12/12/2008  December 12, 2008: People said it couldn't be done, but researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the US Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Pittsburgh demonstrated a molecular chain reaction on a metal surface, a nanoscale process with sizable potential in areas from nanotechnology to developing information storage technology.

12/11/2008  The ProberBench Operating Environment, from SUSS MicroTec Test Systems, is a full-featured software suite designed for efficient, intuitive and safe wafer-level probing. The ProberBench Operating Environment, from SUSS MicroTec Test Systems is a full-featured software suite designed for efficient, intuitive and safe wafer-level probing. Development of the interface and architecture was reportedly based on a three-month user study in the laboratories semiconductor design houses and manufacturers.

12/11/2008  The Burn-in and Test Socket Workshop (BiTS), co-sponsored by Advanced Packaging magazine, celebrates its tenth annual gathering, March 8

12/09/2008  December 9, 2008: Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed and demonstrated a new method for detecting the magnetic behaviors of nanomaterials, using single multi-walled carbon nanotubes embedded with cobalt.

12/08/2008  Delta Design, a subsidiary of Cohu Inc., has agreed to purchase Rasco GmbH from Dover Corp. for $80M in cash to be funded out of Cohu's existing cash reserves. According to James A. Donahue, president and CEO, Cohu, the acquisition extends Cohu's position in the IC test handler industry and contributes to industry consolidation.

12/04/2008  December 4, 2008: SMSC has announced two new families of high-accuracy, low-cost temperature sensors, targeting applications such as notebook PCs, servers, and industrial and embedded systems.

12/02/2008  December 2, 2008: Nanosensors has added a carbon nanotube SPM probe to its scope of products.

12/02/2008  December 2, 2008: The University of Colorado< has been awarded U.S. Patent number 7,426,067 "Atomic layer deposition on micro-mechanical devices," which has been exclusively licensed to ALD NanoSolutions Inc.

12/01/2008  December 1, 2008: IBN executive director Professor Jackie Y. Ying was recognized as one of "One Hundred Engineers of the Modern Era" at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Centennial Celebrations in 2008. The list recognizes 100 chemical engineers who have made significant contributions to the profession after World War II.

12/01/2008  AlSiC hermetic packaging assemblies from CPS Technologies offer an alternative to traditional thermal management hermetic packaging materials such as CuMo and CuW. The combinations of lightweight, high thermal conductivity, CTE matching, and low cost make it appropriate for applications in which thermal management and/or weight are important.

12/01/2008  What is the impact of environmental concerns on today’s clean environments?

11/28/2008  November 28, 2008: The George Washington University has announced the establishment of the GW Institute for Nanotechnology.

11/26/2008  November 26, 2008: Raymor Industries Inc., a developer and producer of nanotubes and nanomaterials, says its SE Techno Plus division has received AS 9100 certification for its operations, which consists of the manufacturing, repair, and precision grinding of aerospace and industrial components.

11/26/2008  Oerlikon Esec, semiconductor equipment manufacturer, and M

11/20/2008  November 20, 2008: Optical packaging specialist Avo Photonics has been selected as the manufacturing facility for Luna Technologies' PHOENIX 1000, a MEMS-based external cavity laser which offers low noise and precise tuning capability over the C-band.

11/17/2008  By Gail Flower, Editor-in-Chief
This year's IMAPS International Symposium had great international participation, good attendance and excellent presentations from keynoters to the technologically cutting-edge educational papers. It was election day when the IMAPS conference began, and by the second day of the conference, a new president entered the picture. Therefore, the first day proceeded without a rush of attendees as expected, but the second perked up with lively conversation.

11/17/2008 

By R. Wayne Johnson, Ph.D., Auburn University

While $4/gal.gasoline prices have dropped, it is inevitable they will rise again. So what does this have to do with advanced packaging? A lot! While we hear discussions of alternate energy, we will continue to use oil for the foreseeable future. Electronics (and advanced packaging) are important for measurements during well drilling and for production management over the life of the well.

11/17/2008  Duralco 125 stress-free epoxy from Cotronics Corp. forms a flexible, electrically conductive bond for continuous use to 400°F. It reportedly provides outstanding electrical conductivity, high bond strength, thermal and mechanical shock resistance, adhesion to dissimilar substrates, and chemical resistance.

11/14/2008  Worldwide silicon wafer shipments slowed nearly 3% in 3Q08, their biggest quarterly dip in nearly six years, following what had been a nice recovery in the second quarter, before the macroeconomic climate soured, according to new data from SEMI's Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG).

11/13/2008  Response surface methods (RSM) provide statistically validated predictive models that can be manipulated for finding optimal process configurations that exhibit minimal variability. This article introduces two RSM enhancements that focus on achieving robust operating conditions.