07/01/2003  For the most part, the good news still has not arrived in the packaging and test sub-contractor world.

07/01/2003  Now that SEMICON West is upon us the idea of back-end and front-end points out the separation of each step of electronics packaging. Each step in the process sometimes becomes so removed from the mainstream that engineers may lose sight of how an understanding of the whole benefits each step.

06/24/2003  Rainier Corp., a Princeton, Mass.-based public relations and advertising agency, has launched a MEMS practice, according to a news release.

06/01/2003  There are some things that this industry really needs, such as a solid dictionary to sort out the various elements of alphabet soup and to standardize the language of the field engineer.

05/01/2003  While relatively unnoticed, the packaging industry has been slowly but steadily growing over the past 18 months.

05/01/2003  We humans are fascinated with eternity. In books, movies or our portfolios, we are always looking for the perfect long-term solution.

05/01/2003  The trend in flip chip and ball grid array (BGA) packages to increase I/O counts drive the interconnecting solder joints to be smaller in size and, thus, have higher current density.

04/01/2003  Many of you may already know me, perhaps under the name of Gail Stout, since I've been the editor-in-chief of SMT Magazine for many years.

03/28/2003  The following companies will be exhibiting these products at APEX 2003, taking place Monday, March 31 through Wednesday, April 2 in Anaheim, Calif. Be sure to visit them to see their latest innovations, and pick up SMT's official Show Daily for more product coverage. ( March 28)
Click here for these and more product briefs.

03/06/2003  March 6, 2003 - San Jose, CA - The Fabless Semiconductor Association (FSA), has announced the results of its annual "Wafer Supply & Demand and Packaging Survey", with analysis provided by Gartner Dataquest and conducted in conjunction with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP.

03/01/2003  A series of low-volume ProFlow transfer heads reduce costs and enhance the precision of high-accuracy mass imaging, using small quantities of high-value materials. These include fine particle, low-alpha solder pastes and high gold content compounds used to create grid arrays and other features in advanced packages such as CSP and flip chip. These new additions are said to achieve high accuracy and repeatability in processes requiring individual deposits less than 200 mg.

02/11/2003  FEB.10--PEABODY, Mass.--Ultratech Stepper, Inc. has chosen Technical Manufacturing Corp.'s Electro-Damp II Active Vibration Control System as the new platform for its 200- and 300- mm Saturn Spectrum and Titan Wafer Stepper family.

02/11/2003  Feb. 11, 2003 - Singapore, and Milpitas, CA - ST Assembly Test Services Ltd. (STATS), an independent semiconductor test and advanced packaging service provider, has completed qualification of its frontend assembly operations for the packaging of high performance chips from 300mm wafers.

02/01/2003  System-on-chip (SOC) design and fabrication technology is beginning to provide single-chip wireless products.

02/01/2003  One of the very few constants this time of year is Girl Scout Cookies. While many of us have peered over our shoulders and stared down declines in markets that would have been unheard of just two years ago, one simple constant remains.

01/01/2003  This year we are increasing the scope of our coverage of the packaging world by adding a focus on business issues.

01/01/2003  Business has taken a distinct upturn in the last six months at the major assembly and test subcontractors.

12/01/2002  The editors of Advanced Packaging and Solid State Technology magazines conducted an exclusive survey of key figures in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. We gathered input on two critical areas of front and backend convergence ? WLP and chip/package co-design. Following is what the industry experts had to say.

11/21/2002  Carsten Bahle of Wicht Technologie Consulting doesn’t mince words when it comes to the need to rethink MEMS packaging. “The biggest stumbling block to commercial success is the lack of general, simple and effective packaging techniques,” he said. The reason is simple: cost. Although these microsystems are getting smaller all the time, that doesn’t mean packaging costs are shrinking as well.

11/20/2002  As the premier technology source for advanced IC packaging, Advanced Packaging Magazine is dedicated to uncovering the latest research and technology for our global audience. We strive to help engineers and decision-makers in the packaging industry excel at their jobs by offering a unique mix of cutting-edge processes and new technology initiatives. We do this by focusing on materials, design, assembly and reliability, and by encouraging peer collaboration industry-wide.