Send us a text The 75th anniversary celebration of ECTC in Dallas showcases a remarkable evolution in advanced packaging technologies, revealing how semiconductor priorities have dramatically shifted. Rather than the relentless miniaturization of the smartphone era, today's AI-driven applications demand larger packages with more functionality and sophisticated thermal management solutions. Glass core substrates emerged as the star technology of the conference, with standing-room-only sessions de...
Jun 19, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Season 5Ep. 13
Send us a text What happens when the world's thirst for artificial intelligence collides with physical limitations? The answer lies at the intersection of silicon innovation and packaging technology. From the conference hall of ECTC 2025 in Dallas, we're joined by Sam Naffziger of AMD who reveals how AI has transformed from a peripheral topic to the dominant force in computing within just five years. The economic motivation is clear: creating machines that generate intelligence offers "uncalcula...
Jun 12, 2025•15 min•Season 5Ep. 12
Send us a text What happens when you gather 75 years of packaging innovation under one roof? The Electronic Component Technology Conference (ECTC) has transformed from a modest gathering of 300 electronics professionals to a powerhouse event attracting over 2,500 industry leaders, researchers, and visionaries. This remarkable journey reflects how advanced packaging has evolved from supporting technology to the driving force behind modern electronics. In this special episode, we speak with three ...
Jun 05, 2025•28 min•Season 5Ep. 12
Send us a text Pratyush Kamal explains how 3DIC technologies are transforming semiconductor design as Moore's Law slows, requiring closer integration between chip and package design to maximize performance. • Traditional chip design treated packaging as an afterthought with designers "throwing designs over the wall" • Economic realities of advanced nodes mean companies now pay more for smaller transistors, driving chiplet adoption • Thermal challenges multiply in 3D stacks as power density doubl...
May 29, 2025•37 min•Season 5Ep. 11
Send us a text Andrew Mathers , Principal Product Line Manager at Nordson Test and Inspection, discusses the revolutionary advancements in 3D x-ray inspection technology and how they're improving semiconductor manufacturing quality. • X-ray inspection requires high resolution, speed, and cost-effectiveness to drive better product quality • Traditional 2D radiographic imaging is being replaced by 3D imaging for more stringent manufacturing requirements • Planar CT imaging suffers from artifacts w...
May 22, 2025•20 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Send us a text The IEEE MTTS International Microwave Symposium attracts over 9,000 attendees and 500+ exhibitors to share cutting-edge developments in RF, microwave, and advanced packaging technologies. Tim Hancock and Jim Buckwalter from the IMS committee explain why this premier event, taking place in San Francisco's Moscone Center from June 15-20, has become increasingly relevant to professionals in advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration. • Approximately 15% of accepted papers direc...
May 15, 2025•32 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Send us a text Acoustic inspection stands as a silent sentinel in semiconductor manufacturing, detecting microscopic defects that could lead to catastrophic failures in high-value applications. Bryan Schackmuth, Senior Product Line Manager at Nordson Test and Inspection, reveals how this technology has evolved from laboratory tools to production-line essentials. When ultrasound encounters even the tiniest air gap—we're talking hundreds of angstroms—it reflects completely, making acoustic imaging...
Apr 17, 2025•31 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Send us a text The 3D InCites Podcast celebrates microelectronics industry innovation with a special episode featuring this year's award winners in heterogeneous integration and chiplet technology. • SallyAnn Henry , Jim Straus and David Wang , ACM Research , describe a horizontal rotation plating system for panel-level packaging with superior uniformity across square substrates • Eric Gongora , of MacDermid Alpha , explains how NovaFab fine-grained copper enables hybrid bonding with customizabl...
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Send us a text Navigating today's complex manufacturing landscape demands unprecedented supply chain resilience. This eye-opening conversation with Barry O'Dowd ( Kuehne+Nagel ) and Kamal Ahluwalia ( Resilinc ) reveals why robust supply chains matter more than ever—particularly for semiconductor capital equipment. The semiconductor industry operates at extraordinary precision, with equipment working at scales as small as five nanometers—roughly 1/18,000th the width of a human hair. This precisio...
Apr 03, 2025•38 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Send us a text The 3D InCites Member Spotlight episode features exclusive conversations with industry leaders at IMAPS Device Packaging Conference 2025, exploring the cutting-edge of semiconductor packaging innovation and domestic manufacturing expansion. • Rex Anderson of Micross details their RESHAPE program funding and Integra acquisition, establishing them as North America's largest domestic OSAT • Calvin Cheung of ASE explains how advanced packaging enables AI infrastructure while reducing ...
Mar 27, 2025•43 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Send us a text Arizona is transforming into the "Silicon Oasis" of America through an unprecedented collaboration that's reshaping semiconductor education from high school through graduate studies. At the heart of this revolution is a groundbreaking partnership between the University of Arizona and Chandler Unified School District, launching the nation's first high school career and technical education program focused on semiconductor manufacturing. Starting July 2025, forty students will begin ...
Mar 20, 2025•44 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Send us a text What happens when AI diagnoses patients better than doctors? Where does artificial intelligence truly stand on the hype cycle? Is all this computational power actually benefiting society? These critical questions frame our fascinating discussion recorded live at IMAPS Device Packaging Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Join our expert panel featuring Hemanth Jagannathan (IBM Research), Mark Kuemerle (Marvell), and Kimon Michaels (PDF Solutions) as they tackle AI's most pressing chall...
Mar 13, 2025•25 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Send us a text Explore the transformative world of microelectronics packaging with industry visionaries Amy Lujan, Tim Olson, and Jan Vardaman as they share their journey at the IMAPS Annual Device Packaging Conference (DPC). With the conference relocating to the vast Wild Horse Pass, expect an enriched experience with expanded technical tracks and exhibitor opportunities reflecting the rising interest in this field. Get ready to embrace the future of packaging with insights that redefine its si...
Feb 13, 2025•28 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Send us a text The episode explores the key insights from the recent SEMI ISS event, focusing on the semiconductor industry's journey toward a trillion-dollar market by 2030. It discusses the significant themes of uncertainty and the transformative impact of AI, while also addressing industry challenges and emerging trends. Additionally, SEMI's Market Intelligence team dive into the revised 2024 equipment forecast and World Fab Forecast, discussing trends influenced by AI technology and geopolit...
Feb 06, 2025•39 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Send us a text Unlock the secrets of semiconductor packaging materials with insights from industry experts Dariush Tari and Rose Guino of Henkel's Semiconductor Packaging Materials Division. This episode promises a deep dive into the processes behind developing materials that are both reliable and high-performing, crucial for the ever-evolving demands of AI, machine learning, and quantum technologies. Dariush and Rose share their wealth of knowledge on material characterization, modeling, and ap...
Dec 19, 2024•33 min
Send us a text This episode was recorded live at SEMICON Europa. Michael Zahn from Koh Young talks to Françoise von Trapp about the growing significance of metrology in semiconductor manufacturing and the need for advanced measurement technologies. They discuss the transition from 2D to 3D measurements in semiconductor manufacturing. Zahn explains why non-destructive, optical 3D measurements offer precise height and position data with sub-micron resolution. You'll learn how these measurements ar...
Dec 12, 2024•19 min•Season 4Ep. 43
Send us a text This episode was recorded live at SEMICON Europa. It features interviews with four of the 20 under 30 Recognition Award recipients from Cadence , ERS Electronic , KLA , and Semilab . It also features updates from Comet Yxlon , Trymax Semiconductor , and DSV-IMS . SEMI Europe's 20 Under 30 program recognizes future leaders in the microelectronics industry. James McGrath from KLA discussed his role as a PE CBD Process Engineer and his unexpected entry into the semiconductor industry...
Dec 05, 2024•48 min•Season 4Ep. 42
Send us a text In this episode, recorded live at SEMICON Europa in Munich, Françoise von Trapp continues her conversations with the keynote speakers on helping to build Europe’s technical sovereignty, and how implementing digital twins can help achieve this goal. John Behnke, of Inficon, discussed the evolution of smart manufacturing in the semiconductor industry. He highlighted how smart software can increase factory productivity by 5-15% by making autonomous decisions based on digital twins. Y...
Nov 28, 2024•46 min•Season 4Ep. 41
Send us a text This episode was recorded live at SEMICON Europa in Munich. This year's theme of this year’s conference is "Innovation and Collaboration: Powering Sustainable Exponential Growth". In other words, how the semiconductor industry can work together to sustainably reach the trillion dollar goal by 2030 without compromising its Net Zero goals. It's going to be tricky, for sure. Frederic Godemel of Schneider Electric talks about what he calls the “energy trilemma” that is causing the ene...
Nov 21, 2024•44 min•Season 4Ep. 40
Send us a text It's been quite an exciting year for the U.S. Chips for America as the funding starts rolling out. All year long, Françoise von Trapp has interviewed various government dignitaries about various elements of the CHIPS Act. This episode brings these episodes together in order of appearance, to give you a timeline of the year's progress. First up is Dan Berger, National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP), who explains how CHIPS Acts monies are being used to address gaps...
Nov 14, 2024•44 min•Season 4Ep. 39
Send us a text On September 30, 2024, Onto Innovation held the grand opening of its Packaging Applications Center of Excellence - or as it's being called, PACE. Françoise von Trapp attended the grand opening to learn why the company has partnered with like-minded suppliers of the panel-level packaging ecosystem to accelerate the development of PLP technologies for both organic and glass substrates. These include 3D InCites Members: LPKF Laser & Electronics , Evatec , MKS-Atotech and Lam Rese...
Nov 07, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 4Ep. 38
Send us a text For this 3D InCites Podcast Extra, Françoise von Trapp traveled to Morrisville, North Carolina, to witness Foundry 2.0 in action at NHanced Semiconductors. She speaks with founder and CEO Bob Patti about his vision for the company, which is based on implementing the Foundry 2.0 business model he conceptualized. It involves sourcing dies and chiplets from traditional foundries and applying semiconductor foundry processes and advanced packaging and assembly technologies. You'll lear...
Oct 30, 2024•53 min•Season 4Ep. 23
Send us a text Recorded live at the IMAPS Symposium 2024 in Boston MA, where 3D InCites member companies presented their latest technologies and showcased their products. This episode features conversations with nine of our member companies. Brendan Wells , Amkor Technology, Inc., explains the difference between laminate and strip-based substrates for advanced packaging and when to use each. He also discusses how chiplet integration is impacting the assembly processes. Evan Griffith and Sze Pe L...
Oct 24, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Season 4Ep. 37
Send us a text At IMAPS Symposium 2024, the annual IMAPS Society Awards were presented. These awards recognize IMAPS members who stand out for their efforts. They are peer-nominated awards and selected by a panel of previous winners, so it’s very special to receive one, as it means many members have noticed their efforts. In this episode, Françoise sits down with three of the award winners to talk about their IMAPS experience, at different stages of their careers. Emma P Pawliczak was awarded th...
Oct 17, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 36
Send us a text This episode was recorded live at the IMAPS International Symposium in Boston MA. Françoise von Trapp speaks with Dev Palmer, director of the National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program; Sandeep Sane of Lightmatter; Craig Bishop, Deca and Brett Wilkerson, AMD. Dev Palmer explains Chips Act's funding distribution and its impact on the semiconductor ecosystem. He emphasizes the importance of bridging research and industry and describes some of the programs key initiatives. Pal...
Oct 10, 2024•49 min•Season 4Ep. 35
Send us a text In this episode, Françoise von Trapp speaks with Chee Ping Lee, of Lam Research, about the critical role of high bandwidth memory (HBM) in generative AI, emphasizing its high bandwidth and compact design. HBM memory has received a lot of attention as one of the first technologies to implement 2.5D and 3D stacking. Lee explains how HBM uses advanced packaging technologies like TSV and microbumps to achieve high memory capacity and performance. Lam Research's solutions are key to HB...
Oct 03, 2024•41 min•Season 4Ep. 34
Send us a text In this episode, Francoise von Trapp speaks with Isabella Drolz from Comet about how AI is revolutionizing semiconductor inspection strategies, particularly in 3D X-ray systems. They discuss how AI is being used to find structural defects in advanced chip packages, and also how 3D inspection is being used to develop advanced AI technologies themselves. von Trapp and Drolz explore the evolution of inspection methods in advanced packaging, noting the complexity of 3D ICs and the lim...
Sep 26, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 33
Send us a text In this episode, Francoise speaks with Simon McElrea, an interconnectologist, about his career in and the evolution of interconnectology, emphasizing its importance in semiconductor packaging. McElrea discusses his roles at semiconductor start-ups like Vertical Circuits and Invensas; his foray into wireless charging at Energous and FreePower; and his return to the semiconductor industry due to its current inflection point. He talks about how the Chips Act favors large companies ov...
Sep 19, 2024•36 min•Season 4Ep. 32
Send us a text In this episode, Françoise von Trapp talks with Onto Innovation’s Monita Pau and Jiangtao Hu about metrology for advanced packaging – why do we need it? What are the challenges, and how do we solve them? In semiconductor manufacturing front-end processes, metrology has always been a critical step to ensure consistency of very fine features. It’s only recently become important to back-end advanced packaging processes – especially for heterogeneous integration. As chips are designed...
Sep 12, 2024•30 min•Season 4Ep. 31
Send us a text In this episode, Tarak Railkar and Benson Chan join Françoise von Trapp for a preview of The IMAPS International Symposium 2024, which takes place in Boston from September 30 to October 3, 2024. This year's symposium focuses on heterogeneous integration for paradigm-shifting microelectronics and photonics. It will feature a five-track technical program, special interactive sessions on onshoring, keynote speakers by industry leaders, and much more. The symposium will also host a Bi...
Sep 05, 2024•24 min•Season 4Ep. 30
