Printed Circuit Design & Fab - January 2008 - (Page 28)

TABLE 1. Suppliers of IC assembly services, passive components and EMS assembly are least capable of providing resources for R&D, yet are the ones that need it most. ELECTRONIC MATERIALS ($81BN) Typical Companies Gross Margin Operating Margin R&D Margin Value R&D Value %Total R&D Source: Prismark Partners ACTIVE COMPONENTS ($228BN) Intel, STMicro, LSI Logic 45% 15% 15% $34Bn $34Bn 24% IC ASSEMBLY SERVICES ($8.8BN) Amkor, ASE, SPIL PASSIVE COMPONENTS ($197BN) Tyco, Molex, AVX, Sharp 25% 8% 5% $16Bn $10Bn – EMS ASSEMBLY ($127BN) Solectron, Sanmina-SCI, Flextronics 6% 2% <1% $3Bn $1Bn – FINISHED EQUIPMENT ($1,126BN) Dell, HP, Cisco, Nokia, Teradyne, Visteon, Siemens 30% 8% 8% $90Bn $90Bn 64% Sumitomo Bakelite, DuPont, Ablestik 30% 10% 7% $8Bn $6Bn 4% 17% 8% 2% $0.7Bn $0.2Bn – citors. Innovative designs and special types of organic substrate materials could also give high Q inductors. Solder systems have migrated to higher reflow temperature ranges due to the drive for Pb-free solder systems, placing severe thermal loads on the existing material systems as they traverse the reflow zones. Underfill processes, which improve mechanical performance of parts soldered to the PWB, increase assembly time, leading to increased assembly cost. To reduce the delays associated with underfill assembly for ICs or semiconductor packages, underfill materials will be pre-bonded or will be thin films applied to the PWB by pick-and-place machines. As alternatives to solder attach, conductive adhesives (liquid or thin film) will become more common for low-temperature processing and fine-pitch assembly, assuming they can satisfy the bandwidth requirements for higher performance systems. Self-assembly methods are also evolving to address the challenging assembly needs of ultra-thin small dies in large volume. A number of innovative options are being pursued in the development of reliable fine pitch interconnect materials and assembly processes. Printed electronics will develop in the longer term. Produced on flexible substrates and using conductive, dielectric, semiconductor, and light emissive inks, these materials have the potential to transform segments of the electronics industry. Innovations will be needed for existing material systems to address ink sensitivity to humidity, oxygen and light. Sensors. The rapid acquisition and processing of data from any type of available sensor such as mechanical, acoustic, thermal, chemical, seismic, environmental and biological will become integrated into many areas of daily life. Intelligent integrated sensing and control systems are migrating from islands of automation to interconnected solutions, and subsequently to intelligent self-managing highly scalable systems (i.e., autonomous active control and monitoring systems). This evolution requires coordination and leverage across multiple technologies such as sensing, monitoring, control and communications. Sensor technologies, management tools and gateways will play a central role in enabling the higher level of integration needed in the development of these new intelligent sensing and control systems. Beyond these sensor fusion elements, architectural considerations are required to coordinate this evolution to address scalability issues such as performance, global universal object identification, system management and security. These large sensor networks will require unique solutions in the acquisition, 28 transmission and processing of the extensive amount of information gathered for robust networks. Sensor network development involves deployment of the sensors and the network elements to collect and transmit data for analysis and action. These sensors and their local processors and communication function may take the form of a SiP. An increasing number of these sensors are realized using micromachining technologies in the form of MEMS devices. Thus, a packaging base is needed that can support mechanical, acoustical, thermal, chemical, seismic, environmental and biological sensors, as well as optical and RF communications. It is important to identify the correct number of nodes and sensors needed to get the most accurate information at the lowest possible cost. The networks are likely to have a multiplicity of sensors, and it’s vital to determine the number and placement of the sensors within the “network field.” Redundant sensors provide more accurate information; however, with the large amount of data that can be collected from deployed sensors, it is important to identify how and where to fuse the data. Self-organizing wireless nodes will form the basis for new networks. These networks will require localized signal processing capability. Ultra-low-power IC designs, mixed-signal module/SiP designs, sensor packaging and integration technologies will generate many new innovation options. Data from the network of sensors will be transmitted to gateway devices with the capability of processing and determining the relevance of data. The gateway devices will store, analyze, and relay data to where it is needed. The transmitted data would then be used to make appropriate decisions on what actions need to be taken. Nanotechnology: Strong Implications Nanotechnology has the potential to address these three emerging issues, particularly, the construction of new materials based on nanoparticals. Most nanotechnology applications are still in the pre-commercial stage, and will need development not only of products but also of modeling techniques and metrologies. Products are being developed and commercialized in large and small companies with strong nanotechnology initiatives. Nanotechnology in its various forms has strong implications for the competitiveness of the electronics industry. The combination of significant nanotechnology R&D with technology transfer obviously represents business opportunities. Nanoscale materials are already well represented in the electronics indusJANUARY 2008 PRINTED CIRCUIT DESIGN & FAB

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Printed Circuit Design & Fab - January 2008 Contents Our Line Market Watch Around the World Happenings ROI PTH Reliability: Designing to Improve PTH Reliability EMC for the Real World PTH Reliability: The Survival and Long-Term Reliability of Lead-Free PCBs iNEMI's Emerging Technologies: Research Priorities for the Electronics Industry Printed Circuit Design & Fab Annual Buyers Guide Special Suppliers Section Guide to Products and Services Off the Shelf: Designcon Preview Marketplace Ad Index BGA Bulletin

Printed Circuit Design & Fab - January 2008

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