Weiner’s World

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

The dry film photoresist originally introduced by Hercules several decades ago has resurfaced in China at the astounding reported low price of $0.07 per square foot including VAT. It comes with reports of less than perfect quality and the inability to produce patterns finer than 100 μm lines and spaces with good yields.

Nano Dimension Ltd has completed the development of the initial version of its software package, which will be integrated in the company's DragonFly 2020 3D printer. The new 3D printer, which is currently in development, will use proprietary inks and integrated software to quickly create fully functioning printed circuit board (PCB) prototypes. The software package, called 'Switch,' enables preparation of production files of printed electronic circuits for the 3D printer. It supports customary formats in the electronics industry such as Gerber files, as well as via and drill files.

WACKER, the Munich-based chemical company, will be showcasing a world first in its booth at the 20th International Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber: the first industrial 3D printer for silicones. The high-tech device—called ACEO® Imagine Series K—will be in operation throughout the entire tradeshow in Düsseldorf, Germany, from October 19 to 26, 2016.

The inventor of 3D monolithic chip technology back in 2010, BeSang Inc., claims to have since created a superior three-dimensional (3D) architecture for NAND flash. Frustrated with licensee Hynix's slow implementation of its monolithic 3D technology, BeSang is opening the door to partnerships with other memory houses, as well as offering to contract-fab the chips for resale by others, at a price that reportedly reduces the cost-per-bit of 3D NAND from over 20¢ to about 2¢ per gigabyte.

DARPA’s newest program is making a bid to usher in a fresh dimension of technology miniaturization by challenging the technology community to integrate the collective functions hosted by an entire PCB onto a device approaching the size of a single chip. The new Common Heterogeneous Integration and Intellectual Property (IP) Reuse Strategies Program (CHIPS) will try to push the massive amount of integration you typically get on a printed circuit board down into an even more compact format. It is all about devising a physical library of component chips, or chiplets, that can be assemble in a modular fashion. DARPA has posted a request for information (RFI), designated on fbo.gov as DARPA-SN-16-50, to harvest ideas at the front-end of the program from expert and industry players so that the CHIPS team can hone the details of the program in ways that would facilitate graceful incorporation of these new approaches within existing commercial semiconductor foundries and electronics fabrication facilities. The CHIPS team expects to use input from the RFI and a workshop anticipated to occur later this summer to prepare a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). The BAA, which will also be posted on fbo.gov, will specify the program’s technical goals and how potential performers can submit proposals. (Source: DARPA) 

OKI has entered into an agreement with Nippon Avionics Co., Ltd. (Avio) to transfer Avio’s printed circuit board business to OKI. The two companies will start negotiations on technologies and facilities transfer and a range of certifications beginning October 1, 2016 with a view to completing the business transfer by March 31, 2018. Most of Avio’s printed circuit board business will be transferred to OKI Printed Circuits and OKI Circuit Technology, both are the OKI’s EMS business sites, who will continue the transferred business.

The surface mount technology market is expected to be worth $4,730.5 million by 2020 at an estimated CAGR of 9.84% according to a study by Fast Market Research. SMT placement equipment represents the largest product market driven by the miniaturization trend, which has resulted in need for higher accuracy in the placement of semiconductor active components such as transistors and diodes among others. The market for inspection equipment segment is expected to grow at a faster rate due to an increase in use of small-sized components and optoelectronics which would force the electronics assemblers to invest in inspection equipment during the forecast period.

Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K., one of the core companies of the Tanaka Precious Metals group based in Japan, announced that it has signed a contract to purchase 100% of the outstanding shares of the Swiss-based Metalor Technologies International SA, a company also active in the precious metals markets. The acquisition will give Tanaka (also parent of Electroplating Engineers of Japan (EEJA)) a global reach for its refining business, manufacture of electrical contacts, and its electroplating solutions and equipment. Metalor, with its 1,300 employees absorbed Englehard and NECC Coatings during its growth. Tanaka had joint ventures with Sel-Rex and others. Tanaka was founded in 1885.

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), the largest and arguably the most advanced foundry in mainland China, announced an agreement with LFoundry Europe GmbH (LFE) and Marsica Innovation S.p.A. (MI) to purchase a 70% stake of LFoundry for a consideration of 49 million EUR. LFoundry is an integrated circuit wafer foundry headquartered in Italy, owned by LFE and MI. At the closing, SMIC, LFE and MI will own 70%, 15% and 15% of the corporate capital of the company. This represents the Mainland China IC foundry industry’s first successful acquisition of an overseas-based manufacturer, which marks a major step forward in internationalizing SMIC. The acquisition also provides SMIC with an entry into the global automotive electronics market. For the first quarter of 2016, SMIC recorded profits for the 16th consecutive quarter with revenues of $634.3 million, an increase of over 24% year-on-year.

Gene H. Weiner, author and publisher of this column, will talk about reshoring challenges and present six new items of interest to the electronic packaging supply chain at the September High Density Packaging User Group (HDPUG) meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.

Gene Weiner is president of Weiner International Associates. To contact Gene, click here.

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