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Integrating Semiconductor Manufacturing Efficiency
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
OEM innovations are emerging continually, as is the list of their product ranges. To keep up with the demand, the electronics industry must integrate new technologies such as software programs, into the functions of the electronics devices.
By Mandeep Singh Oberoi
Experience has shown that the cost of design, device compatibility and the impending applications has been driving the complexity of the SMT process compatible semiconductor packages. The other drivers have been device reliability, yield and efficiency during real-time applications.
The increased complexity of the present package design, device and performance are driving a need to integrate the design and manufacturing process of SMT compatible devices. There is an increased requirement to trade optical, electronic, mechanical, magnetic and thermal data between the silicon chip and the package design to estimate performance and reliability. Advanced packaging trends, especially below the 90 nm range, are driving pin count, lead pitch, power use, sensitive electrical and stress transients toward a higher real-time simulation of the integrated package and design. The telecom, computer and consumer segments are converging to impose new challenges that the SMT assembly industry must face in the near future.
The thrust of the SMT process is toward miniaturization, lower power consumption, improved functionality, ease of interfacing, wireless connectivity, aesthetics and affability to the environment. The growing awareness about the hazards of lead has resulted in the introduction of newer materials to replace lead-based solders in electronic and halogen-free printed circuit board (PCB) materials.
Challenging the Paradigms
The shift toward lead-free soldering is posing a serious challenge because those solder paste materials require higher peak reflow soldering temperatures of 250° to 260°C as opposed to the conventional 215° to 230°C. Therefore, gas temperatures must be set at least 50°C higher, creating a higher temperature gradient involving both the major and minor regions of the device and placing an unwarranted thermal and mechanical stress on the components. These increased temperatures also influence the reliability of the plastic SMT process-compatible packages. Moreover, the PCB delamination and internal contamination at raised temperatures add to a need of maintaining stringent cleanliness during PCB manufacturing. Encapsulation molding compounds need to be selected accordingly for applications experiencing harsh and humid environments.
In current SMT manufacturing facilities, the labor and rework cost contributes to a major fraction of the overall manufacturing expenses. Also, the gestation period from design concepts to mass fabrication and commercial acceptance of the products has reduced to almost half of its value in the preceding year. Thus, the cost of consumables, replacement of machine parts, labor wage, defect trends and the increased process yield requirements are driving even the small and mediocre manufacturers to adapt to a higher automated process.
This renewed requirement of higher automation also has led to an increased sale of used equipment as a cost saving measure. There is a mixed response among the new equipment manufacturers about the increased sale of used equipment. Pick-and-place equipment manufacturers consider this market a serious threat to their sales revenue, whereas automated optical inspection (AOI) equipment manufacturers consider this as an improved opportunity to serve newer customers. At present, the estimated market share of the used pick-and-place equipment is around 15 to 20 percent of the total market and is predicted to grow in the future. The market share of the used AOI equipment is estimated to be less than 10 percent.
The major constrictions in operating SMT processes are varying circuit board sizes, interfaces, copious parts mix, back-end lead trimming/forming, parts packaging, clean room space, research and development (R&D), raw material, consumables, and more. Some other concerns include machine-based capacities, such as throughput, placement accuracy and cleaning, product changeover time, feeders/work holders for component placement, board location, mean time to repair (MTTR), and mean time between failure (MTBF). The reduced turnaround time and the lead times required by the suppliers demand a higher stratum inventory management as well as an accurate study of plant capacity.
The year 2001 recession in the world economy had a deteriorating effect in the growth of the SMT industry. Due to the recession, wafer prices have dropped every quarter in the last two years. In Q302, the capacity utilization at leading foundries has decreased to 39 to 41 percent. The manufacturers that have the state-of-the-art 0.13 µm technology presently have an upper hand in the market. In the past few years, the worldwide semiconductor industry has witnessed a considerable investment into China. On the technology front, the older 0.25 µm and above technology is being transferred into that country. Therefore, the leading operators of 0.13 µm technology do not have a challenge in this segment from the emerging mainland China.
Emerging Frontiers
The latest entrants into the SMT industry are the metallized film capacitor manufacturers that are driven by strong SMT process-compatible device demand from the telecommunications, instrumentation and handheld test segments. The conventional film materials could not withstand the high soldering temperatures of SMT. The surface mount device (SMD) films required specialized soldering techniques. Moreover, the leaded capacitors were much cheaper as compared to the SMT compatible devices. With the continuing miniaturization of the SMT products, there has been an upsurge in this industry. The original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are witnessing an improved demand for SMT-compatible film capacitors.
On the technology front, growth is predicted for the film capacitors that can operate at higher frequency regions and offer low equivalent series resistance (ESR) and low equivalent series inductance (ESL). Major applications of this segment include output filtering for DC-to-DC converters, telecom line interfaces, etc.
Expanding Avenues
For the past three decades, the worldwide end-user community has been witnessing a rapid innovation in electronics products and devices. Newer applications are being devised to promote the sales revenue of the OEMs. For example, there presently is an upsurge in the sales of digital cameras for home and industrial applications. The latest innovation is the Web-enabled network video cameras designed for remote monitoring through live video over IP-based networks.
The adoption of the fabless manufacturing approach has resulted in the emergence of newer startup companies. This business outsourcing model has contributed to a reduced investment over infrastructure. The newer entrepreneurs with engineering talent are setting up their own enterprises that initially concentrate on specific product segments and eventually diversify as the business grows. This trend is predicted to increase in the coming decade to drive more competition in the industry.
Mandeep Singh Oberoi, research analyst, may be contacted at Frost & Sullivan, 7750 IH 10 W, Suite 910, San Antonio, TX 70229; (210) 348-1000; Web site: www.frost.com.