teradyne Inc., who served as chairman for the past year. The results of the association’s annual elections, including three new board members, were announced at the annual SEMI membership meeting held during the SEMICON West 2004 exposition in San Francisco, said a SEMI press release.

“Higashi-san is a visionary leader and I look forward to his guidance during his tenure as chairman,” said Stanley Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. “He is very enthusiastic about leading the SEMI board as it looks closely at providing increased value to our broad-based industry membership.”

Higashi, who has been a member of the SEMI Board of Directors since 1999, began his career at TEL in 1977 after graduating from graduate school, Tokyo Metropolitan University. He was appointed vice president of TEL’s Diffusion Systems Department in 1988 and elected to the company’s Board of Directors in 1990. Higashi was named managing director in 1994, president and representative director in 1996 and CEO in 1998. He retired as CEO in June 2003 and currently serves as chairman of the board, TEL.

“I look forward to working with the SEMI Board of Directors, membership and staff to further advance the association’s mission,” Higashi said.

Companies seeking single-wafer solutions for UBM etch are expected to include full-service packaging and test houses, as well as smaller, pure-play bump providers. SEZ’s multi-chamber single-wafer wet technology offers these companies advantages for 300-mm printing and plating solder bump applications, as well as seed layer etching for redistribution layers.

(July 13, 2004) San Francisco, Calif.&#8212Leading semiconductor equipment manufacturers expect sales to increase 63 percent this year from the $22.2 billion posted in 2003, according to the mid-year edition of the SEMI Capital Equipment Consensus Forecast. This forecast was released yesterday at the SEMICON West 2004 exposition.