Notes from SEMICON Europa and IMAPS International
11/01/2008
What SEMICON Europa 2008 lacked in size, it made up for in content. Exhibitor numbers were down, due in part to the absence of the PV portion, which will be merged with next June’s Intersolar show in Munich. On the program side, registration was up from 700 to 882 attendees, with a growing number of registrants for the Advanced Packaging Conference. Heinz Kundert, president of SEMI Europe, was confident that next year’s event, which will take place in Dresden, will bring in more attendees from the fabs located there.
IMAPS International 2008, which took place this year in Providence, RI, drew exhibitors primarily from military, aerospace, biomedical, harsh environment, and high frequency electronics market segments. A highlight of the event was the Alternative Energy Panel Discussion and Global Business Council marketing forum, which were both focused on alternative energy technologies, the role microelectronics plays, and where it needs to expand.
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Stan Myers, CEO, SEMI (center) presided over the SEMI press conference, along with an executive panel that included (L-R) Gael Schmidt, SET; Franz Richter, Thin Materials/SUSS; André-Jacques Auberton-Hervé, Soitec; and Dirk Hilbert, Deputy Mayor, Dresden.
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The SUSS MicroTec product marketing team ( L-R: Brigitte Wehrman, Margarete Zoberbier, Sabine Radeboldt, and Ralph Zoberbier) showcased the companies advancements in 300mm tools targeting the MEMS and 3D packaging space. The latest news – an exclusive agreement with Philips to enable the integration of wave imprinting in the company’s new mask aligner.
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Herman Watl and Markus Wimplinger, of EV Group talked about the company’s recent install at several European university research facilities, the largest one being at Southampton University, UK. Wimplinger called it one of the nicest facilities in Europe, offering pilot line production for start-up companies.
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Viscom’s Axel Eschenburg, executive manager, IP business unit; and Taufiq Habib, senior engineer, IP business unit; explained the technology behind the company’s new wafer inspection tool to Fran??oise von Trapp, managing editor, Advanced Packaging. It uses infrared optical sensors to detect wafer defects between two bonded wafers by measuring the frit seal for consistency.
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Jean-Luc Delcarre, president, and Fran??ois Berger, VP sales and marketing, Altatech, discussed the company’s strategy and plans to target what Berger refers to as the para-semiconductor market, comprising MEMS, biotech, solar, and organic substrates. Altatech launched two products ??? a ALD/CVD tool, and a double sided inspection option for its AltaSight wafer inspection system.
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Endicott Interconnect, a player in the aerospace and defense markets, provided package design outside JEDEC standard sizes. (L-R), Ron Kuracina, application engineer, semiconductor packaging; Jim Sweet, sales executive; and Vernon K. Wells, marketing communications.
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Oelikon Systems reported being well-positioned to provide solutions for TSV manufacturing with etching and coating systems. Kris Collins, group publisher; Pete Singer, editorial director; and von Trapp were welcomed en masse by the red tie team.
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Newport’s Jon Medernach, Peter Cronin, and Jay McKay explained the features of the company’s MRSI M5 die bonder, which has been attracting “oddball applications”, such as a French automaker’s automotive radar for active cruise control, due to its flexible assembly features and 5µm accuracy.
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Rich Elles, Frank Rondinelli, and Joseph Bubel, accepted two awards on behalf of Hesse & Knipps at IMAPS. Hans Hesse, Ph.D. was awarded the John A. Wagnon, Jr. Technical Achievement Award for wire bond process and equipment advances that increased yields and reduced costs. The Corporate Recognition Award was presented for participation in developing a first-ever wire bond technical workshop.
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Bruce Hueners, president and CEO, Palomar Technologies, reports that business is “remarkably good” since last year’s launch of Palomar Microelectronics, the companies assembly arm that dovetails well with the equipment manufacturing parent company.
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Casey Krawiec, VP Sales, Stratedge, talked about the company’s recent collaboration with TriQuint Semiconductor to introduce a new x-band power amplifier as a packaged and tested device. (L-R) Krawiec, Flower, and Hannah Foster, Stratedge.
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According to David Haynes, shown here with STS colleague Carolyn Short, Ph.D., the company has been doing well despite the downturn, because they don’t serve the DRAM market. As the MEMS, 3D packaging, and compound semiconductor markets continue to grow, so does STS.