Technology and Trends

DARPA’s Vision of Cross-CollaborationRon Polcawich, program manager, DARPA Microsystems Technology Office, will give the closing keynote at MEMS Sensors Executive Congress on October 29-30, 2018 in Napa, Calif. SEMI’s Nishita Rao spoke with Polcawich about the MEMS workshop on rapid innovation that he held earlier this year and his interest in continuing that conversation with a broad audience of MEMS and sensors suppliers attending MEMS Sensors Executive Congress. SEMI: What is your vision for the Rapid Innovation through Production MEMS (RIPM) concept and why does the MEMS and sensors industry need it?Polcawich: The goal behind our RIPM concept is to advance the state of MEMS device technology by creating enhanced access to mature process flows for utilization by military, academic and commercial MEMS designers.Compare MEMS to IC development and you will see much more rapid innovation in ICs. In many cases, IC designers can get through four design cycles in a calendar year because the process technologies are so mature.In contrast, it can take three to four years to develop the process flow for a MEMS device. I believe that we can do better. With so much process-flow development in MEMS having taken place over the past 15 years, we now have plenty of commercial designs out there. How do we capitalize on these existing production process flows so we can rapidly innovate to avoid those painfully long production cycles?With this question in mind, we launched a campaign to solicit feedback from small, medium and large foundries, integrated device manufacturers (IDMs), systems designers and integrators, and academic stakeholders. Our effort culminated in a May workshop where we were able to bring many of the same groups to the table. During one intensive day, we discussed challenges to the RIPM concept and what we would need to make it work.SEMI: What were some of your areas of focus?Polcawich: We covered a range of topics, from improving access to sophisticated packaging technology, such as advanced interposer technologies, to IP entanglement and the role of process design kits (PDKs).SEMI: In an industry historically defined by competition over collaboration, how do you hope to convince MEMS supply-chain members to work together?Polcawich: We see benefits from the proposed RIPM concept across the board. Foundries would benefit from outputting higher volumes of devices as well as charging for more sophisticated PDKs and process flows — which would comprise a new source of revenue for them.From our discussions at the workshop and throughout the summer, we understand that certain technology sectors are going to be more willing to engage with the community than others. Notional examples that we highlighted at the workshop include the possibility of manufacturing high-performance inertial sensors, oscillators and pressure sensors within the same process flow. The challenge to the community is having the MEMS designers work within a locked-down process flow and not requesting different material layers, gaps and critical feature dimensions for each device type, which is very common within our industry. We asked everyone the question, “If there were broader access to production process flows, would faster technology transition and innovation cycles enable a more rapid time-to-market for a wider range of products?”SEMI: What would you like MEMS Sensors Executive Congress attendees to take away from your presentation?Polcawich: We welcome additional feedback on the RIPM concept to help shape any potential program ideas. Furthermore, we would like assistance in identifying tipping-point technologies on each sector’s/foundry’s/IDM’s technology roadmap. We could use that information to determine mutual investment opportunities that could shift the roadmap timelines to the left, enabling more rapid production and commercialization timelines. Dr. Ronald Polcawich joined DARPA as a Program Manager in the Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) in August 2017. His research interests include advanced materials processing, micromechanics for small-scale robotics, device designs, and miniaturized position, navigation, and timing (PNT) systems. Read more.Polcawich will present Rapid Innovation with Production MEMS Workshop Outbrief on Tuesday, October 30 at MEMS Sensors Executive Congress in Napa Valley, Calif.Register today to connect with Ron and learn about DARPA’s rapid innovation in MEMS concept.Nishita Rao is a marketing manager at SEMI.

Nicolas Sauvage, senior director of Ecosystem at TDK InvenSense, will present at the fast-approaching MEMS Sensors Executive Congress on October 29-30, 2018 in Napa, Calif. SEMI’s Nishita Rao spoke with Sauvage to offer MSEC attendees advance insights on Sauvage’s feature presentation.SEMI: What is “autonomy value” and why is it important?Sauvage: How do you increase the perceived value of an electronic device? If it’s an autonomous car, its value is closely tied to the autonomy level — i.e., the independence — that it offers people. Higher autonomy value for a self-driving car, for example, means that even a blind person could use it. It’s been almost two years since Waymo demonstrated this, and here’s the video that shows it.Countless other sensor-based electronic products have their own “autonomy value.” Imagine the need to get medicine to people during a humanitarian health crisis. Drones could be your best option because they can deliver to inaccessible or remote locations. Unlike older drones, which require active piloting by a person, a drone with higher autonomy value could deliver medicine to Doctors Without Borders without ongoing human intervention.This drone could navigate objects, such as trees and birds, and would have excellent location-awareness. It could fly through any landscape in bright sunlight or during the night. To increase the drone’s autonomy value, you would need better sensors, including those sensors that can enable sensing in sunny conditions or in pitch-black night, as well as better machine learning.SEMI: In this example, what types of sensors would the drone manufacturer need?Sauvage: The manufacturer would need a “surrounding-sensing” solution that includes ultrasonic and pressure sensors as well as image sensors. Start with high-quality image sensors combined with ultrasonic range-finding sensors — high-accuracy devices that function in all lighting conditions and can detect objects of any color. Add motion sensors and a pressure sensor, which would capture the height of the drone to make known the drone’s location in space. The drone would need this combination of sensors, plus smart sensor fusion, because GPS alone cannot avoid obstacles: its signal can be sporadic in certain parts of the world or in certain terrain, making it unreliable.A key attribute of all these sensors would be low power consumption since the drone would run on battery.SEMI: To what extent might autonomy value cause manufacturers to consider multi-vendor solutions?Sauvage: I would like to see it inspire the MEMS and sensors ecosystem to work together, to arrive at multi-vendor solutions that will benefit humanity through greater autonomy value. Whether we’re looking at autonomous cars, drones, robotics or other applications, there are cases where we need to prioritize safety and security over industry competition. SEMI: Where are we today in terms of achieving true autonomy value – and where are we going?Sauvage: The sky is the limit, literally. Machine learning and surrounding-sensing solutions applied to cars, drones and robots will increase autonomy value to the point where we can justifiably call it artificial intelligence.SEMI: What would you like MEMS Sensors Executive Congress attendees to take away from your presentation?Sauvage: I hope that attendees will recognize the value of ecosystem solutions in increasing autonomy value. Together we can expand the variety of sensor types that address novel use-cases and jobs-to-be-done. Instead of waiting for customers to ask for ecosystem-level solutions, we need to articulate a complete MEMS and sensors supply-chain ecosystem if we want the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial IoT (IIoT) to grow more quickly. As senior director of Ecosystem, Nicholas Sauvage is responsible for all strategic relationships, including Google and Qualcomm, and other HW/SW/System companies. He is also responsible for strategic and market-driven goal-setting of our SensorStudio developer program, and driving select partnerships with SoC sensor hub platforms. Prior to joining InvenSense, Nicolas was part of NXP Software management team, responsible for worldwide sales, as well as for P L and product management of their OEM Business Line. Nicolas is an alumnus of Institut supérieur d’électronique et du numérique, London Business School and INSEAD. Register today to connect with Nicolas Sauvage at the event. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn.Nishita Rao is a marketing manager at SEMI.

You’re super busy. We know - it’s hard to take time away from work. So an industry conference must offer compelling value to justify your time. Whether you are brand new to MEMS Sensors Executive Congress (MSEC) or a veteran of the event, you’re sure to find a unique convergence of networking, learning, and fun in a single venue. This year’s theme is “Sensor Systems Enabling Autonomous Mobility” and we’re gearing up to make this event bigger and better than ever.Taking place on October 28-30, 2018 in Napa, Calif., this event is the most relevant, timely and authentic event of the year. Don’t just take our word for it. Look at what last year’s attendees said about MSEC.Here are the top three reasons we think MSEC is a must-see.Elevate Your NetworkWhere else but MSEC can you spend 2 days with industry executives from a broad spectrum of industries including automotive, communications, consumer goods, environmental, industrial, Internet of Things and biomedical. At this event, you’ll get many opportunities to mix and mingle with influential leaders who drive their company’s technology roadmaps and industry growth. Who knows, at a breakout session, you may find yourself sitting next to your future employer/employee, business lead for a new project or mentor.Stay Sharp with Powerful ContentThere's a wide range of sessions on the agenda with insightful topics such as the analysis of megatrends, production work flows and privacy challenges in the MEMS sensors business. You will get an inside view into what’s possible in this industry, so you can shape innovative solutions and drive early adoption. This is your chance to examine the enabling role of MEMS and sensors in diverse intelligent applications and gain actionable insights to advance your business.Encounter Emerging ApplicationsDiscovering unique applications for your business is necessary to thrive as technology changes at an unprecedented pace to drive rapid development of new products and applications. Our Technology Showcase session will feature 5 finalists who will be displaying a compelling and diverse set of demos. You’ll get the chance to interact with the newest MEMS/sensors-enabled applications and cast your vote for the winner. You will witness firsthand the edge of innovation in your field that will remind you why you love doing what you do.Jump ahead of the pack and register today!Nishita Rao is a marketing manager at SEMI.

ULVAC Technologies’ David Mount is working with The CIA. Is he the Jack Reacher of the MEMS and sensors industry, jetting around the world to secret meetings, you wonder? While David isn’t quite the super-spy that you might have imagined, he is doing some fascinating work on behalf of ULVAC Technologies, the world leader in vacuum technology.ULVAC has been collaborating with The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) on Menus of Change, “a ground-breaking initiative from The Culinary Institute of America and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health that works to realize a long-term, practical vision integrating optimal nutrition and public health, environmental stewardship and restoration, and social responsibility concerns within the food service industry and the culinary profession.”ULVAC also partners with Menus of Change (MOC) University Research Collaborative, a group of elite universities and food-service executives working together to “accelerate efforts to move Americans toward healthier, more sustainable, plant-forward diets.” MEMS Sensors Industry Group’s Nishita Rao caught up with David, a featured speaker at MEMS Sensors Executive Congress on October 29-30, 2018, in Napa, Calif. to give MSEC attendees a preview of David’s talk. SEMI: How did ULVAC get involved with The CIA on Menus of Change?Mount: People in the MEMS sensors industry may not know that ULVAC started as an equipment supplier to the food industry. In 1952 ULVAC began supplying freeze-drying equipment – which relies on vacuum technology — to food companies tasked with providing long-lasting foods and beverages for the U.S. military under the Marshall Plan. Think instant soup, ramen noodles and Tang. While ULVAC’s technology portfolio is now very broad — spanning deposition equipment for the semiconductor industry, vacuum brazing for automotive, and even vacuum freeze-drying of vaccines that can be shipped dry but combined with distilled water for administration — the company has kept a hand in food technology. ULVAC’s vacuum cooling equipment rapidly and safely cools foods, dramatically increasing shelf life.The CIA is at the forefront of innovation in food technology, so we worked with them to test a vacuum cooling system that can also be used in the kitchen or in the field. In the Central Valley of California, for example, it can be 104ºF in the fields where lettuce is picked; our vacuum cooling system can cool that lettuce down to 47ºF in minutes.The CIA is also developing prepared foods for industrial settings such as university cafeterias and airlines. A prepared chicken dish, for example, might be cooked at 350ºF and then cooled to refrigeration temperatures. The potential problem is that bacteria can grow when you cool that food for storage. Some of The CIA test kitchens in California are using ULVAC’s vacuum cooling system to quickly and safely cool prepared foods.Vacuum-cooling is just one stage in food production, of course. Sensors are also widely used in food production and safety.SEMI: How do The CIA test kitchens use sensors?Mount: Nearly all aspects of production, processing and management in agricultural and food systems involve measurement of product and resource attributes. Sensors are a natural fit here as they can provide inspection capabilities that are accurate, fast and consistent. I plan to dive into some specific examples of the ways that The CIA and the MOC Research Collaborative are employing sensors to increase the safety of food and agricultural production.SEMI: What would you like MSEC attendees to take away from your presentation?Mount: I love knowing that the work that we do in this industry can benefit humanity. Applying our various technologies to food and agricultural production is just one way to do that. I encourage MSEC attendees to explore those markets that improve human quality of life – as well as the life and health of our planet and its other inhabitants. ULVAC Technologies senior advisor David Mount is a 35-year veteran of the vacuum and thin film equipment industry. He tried to retire from ULVAC but they would not let him go! David consults with ULVAC on strategic projects such as the company’s collaboration with the CIA.He will present Sensors in Food and Agriculture on Tuesday, October 30 at the MEMS Sensors Executive Congress.Register today to learn more about how sensors are transforming the food industry.Nishita Rao is a marketing manager at SEMI.

Cynthia Wright, a retired military officer with over 25 years of experience in national security and cyber strategy and policy, now Principal Cyber Security Engineer at The MITRE Corporation, will give the opening keynote at the upcoming MEMS Sensors Executive Congress, October 29-30, 2018 in Napa, Calif. SEMI’s Maria Vetrano interviewed Wright to give MSEC attendees an advance look at Wright’s highly anticipated presentation.SEMI: MEMS and sensors suppliers provide intelligent sensing and actuation to hundreds of billions of autonomous mobility devices – but historically, our community has not been at the forefront of cybersecurity. Why is now a good time for us to get involved?Wright: From wearables, smartphones, refrigerators and agriculture to medical devices and military hardware, autonomous mobility devices pervade our lives. At the same time, Internet of Things (IoT) botnet attacks like Mirai — and other demonstrated cyberattacks on home devices, vehicles and infrastructure — highlight the increasingly urgent need to address cybersecurity and privacy in MEMS/sensors-enabled devices.As building-block players in autonomous devices, MEMS and sensors suppliers have several good reasons to get involved.The number of IoT cyber security bills before state and federal legislatures suggest that regulation is coming, and it is in everyone’s best interest to prepare. While original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) would generally be held liable in cases of component malfunction or data breach, if insecurity stems from a microelectromechanical component, OEMs would most likely choose component suppliers with secure products.Beyond legislation and competitive advantage, we must consider that people’s well-being, even lives, could be at stake. Imagine what could happen if someone hacks into an insulin pump, the accelerometer on a train, or the LIDAR of an autonomous car. Intrusions of this sort could prove catastrophic.SEMI: Where do you perceive the biggest potential threats to consumers, industry, government?Wright: In good military fashion, I would say that it depends. If a person is a consumer of medical implants, that’s a big threat. On the government side, we could be talking about networked devices involved in military situational awareness. In industry, it could be sensors governing critical manufacturing or safety processes.I am not saying that every sensor must be secure. In every sector, there are areas of greater or lesser vulnerability, depending on context. SEMI: What is security or privacy by design?Wright: Addressing security flaws is cheaper and more easily accomplished at the design stage and not after the vulnerabilities are discovered. At MITRE, we practice systems- and design-oriented thinking as we consult with people doing development. We help them to develop security standards and approaches that are broadly applicable, rather than focusing on a specific product.For example, MITRE looks at the ways that a person might hack into a car to steal location and life history data — or alter its functions — to facilitate general standards and approaches that will help manufacturers better ensure the privacy and security of autonomous vehicles. Hackers have demonstrated that they can interfere with vehicle transmissions and brakes. Ignition, steering and other critical systems are theoretically accessible through the same types of attacks. To what degree can MEMS/sensors suppliers help automotive manufacturers ensure the privacy and security of autonomous cars, and the safety of their drivers? SEMI: What would you like MSEC attendees to take away from your presentation?Wright: MEMS/sensors suppliers are on the leading edge of computing and should take some responsibility for considering cybersecurity and privacy, for the safety of their customers and their own competitive advantage. Recognize which devices should be secure and act accordingly. Get involved at the design stage. The market for secure microelectronics is only going to grow, and this will benefit suppliers who take secure design seriously.Cynthia Wright will present Cyber Security and Privacy in the Age of Autonomous Sensing on Monday, October 29 at MEMS Sensors Executive Congress in Napa, Calif.Register today to connect with her at the event. Maria Vetrano is a public relations consultant at SEMI.

SEMI spoke with Udo Gómez, senior vice president at Robert Bosch GmbH, about MEMS technology requirements relative to standard IC design and manufacturing. Gómez highlighted solutions to challenges of MEMS technology development and manufacturing ahead of his presentation at the 22nd Fab Management Forum at SEMICON Europa 2018, 13-16, November 2018, in Munich, Germany. To register for the event, click here.SEMI: Regarding standard processes for MEMS, the situation used to be known as the MEMS law: "one product, one process." Today, the variety of MEMS sensors and their application requirements have drastically increased. What is the status of process standardization today?Gómez: Today, standardization in MEMS is certainly not as advanced as it is for conventional semiconductor processes and model environments. However, MEMS technology has developed very much in recent years. The understanding of the numerous interactions between mechanical, chemical and electrical parameters has grown enormously. Improved process tolerances and optimized simulation tools already allow the design of standard components and their manufacture using largely standardized processes and systems.This also enables standardized MEMS process platforms in foundries for fabless suppliers, since adapting process parameters to standard designs no longer means maximum effort. But the situation changes significantly if you want to implement more powerful MEMS components for demanding applications. In this case, much effort is still required in technology development to bring new and innovative designs to mass production readiness.SEMI: How does this situation interfere with the need for a fast, market-driven product development and production ramp-up?Gómez: The constant advancement of (MEMS) technology to new limits requires enormous efforts and time. Thus, fast product cycles in consumer electronics (CE) pose particular challenges. Close interaction between product and technology development is a key success factor here, as well as a deep understanding of the cause-effect relationships. This is the only way to identify and minimize process risks at an early stage.However, the steep product ramp-ups usually required in CE also offer advantages, since learning curves are run through at much shorter time-intervals than, for example, the comparatively slow ramp-ups in the automotive industry. In this way, automotive products benefit directly from the results of CE components. Conversely, CE products benefit from the higher requirements in the automotive sector, whose technologies can be developed and tested on longer time scales.SEMI: What are the critical and different design and manufacturing requirements for MEMS products versus standard IC products, which typically run in highly standardized processes?Gómez: A very special feature of MEMS devices is their multi-physics character – mechanical, electrical, magnetic, fluidic, and even chemical and/or optical effects may play a role. This is very different from standard semiconductors. Depending on the type of sensor or actuator, dedicated and often quite sophisticated models need to be developed to ensure proper function of the device – and not least to ensure full functionality after misuse. For example, shocks or drop events are usually not relevant for standard ICs but they may be extremely relevant for MEMS devices with their fragile mechanical structures.Similarly, the influence of packaging effects like bending or thermomechanical stress may be much more significant in MEMS devices than for standard semiconductors. And last but not least, a physical/magnetic/chemical/optical … stimulus usually needs to be applied when testing MEMS devices. All of this adds complexity to the manufacturing flow and requires dedicated know-how both during the engineering stage and in mass production.SEMI: BOSCH is working to extend the process platform to include complex 3D structures. What are the advantages and benefits of using 3D structures compared to standard 2D structures? Are there 3D structured products already in mass production?Gómez: We have recently extended our well-established surface micromachining process for MEMS inertial sensors (which basically uses one functional silicon layer for the movable MEMS device) to an advanced process using a second functional micromechanical layer. This opens up a large variety of design options and allows the realization of entirely new sensor topologies. For example, our most recent z-axis accelerometers for automotive and CE applications have 3D-like structures for the movable mass.This has several advantages: Firstly, the sensors can be further miniaturized as they now have fixed electrodes for capacitive readout above and below the movable mass, i.e. a larger capacitance per area. Secondly, due to their improved symmetry, these sensors have greatly improved immunity against several parasitic effects, e.g. mechanical stress from soldering or bending on a PCB. Overall, this technology enables us to offer better performance at still very competitive product size and cost. Both automotive and CE sensors are in high volume production for different applications and customers. SEMI: What do you expect from SEMICON Europa 2018 and why do you recommend attending the Fab Management Forum?Gómez: After our very positive impressions of SEMICON Europa 2017, we are convinced that SEMICON 2018 will again meet with widespread interest within the semiconductor industry. SEMICON is an excellent opportunity for us to meet our customers and partners. The Fab Management Forum, which ideally takes place parallel to SEMICON, is a highly valuable addition for us to exchange ideas with leading industry partners and to gain new insights into current trends and technical progress. Within that context, the Forum will make a valuable contribution toward strengthening the European position in semiconductor and MEMS manufacturing. As senior vice president of Robert Bosch GmbH, Dr. Gómez heads Sensor Engineering at Bosch Automotive Electronics (AE/NE-SE) in Reutlingen, Germany, the world’s largest MEMS supplier serving the Automotive, Consumer Electronics and IoT industry. Dr. Gómez started his career at Robert Bosch GmbH in 1999 at Corporate Sector Research and Advanced Engineering (MEMS technology) after completing his doctorate in physics. Before joining Bosch Automotive Electronics in April 2018, he worked in various management positions at Bosch and also held the position of Chief Expert for MEMS sensor technology. From 2013 to March 2018, he was Chief Technical Officer of Bosch Sensortec GmbH - a fully-owned subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH, responsible for research and development of micro-electro-mechanical sensors (MEMS) for consumer electronics, smartphones, security systems, industrial technology and logistics.Dr. Gómez has served as Deputy Chairman of the Board of VDE/VDI-Society Microelectronics, Microsystems and Precision Engineering (GMM) since 2014 has been a member of the GSA (Global Semiconductor Alliance) EMEA Leadership Council since 2015.Serena Brischetto is a marketing and communications manager at SEMI Europe.

SEMI met with Heinz Martin Esser, managing director at Fabmatics GmbH, to discuss how existing 200mm semiconductor fabs can master the challenges of a 24x7 production under highest cost and quality pressure by implementing intralogistics automation solutions. The two spoke ahead to his presentation at the Fab Management Forum at SEMICON Europa 2018, 13-16, November 2018, in Munich, Germany. To register for the event, click here. SEMI: Looking at the latest production capacity data for 2018 – it is a 200mm fab boom. Growing demand for analog, MEMS and RF chips continues to cause acute shortages for both 200mm fab capacity and equipment. Do you think this trend will continue the next years or is it only a short term run on 200mm fabs?Esser: We at Fabmatics believe in a long-term trend. The emergence of the Internet of Things and growing digitalization in all areas of life will continue to increase demand for integrated circuits (ASICs), analog ICs, high-performance components and micro-mechanical sensors (MEMS) in the coming years. Many of these semiconductor elements should be produced in 200 mm fabs.SEMI: How does Fab automation contribute to increase capacity of existing, mature 200mm fabs?Esser: We are convinced that fab automation is one of the greatest potentials for older 200mm factories to effectively master increased demand, increasing efficiency, quality assurance and flexibility at the same time. In particular, material flow automation, which is often the missing link between existing equipment in different production areas, can help increase productivity in an elementary way.If you analyze how long valuable tools typically wait for loading and unloading, you can see a direct effect of the intralogistics automation system, which leads to a significantly higher utilization of process equipment by making the material flow independent from human performance. Additional side effects such as reduced cycle time, stable fab flow factor or flattened WIP shafts further increase the contribution of material flow automation to get the most out of existing mature factories. Older does not mean obsolete.SEMI: What are the biggest challenges for a successful implementation?Esser: There is no single challenge when you automate an existing mature fab. Instead, you face a whole variety of challenges you have to tackle, ranging from historically grown non-aligned fab layouts over non-linear material flows and older non-standardized equipment to “automation unfriendly” fab environment. Also you should not underestimate the efforts to overcome the practice manual fab operation people in the cleanroom are so familiar with for many years. Before doing automation you have to think automation, i.e. you have to question all processes to make them ready for automation.SEMI: What are the key drivers to automate a mature fab today: costs, process stability, quality or a combination of them?Esser: This question should be better asked to our customers, but we believe it is a mix of many impacts. Most likely everybody sees the cost reduction at first, but we get more aware of process and performance stability as well as quality requirements – and here our customers’ play the most important role – become more and more focused.SEMI: What do you expect from SEMICON Europa 2018 and why do you recommend attending the Fab Management Forum?Esser: This year SEMICON Europa will co-locate with electronica. So it`s going to be the greatest trade fair for electronics manufacturing in Europe. We will meet innovators and decision-makers across the whole electronics supply chain. The Fab Management Forum addresses a highly topical question that concerns all semiconductor manufacturers not only in Europe - how to handle complexity and enable the necessary flexibility to cope with customers' needs. High-ranking speakers will give an insight into the latest technologies and best practices. I am looking forward to the lively exchange with the participants and taking away new impulses for our business. Heinz Martin Esser is managing director at Fabmatics GmbH, responsible for sales and marketing, customer service and administration. He studied supply engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne and later earned a university degree in business administration. Serena Brischetto is a marketing and communications manager at SEMI Europe.

SEMI spoke with Balaji Nandhivaram Muthuraman, Package and Material Simulation engineer at Dialog Semiconductor, about the state of reliability testing for wafer-level chip scale packages ahead of his presentation at the Advanced Packaging Conference at SEMICON Europa 2018, 13-16, November 2018, in Munich, Germany. To register for the event, click here. SEMI: Since the beginning of package development reliability testing has played a key role in Wafer Level Chips Scale package (WLCSP) investigation. Lately, the role of simulation and predictive reliability significantly contributed in reducing package development time. To what extend can we predict potential failures for WLCSP packages in an early design phase by simulation?Muthuraman: Reliability testing is essential and crucial for the electronic packages. It is during the package development phase that several design iterations need to be considered and, in some cases, many feasibility studies for the package are executed. This means we require significant reliability test measurements, which could influence product-development time. For example, Temperature Cycling on Board (TCoB) reliability testing would take approximately 65-75 days for testing the package reliability subjected to 1500 temperature cycles. Each cycle involves exposing the device at hot and cold temperatures with a specified temperature profile. Executing such Board Level Reliability (BLR) tests for all feasible package designs is a tedious process that could lead to an increase in package development time. This is the stage where numerical simulation methodology helps us to foresee potential failures in Board Level Reliability. Predicting delamination or cracking of passivation/metal interface layers based on the WLCSP design layout and estimating the characteristic life of smart device subjected to temperature load are some classic examples of predicting WLCSP package behavior in an early design phase by simulation methodology.SEMI: We can definitely say that predictions occurring during the early stage are key to success. But how exactly can numerical simulation help estimating?Muthuraman: From a thermal reliability point of view, determination of the optimum material combination – bill of materials for device – is used to predict whether a heat sink is required for the device to meet thermal performance. This is not all. At an early design stage, the simulation methodology can be used to estimate device performance under varying thermomechanical loads. Numerical simulation at early package development phase helps the researchers by predicting the possible temperature contour field and stress contour field of the smart device under a given loading condition. The estimation accuracy of potential issues through numerical simulation depends on the material models implemented and consideration of realistic load condition under which the package operate in real life situation. For example, engineering judgements can be made using numerical simulation of Solder Joint Reliability (SJR) analysis to decide whether an Underfill material is required between the Package and the Printed Circuit Board (PCB).SEMI: Are all conditions tested during the reliability investigations specific to fit a certain type of applications or do these vary?Muthuraman: Reliability investigations are based on the end application of the electronic devices. For example, handheld device applications will be exposed to a reliability condition up to a maximum of +85oC, whereas smart devices designed for an automotive application would be tested with a typical temperature of +125 oC or up to +150 oC. In some cases, the testing conditions are customized based on specific customer requirements. Moreover, reliability conditions can also be customized to study some specific failure mechanism. SEMI: Can you describe for which one?Muthuraman: Thermal cycling profile is based on device application and/or specific requirement from our customer. For example, handheld devices use a typical temperature range of +85°C to -40°C with 20°C/min ramp time and 20 minutes of dwell time. There is possibility of adjusting the ramp and dwell time of the Temperature Cycling qualification test, provided such accelerated test does not lead to other failure modes.SEMI: What failure mechanism was the subject of the study in this specific case?Muthuraman: Electronic package reliability behavior without and with underfilled devices is explained in this study with the help of temperature cycling on board (TCoB) measurements and validated with numerical simulation. In the paper to be presented at SEMICON Europa, failure occurring at the interface of the solder and Under-Bump Metallization (UBM) structure is discussed. Behavior of such failure mechanism is illustrated with different WLCSP package sizes subjected to varying thermal load condition. One of the key aspects of the subject is the board-level reliability (BLR) measurement and simulation validation showing how the failure mode could be shifted from solder joint to the metal interface layers between UBM and interconnection to Silicon Chip, depending on the WLCSP design layout. The reasons for such shifts in Failure phenomenon are explained and necessary design optimization is suggested for improvement. Another key aspect of this study is determination of Fatigue Life Model for WLCSP family using the SACQ solder. SEMI: Are you currently working and experimenting on something particularly exciting?Muthuraman: Recently, we concluded our engineering analysis of thermomechanical reliability of Large Wafer Level Chip Scale packages. In September 2018, I presented this research work in an International Conference held in Dresden, Germany. Dialog Semiconductor GmbH was awarded the “Best Paper Presentation for the year 2018” for this work. This success is attributed to the entire team of Package and Material simulation experts at Dialog Semiconductor GmbH lead by Mr. Baltazar Canete and IC Package-Design Simulation group managed by Mr. Rajesh Aiyandra. We have started our investigation on the influence of Board Level Reliability of WLCSPs due to varying metal concentration of inter-metallic layer. We, at Dialog, are also working on possibility of thinner WLCSP. All these activities would include extensive Temperature Cycling on Board (TCoB) measurements, Statistical Analysis of measurement Data and would then be validated by Numerical Simulation. SEMI: What are your expectations for the future and why would you recommend attending SEMICON Europa Advance Packaging Conference?Muthuraman: SEMICON Europa is an important platform for Dialog Semiconductor GmbH to showcase the latest developments in the semiconductor industry. It is an opportunity to meet other industry experts, partners, and customers, and exchange various innovative ideas and to get new insights. Many semiconductor companies are based around the Munich area as well world-class universities. We are particularly interested in innovation, workforce and talent development themes. SEMICON Europa gives us a platform for greater interaction with the academicians and research scientists. This way, we bridge the gap between industry and University researches, thereby moving forward in innovative technologies. We, as Dialog Semiconductor GmbH, have also a development center near Munich (Germering). Our expectations for the future are very positive and vibrant. We are always ready to take up the industry challenges and demands and provide the best-in-class solutions to our product users. Dialog Semiconductor GmbH is certainly poised for higher growth in coming years. Balaji Nandhivaram Muthuraman BioBalaji Nandhivaram Muthuraman is a Packaging and Material Simulation engineer at Dialog Semiconductor GmbH, Germany. He has authored/co-authored conference publications including in the area of molecular dynamics simulation on assembly of carbon nanostructures; Analysis of thermoset material used in smart devices and reliability of wafer level packages. Recently, he has been awarded with the “Best Paper Presentation for year 2018” in the area of Board Level Reliability of Wafer Level Chip Scale Packages, in a recently held international semiconductor conference. His current areas of working interest include reliability investigation of electronic packages and developing fatigue models for reliability assessment of Dialogs products. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Anna University, India and Master’s degree in Computational Mechanics of Materials and Structures from University of Stuttgart, Germany. Serena Brischetto is a marketing and communications manager at SEMI Europe.

SEMI met with Gerald Beyer, program manager at imec, to discuss the co-existence of various 3D interconnect technologies and their need for new materials and integration solutions. The two talked in the runup to his presentation at the Advanced Packaging Conference at SEMICON Europa 2018, 13-16, November 2018, in Munich, Germany. To register for the event, click here. SEMI: Can you confirm this trend towards heterogeneous integration and do you think it will be a long-term development trend?Beyer: We consider heterogeneous integration as a scaling booster for functional partitioning and as a fashion method to create systems, which would not be possible or economical on such as a single chip. As you can apply it to numerous systems, we expect it to stay for the long term.SEMI: What are the new critical challenges for the combination of different technologies into one package?Beyer: When you create a complex system, there is usually more than just one challenge. On one side, you need to be able to design such a system. If you disintegrate a large chip, you need to decide how to reconstruct it, i.e. which function goes into which strata. You would like to do that not manually but with a set of tools supporting the designer. Only recently EDA (Electronic Design Automation) and design houses have started to support this idea.On the technology side, interconnections between some strata of such a reconstructed chip will require small pitch interconnects of the order of 1µm pitch and less. Today, wafer-to-wafer bonding technologies have sufficient overlay margins for 1µm pitch. Wafer-to-wafer bonding technologies, however, have a number of constraints such as equal die size and the necessity to realize chip stacking rather in a fab environment than in a traditional packaging house. Die-to-wafer assembly technologies still need to bridge the gap to deep sub 10µm pitch in terms of alignment and cleanliness.SEMI: What kind of new materials or integration solutions do you expect to be developed? Are you working on it already?Beyer: As explained above, die partitioning requires sub 1µm pitch interconnects. We are investigating fine pitch wafer-to-wafer and die-to-wafer (direct) bonding. For the latter, not only new alignment capabilities but also die cleaning and thin die handling technologies need to be developed. To build a complete system with data processing, memories etc., novel integration schemes such as Flip Chip – Fan Out Wafer Level Packaging with high density 2D and 3D interconnect capabilities are being investigated. These new systems differentiate from current ones by high density Through Package Vias (TPV), Si bridges and sub 2µm line/spacing RDL. The new integration approaches push the materials such Temporary Bond Materials (TBM), Wafer Level UnderFill’s (WLUF), photo patternable polymers for fine Line/Spacings to name a few, to the limits. Hence, development of new materials is a key aspect.SEMI: What trends and developments do you expect in the near future and why would you recommend attending the Advanced Packaging Conference?Beyer: The development and commercialization of products using heterogeneous integration is a big effort drawing on resources from EDA vendors, materials and packaging tool suppliers, OSATs, foundries, memory suppliers and IEDMs and academia alike. The agenda of the Advanced Packaging Conference at SEMICON Europa reflects this diversity and I am looking forward to interesting discussions with all participants. Gerald Beyer has been working in the field of 3D Technologies since 2012 as the technology program manager of the 3D System Integration Program of imec. Prior to this role, he was the interconnect program manager and group leader of BEOL integration. He received a PhD in materials science from Imperial College, London and a MSc from Thames Polytechnic, London.Serena Brischetto is a marketing and communications manager at SEMI Europe.

Korea is on track to top all other regions in fab investment, spending $63 billion between 2017 and 2020, with powerhouses Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix leading the way, according to latest World Fab Forecast Report by SEMI. Samsung Electronics increased fab investments $770 million to $12 billion this year, and SK Hynix upped its spending a significant $2.8 billion to $7.25 billion in 2018.Korea's investment companies anticipate continued growth for both companies in the second half of 2018.Under this halo of extraordinary investment, nearly 380 SEMI Korea members and industry analysts gathered for 2018 SEMI Korea Members Day on September 13 to share insights on semiconductor market trends and new technologies that could help members bolster their competitiveness. Following are key takeaways from the event. Korea semiconductor market to grow 16% in 2018That’s according to IDC Korea VP Kim Soo-kyung, who noted that data center, memory and Internet of Things (IoT) are becoming key growth drivers for the semiconductor industry. He encouraged semiconductor companies to closely track development of automotive technology and the industry semiconductor market, both key growth areas. SEMI Korea president H.D. Cho opens SEMI Korea Members Day 2018 Continuing fab investment will lead to oversupply, but display will shineMarket entry by Chinese companies will also spur the oversupply, said Jeong Won-Seok, an analyst at HI Investment Corp. He noted that the oversupply will force Korea into stiffer competition with other regions. However, with OLED used for a wide variety of devices and the display industry seeing rapid growth, the sector will remain ripe for growth among Korean companies.Interconnecting various applications is a big semiconductor industry trendThe need for these interconnections will stand out in the mobility and high-performance computing (HPC) markets, said Park Sung-Soon, principal research fellow at Amkor Technology Korea, who addressed trends in packaging technology. He also emphasized interconnection cost efficiency as key to maximizing competitiveness.Smart Manufacturing is driving mass customizationAs semiconductor industry growth continues, production methods are shifting from ‘mass production’ to ‘mass customization,’ increasing the importance of Smart Manufacturing in driving greater production efficiency, noted BISTel VP Jeon Kyeong-Sik. Building a Smart Manufacturing platform to support large-scale production of specialized database and artificial intelligence (AI) chips will boost production efficiency, reduce costs and improve risk management. Virtual simulation will be a key enabling technology. SEMI analyst Clark Tseng presenting at SEMI Korea Members Day 2018 Surge in data volume and technology advances to drive long-term semiconductor industry growthThese key industry drivers will continue to power fab investment growth, with spending focused on 3D NAND, DRAM, and foundry, said Clark Tseng, director of Industry Research and Statistics at SEMI. China alone will see eye-watering growth with the region’s investments in domestic companies surging 46% from 2018 to 2019 and fab investment by Chinese domestic companies outpacing spending by foreign companies in China, Tseng predicted. SEMI membership rises with industry growthCulminating the event, SEMI Korea president H.D. Cho said, "With the growth of the semiconductor market, the number of SEMI members is gradually increasing, and we will help member companies grow with various activities such as Korea Members Day.”Jaegwan Shim is a marketing specialist at SEMI Korea.