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 Publisher's Letter
Farewell to 2002

 Assembly Lines
Doing Business in Japan? San Jose's Tessera Looks to Licensees, Partners

 Opto-Electronically Speaking 
When the Economy Rebounds, So Will Opto, MEMS and Nanotech Excitement

 Standards
Testing Packages with Lead-Free Finishes? MRT Reflow Standard Is Finally Revealed

 On Test
Parts, Pins, Parallelism, BIST and DFT - Pieces of the Final Test Conundrum

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Solder Ball Placement: Machine Makers and Users Are Preparing for Smaller Ball Diameters
Solder Ball Placement Equipment Directory

Defect Inspection: Core Technology Choices Range from AOI to Lasers to Moiré Interferometry to Scanners

Automated Defect Inspection Systems Directory

Assembling Chip-Scale Packages with High Yields Requires Care with Printing and Reflow Processes

Editorial Index for 2002

Test-on-Strip: What It Takes, What It Offers Users

Wire Bonding: the Preferred Interconnect Method

 Tools & Technologies
Solderless Sockets for Evaluation Test and more...

 Patents
Invention Describes How to Form Wafer-Level Hermetic Packages

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November - December 2002
The International Reference for Chip-Scale Electronics, Flip-Chip Technology, Optoelectronic Interconnection and Wafer-Level Packaging
Tools & Technologies
SER's new solderless IC sockets can be re-used more than 10k times, depending on use environment.

Solderless Sockets for Evaluation Test

SER Electronics, Pleasant Hill, Calif., has introduced the solderless IC socket series for BGA, F-BGA and CSPs. The sockets are for use with the Altera Apex20k package series, Actel ProASIC package series and Quicklogic QuickDSP package series.

Applications include FPGA/ CPLD design evaluation, functional evaluation, circuit development and verification. Additionally, the socket family is suited for sample IC test and inspection and for verifying defective parts in the field.

The socket can be either pin mounted or screw mounted to a PWB, without soldering. SER claims over 2GHz high frequency performance and a contact resistance of 65mf. The sockets are available for package pitch sizes of 1.27, 1.0 and 0.8.

The socket is composed of a base socket and a cap (lid). The IC is loaded into the socket cavity and held by the cap. The contact between IC and PWB is a spring-loaded, double mini-probe. [serusa.com]

The DuraPlus claims reduced cost of ownership and greater bond yields.

New Epoxy Probe Card Increases Bond Yields

Kulicke & Soffa Inc., Willow Grove, Pa., has introduced the DuraPlus fine pitch epoxy probe card developed to reduce cost of ownership while increasing bond yields.

The company claims a "dramatically reduced scrub signature is achieved through the use of a new tip radiusing process" and through minimized scrube variation between layers. When combined with non-destructive cleaning, the result is less bond pad damage, improved signal integrity, fewer cleaning cycles and increased card life.

Spheron technology, according to K&S, improves thermal cycle reliability by 30 percent.

Spheron Technology

The company's Flip Chip Div. has announced Spheron wafer-level package technology.

Compared to conventional UltraCSPs, Spheron technology delivers improved coupling capacitance, according to K&S. This improvement is because the UBM and solder structure reside on top of a 5 micron low-k dielectric film.

The film was developed for low modulus, high-elongation value, excellent adhesion to organic and inorganic materials and good tolerance to exposure manufacturing tolerances.

Due to the film's wider manufacturing process window, yields are expected to exceed 99.8 percent. [kns.com]

3-in-1 Adapter System Cuts Cost of Ownership

Emulation Technology Inc., Santa Clara, Calif., has introduced the QFN/MLF 3-in-1 adapter system which supports the ATMEL tiny26, tiny28, Mega8, Mega 16 and Mega 32 8-bit AVR microcontrollers.

The system enables users to analyze, emulate and program with one adapter.

The system's proprietary FlexProbe, an integral system component, provides a direct surface mount connection to the target.

Integrating the three adapters into one, the company claims, reduces the cost of ownership by 50-66 percent by eliminating the need for a standalone logic analyzer adapter, emulator adapter and programming adapter. [emulation.com]

Keratherm Toptherm 86/82

Thermal Material Offers 6.5W/mK Conductivity

MH&W International Corp., Mahwah, N.J., has announced Keratherm's Toptherm 86/82 thermal interface material for heat-sinks and ICs, which offers a high thermal conductivity of 6.5W/mK and low thermal resistance of 0.09 K/W.

The material is claimed to provide excellent heat dissipation and electrical isolation. The material is constructed with a flexible reinforced design to offer excellent surface contact. [mhw-thermal.com]

Liquid Photo Resist for Bump Imaging

Shipley, Freeport, N.Y., is now offering BPR-100, a thick film plating resist for wafer bump imaging.

Unlike current spin-on technology, which employs multiple layers of thinner resist to define and control areas for electroplating and solder bump formation, BPR-100 coats in a single spin. Shipley claims this reduces material costs and eliminates defects associated with multilayer coatings. [shipley.com]

Dispensing Valve for Low-Viscosity Fluids

PVA, Halfmoon, N.Y., announced the CAM200 dispensing valve for low viscosity fluids. The CAM 200 is constructed of Delrin. The valve weighs only 4.8 ounces and is suitable for any adhesive or lubricant ranging from 1-5000 cps. [pva.com]

The Vectron K2-AOI offers large-format color imaging.

System Features Color, Large-Format Images

Vectron Inc., San Diego, Calif., has announced the new K2-AOI optical inspection system for populated PWBs. The unit features 16 million colors and 6-megapixel sensor. Vectron claims the new unit is the only one that offers large-format color imaging.

Unlike conventional systems which rely on image comparison, the K2-AOI measures component features, even on 0201s, thus capturing more accurate and reliable data, according to Vectron. Through-put is increased with the use of a large maximum image size of 4 in. x 6 in. [vectroninc.com]

Continuity Tester for Shorts, Open Circuits

ProductionLine Testers, Pleasanton, Calif., has introduced the OS-32 Automated Continuity Test System. Self-contained, the OS-32 is used to verify the integrity of package bond wires, bare and assembled PWB and short cable assemblies.

The automated OX-32 system gives 16-bit accuracy on both the source and measurement and fast measurement switching on up to 1000 pins, ensuring accurate performance and complete testing on all internal connections. Prices begin at $10,000 for a 50-pin unit. [productionlinetesters.com]

The Polaris Assembly Cell

Assembly Cell Delivers Multi-Process Automation

Universal Instruments, Binghamton, N.Y., recently launched the Polaris Multi-Process Assembly Cell. The reconfigurable cell automates many of the processes needed for light mechanical and backend assembly, including dispensing, vision inspection, driving screws and assembly.

Its design enables several processes to be performed in a single cell or distributed across multiple cells to boost productivity. [uic.com]

High-Speed Packages Available

StratEdge, San Diego, Calif., has designed high-speed packages for mixed-signal devices such as ADC, DAC, MUX and track-and-hold chips for ultra-wideband data acquisition. [stratedge.com]

 
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