SAC Meeting Reviews Wide Range of Topics New Orleans - The Semiconductor Assembly Council's recent biannual meeting looked at a wide range of topics, including array packaging, flip-chip, leadless leadframes, board-level reliability and package delamination, according to Marla Cooper, SAC program manager. SAC also held a two-day training session on understanding, integrating and implementing ISO 9001:2000 and TS 16949, by Omnex, SAC's official trainer. Both standards were released in the last quarter of 1999. TS 16949 will become the basis of new SAC standards. The next SAC meeting is scheduled for November. Contact jrcooper@electriciti.com for more information.[sacouncil.org] Binghamton's Watson School Sets Packaging Reliability Conference Binghamton, N.Y. - The Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science at Binghamton University will hold its 12th Annual Advanced Electronics Packaging Reliability Symposium from July 31-August 2. Contact Ellie Brennan at 888.691.1465 or ebrennan@binghamton.edu. [wtsn.binghamton.edu/coned] GenRad Inc. Acquires Nicolet Imaging Systems and SRT from ThermoSpectra for $40 MIllion Westford, Mass. - Test equipment maker GenRad Inc. has acquired Nicolet Imaging Systems (NIS), San Diego, Calif., and its sister company, Sierra Research and Technology (SRT), Westford, from ThermoSpectra Corp. for $40 million. NIS supplies x-ray inspection equipment to a variety of markets, including semiconductors and PWBs. SRT provides integrated rework/repair systems.[genrad.com] Universal Instruments Earns QS-9000 Binghamton, N.Y. - Universal Instruments, a subsidiary of Dover Corp., has received QS-9000/Tooling and Equipment certification for its eight N.Y.-based facilities, which design and manufacture assembly equipment used in electronics. The certification defines the quality system requirements of the big three U.S. automakers and other subscribing companies for suppliers of tooling and equipment. [uic.com] Global Appoints Ascentech as New Reps Old Lyme, Conn. - Global Automation Inc. has appointed Ascentech LLC as its sales representative for the Northeastern U.S. and Canada. Heinz Bockard, Global president, signed the rep agreement with Ascentech's Randy Allison and Greg Alexander recently. CoorsTek Inc. Opens Austin, Texas, Facility Golden, Colo. - CoorsTek Inc. has opened a 45,000 square foot building in Austin, Texas, with consolidated manufacturing, cleanroom assembly and warehousing for the semiconductor market. The facility manufactures precision-machined ceramics and metal components and assembles modules for IC manufacturing equipment. [coorstek.com] K&S Wins $10 Million Unisem Bonder Order Willow Grove, Pa. - Kulicke & Soffa Industries has won a $10 million order from Malaysian IC packaging foundry Unisem for Model 8028 automatic ball bonders. The machines will arrive at Unisem's facility during the second half of this year and will be employed for bonding fine pitch and high lead-count IC packages. The orders are for a planned expansion of Unisem's Ipoh, Malaysia, assembly facility. K&S said it has also received a letter of intent from Unisem for an additional $10 million order, expected during the latter part of fiscal 2000 and first quarter of fiscal 2001. Samsung Develops World's Smallest SRAM Package Seoul, Korea - Samsung Electronics claims to have developed the world's smallest package for a static read-only memory (SRAM). The package employs tape ball grid array (TBGA) technology to package 8 Mb SRAM, which leaves the device with a surface area of only 63 mm (2 squared), about one-fourth the size of conventional chips. The TBGA package uses a polyimide tape, rather than a PWB between the chip and the connecting ball. The next-generation technology, says the company, enables the package to be almost chip-size. Samsung says the packaged SRAM is aimed at mobile phone makers, who are demanding SRAMs with ever-larger memory capacity. [samsung.com] Milpitas' DB Design Group in Venture with Micro Mechanics Milpitas, Calif. - DB Design Group Inc., a designer and maker of ATE components, has formed a joint venture, registered in Singapore, with Micro-Mechanics, a company with operations in Southeast Asia. The joint venture will design, make and sell a range of products for the test interface market. The first products from the new company will be device change kits and accessories for Delta Design and Seiko Epson test handlers. "Many of our customers have moved their IC production and final test to Asia, yet they wish to retain the quality test solutions that were developed and proved out in their engineering groups," according to Derek Bowers, president of DB Design Group. "Partnering . . . allows our customers to make a smooth transition...." While the initial market focus is semiconductors and test subcontractors in Malaysia and Singapore, the company plans to expand to other markets throughout this year. [dbdesign.com] Kingmax Puts SDRAM Chip in BGA for 50% Shrink Irvine, Calif. - Kingmax Micro Technology is now offering TinyBGA PC100/PC133 128 Mb SDRAM chips. Kingmax, a packager of memory devices, claims the proprietary TinyBGA CSP results in a 50% reduction in the packaged chip's physical size over a TSOP. The TinyBGA boasts a length of 11 mm (0.43 inch) and a width of 13 mm (0.51 inch) compared to a TSOP's package length of 11.8 mm (0.46 inch) and width of 22.3 mm (0.88 inch). The CSP features a height of less than 1.4 mm (0.06 inch). The SDRAM is aimed at portable electronics, such as PDAs, cellular phones, cameras and data collection devices. [kingmax.com] ECT Uses Video Meetings to Link Users and Vendors Munich, Germany - Everett Charles Technologies has linked a number of chip substrate specifiers and suppliers using live video conferencing systems in Europe. ECT's Semiconductor Test Division operations in England and Scotland launched the interactive technology earlier this year, installing PC-based software, cameras and computer upgrades. A special "white board" area on system monitors can be used for diagram sketches or notations. Rick Custance, ECT European operations manager, says, "At virtual meetings, we can discuss initial assignments, then exchange data files and compare the customer's evolving design with proposed test software." "Users tell us this approach is helpful and that they want the frequent interaction," Custance added. [ectinfo.com] Silicon Coast Inks Rep Agreement with Sampo Marble Falls, Texas - Taiwan's Sampo Semiconductor has signed a distributor agreement for North and South America with Silicon Coast Associates, according to Carl Lehtonen, SiCoast president. Sampo Semiconductor, established in 1996, is an ISO 9002-certified IC packaging foundry for plastic. The assembler is part of the Sampo Corp., a major manufacturer of appliances and consumer electronics in Taiwan. Sampo is currently tooled for BGAs, LQFPs, MQFPs, SOICs, SOJs and TSOPs. [sicoast.com] FeinFocus USA Relocates Stamford, Conn. - FeinFocus USA Inc., a supplier of realtime x-ray inspection systems, has relocated its North American headquarters to 76 Progress Dr., Stamford, CT 06902 from Simi Valley, Calif. Phone 203.969.2161, fax 203.969.2162. The company's San Jose office has been upgraded to a technical resource center. [feinfocus.com] Pyoung Chang Hitech Ltd. Plans U.S. Market Rollout Seoul - Pyoung Chang Hitech Industries, which was founded more than 20 years ago in Korea, is beginning a U.S. market rollout for its LCD probers and LCD probe cards. The company may establish an assembly facility in the Silicon Valley area, according to H.S. Yang, the company's R&D director.
The company issued its first public stock offering in May, and is planning to build a new factory in Seoul with part of the proceeds. The new plant will be completed by the end of the year. While the company currently employs about 140, Yang says that number will increase substantially with the new building and expansion to the U.S. market.[phicom.co.kr] AIT-Manteca Adds BGA Lamination Services Manteca, Calif. - Advanced Interconnect Technologies is qualifying its stiffener to tape lamination process for BGA tape suppliers. The company, formerly OIT, plans to offer stamped tape BGA stiffeners/heatspreaders late this year in both black oxide copper and anodized aluminum using the same stamping technology used for its MQUAD packages. [advancedinterconnect.com] ChipPAC Buys Intersil's Kuala Lumpur Plant Santa Clara, Calif. - ChipPAC, Hyundai's former assembly and test division, will buy Intersil's Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, IC assembly and test plant for $52.5 million in cash and $17.5 million in ChipPAC preferred convertible stock. The acquisition is part of an agreement with Intersil that includes a multiyear supply agreement for assembly and test services. Completion of the agreement was expected by June. As a result of the contract, Intersil will become one of ChipPAC's largest customers. The facility includes a 524,000 square foot assembly and test operation, wireless and analog/mixed-signal test capabilities, a product distribution center and about 2,900 employees.[intersil.com] Datacon, K&S Open European Tech Center Radfeld, Austria - Datacon GmbH and Kulicke & Soffa Industries have opened a joint technology center near Datacon's production site in Radfeld, Tyrol. The new European Technology Center offers European manufacturers easy access to "a concentration of innovative technologies unique in the industry," according to Datacon, a manufacturer of die bonders. Roland Heitmann, general manager-customer operations for K&S Europe says, "Customers will benefit from our new capability to team up with Datacon to provide integrated semiconductor assembly solutions developed in close cooperation with users." Datacon has been the exclusive K&S sales rep for wire bonders and saws for Austria, Germany and the Netherlands since last year. The Austrian company recently expanded its role to include K&S sales for Denmark and Hungary. K&S sells Datacon die bonders outside Europe. [datacon.at][kns.com]
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