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From the Editor:
Looking for Hope at SEMICON
December 31, 1969 |
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
In a slowing economy, everyone looks for signs of hope for a strong future. In a slowing economy, funding for R&D often takes a backseat to the basic needs of a company to conduct commerce and basically stay in business by doing the same things in the same way to just keep pace. In fact, the real threat is that fear itself will force us into stagnation. And status quo is the true enemy. This was my message at the Advanced Packaging Awards (APAs), presented to innovators in the packaging market at SEMICON West last week.
Without a doubt, this year will be tough. SEMI projects 2008 semiconductor equipment sales to reach $34.12 billion in their most recent forecast. The market that grew 6% in 2007 will shrink 20% in 2008. However, they predict that this market will rebound by 13% in 2009. Therefore, remembering the cyclical nature of economic conditions sometimes helps.
Our industry is critical to economic success; this is true from slicing silicon into wafers through the companies providing box build and shipping to customers. Some of the recommendations made at SEMICON by Victoria Hatfield, president of SEMI North America, included federal investment in R&D, a permanent R&D tax credit, extension of the solar energy tax credit, science and technology education with reformed high skills education immigration policy, open markets and export support, and intellectual property (IP) protection. These are all positive programs for encouraging support for our electronics industry.
For almost 10 years, SMT's sister publication Advanced Packaging has held the APAs, an awards program to give credit, recognition, and encouragement to companies that regularly invest in R&D to come up with creative new products, in the same style that SMT honors innovation with the annual VISION Awards. As I visit companies in the industry, I see the keys of success that feed creativity. At Freescale's Technology Forum, not only did they talk about how their products make things "smarter" with sensors and microprocessors, they also invited technology partners and university students to participate. Collaboration was key.
At semiconductor assembly and test services (SATS) provider Unisem, many of the test handlers were there on consignment as a cooperative effort between supplier and customer. Everywhere in the electronics industry we see test labs in OEM facilities, such as Panasonic and others, where customers regularly test out equipment or work together on joint projects. The list goes on.
These are just a few of the solutions we see when visiting packaging companies. Packaging will save the industry in many ways cost control, innovative methods to "green," stacked packages to integrate electronics further but not without the creative people in this industry. The Advanced Packaging Awards recognized winners and finalists as the real hope for the future. See the winners and finalists here.
Gail Flower, editor-in-chief