Oct 9, 2026 Closing The Visibility Gap As chip interconnects shrink, manufacturers face growing challenges detecting hidden defects. Engineers must combine inspection tools, electrical tests, historical images, and production data to uncover anomalies, identify overlooked failures, and improve long-term device reliability. Semiconductor Engineering

Sponsor Dedicated Tool for Process Development Advanced plating capability at Uyemura Tech Center: Process Development, UBM, pilot production. ENIG, ENEPIG, EPIG/EPAG, RAIG immersion gold; all substrates. On-site analysis. Uyemura

AI Chip Spending Fuels Debt Financing Wave; Broadcom Reportedly Eyes Tens of Billions to Fund OpenAI AI firms are turning to debt to fund massive chip purchases as infrastructure costs soar. Broadcom is exploring up to $50 billion in financing for OpenAI, while Oracle and SpaceX pursue deals, reflecting growing demand for external capital. TrendForce

Package Assembly Design Kits: The Future of Advanced Package Design This white paper advocates for Package Assembly Design Kits (PADK) to streamline high-density fan-out package design by integrating manufacturing verification early, reducing design cycles and complexity. Technical Paper

Sponsor What do 81.3 % of automotive chip specialists agree on? That high-performance packaging materials are essential for reliability. The Research Report from Henkel Adhesive Technologies puts a number on what the industry feels. Henkel AG & Co.

Why Custom Silicon Matters in AI Data Centers Custom silicon helps data centers optimize AI, analytics, networking and storage workloads. Purpose-built processors boost performance per watt, cut latency, data movement and operating costs, and improve hardware-software integration while complementing general-purpose CPUs. EE Times

Samsung profit rises on chip windfall Samsung Electronics reported a nearly nine-fold quarterly operating profit increase to 107.4 trillion won, driven by surging AI infrastructure demand for memory chips. Results missed expectations as investors remained cautious about the semiconductor industry's cyclical risks. Taipei Times

Sponsor No-Clean, Flip-Chip and Ball-Attach Flux Improve yields with NC-809, the industry leading, true no-clean, ultra-low residue, flip-chip and ball-attach flux suitable for many semiconductor applications. Indium Corporation

Technical Papers ■ Hybrid & Fusion Bonding: from Heterogeneous Integration to 3D Front-End of Line Technologies ■ Why Metal TIM Warpage Simulations Fail—and How to Fix Them ■ Oxide Reduction for Reliable Power Electronics Manufacturing ■ Bond front velocity in lubrication-mediated bonding of flexible substrates ■ How AI Could Cut Semiconductor Package Design Cycles from Months to Days ■ 5X Faster Die Sorting Accelerates U.S. Semiconductor Manufacturing ■ A New Optical Ball Grid Array Package Development for Automotive Optical Sensor MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

Sponsor LAB Flip Chip Reflow Process Robustness Prediction Predicting laser-assisted bonding (LAB) parameters and ideal solder temperature range for a black box substrate. Read more. Amkor Technology, Inc.

TSMC quarterly revenue surges to NT$1.49 trillion TSMC reported record quarterly revenue of NT$1.49 trillion, driven by surging AI chip, high-performance computing & 2nm technology demand. Nine-month sales rose 41.1%, strengthening growth prospects as analysts anticipate higher chip prices and increased capital expenditure. Taipei Times

Beyond the Grating: Rethinking High-Power Semiconductor Laser Reliability for AI Datacenter Optics AI datacenters need reliable, high-power optical interconnects, driving engineers to assess grating-less and reduced-grating laser designs. Simulations, physical measurements and accelerated aging tests help validate thermal performance, manufacturability and reliability. 3D Incites

Sponsor Die Attach Material Comparisons Packaging high-power GaN devices? This study compares CuW and CMC bases with H20E and AuSn, revealing 34.5°C cooler junctions with CMC/AuSn. Revolutionize GaN efficiency/reliability. StratEdge Corporation

Rising Costs, Compute Demand Push ADAS Toward Modular AI Automakers are delaying autonomous driving ambitions as rising chip, memory and development costs slow deployment. Industry leaders favor agentic AI with specialized driving agents to cut computing needs and training data, while prioritizing supervised Level 2+ systems. EE Times

Rohm Semiconductor Expands Back-End Chip Manufacturing Outsourcing ROHM Semiconductor is partnering with Tata Electronics and Suchi Semicon to outsource TOLL and TO-252 packaging in India. The company will assess local OSAT capabilities, initially serve domestic demand and explore global expansion while retaining wafer fabrication in-house. EE Times

Sponsor Wafer Processing Adhesives & Solution Thin semiconductor chips are common. Backgrinding & thinning process is considered separate, the ability to com-bine wafer backgrinding-thinning & back-side active buildup improves throughput. AI Technology, Inc.

Finding Critical Defects Before They Become Costly Failures: Process Control For Hybrid Bonding And Advanced Packaging Advanced packaging manufacturers combine 2D inspection, infrared subsurface detection and 3D metrology to classify defects, improve process control and maintain throughput. Unified platforms speed engineering decisions, reduce bottlenecks and protect production yield. Semiconductor Engineering

Demonstrating Plasma As A Viable Alternative To KOH For LCP Metallization Applications Nordson's MaxVIA plasma technology improves LCP surface activation, roughness, wettability, and adhesion for reliable electroless copper plating. The process replaces conventional KOH treatment, reducing chemical handling risks and infrastructure needs for PCB manufacturers. Semiconductor Engineering

Sponsor Temporary Bonding Materials Brewer Science offers temporary bonding solutions with high adhesion and high thermal stability (≥ 400˚C) to enable thinning ≤ 50 µm. Brewer Science

From Silicon To Systems: Redefining Competitive Advantage, Part 3 The semiconductor industry is shifting value beyond transistor scaling toward advanced packaging, AI infrastructure, software & system integration. Companies combining technologies, partnerships and platforms will gain an edge in scalable, energy-efficient computing systems. Semiconductor Engineering

Sponsor Micro Dispensing Technology White Paper The trend toward micro-dispensing technology increases as electronic assembly's shrink & component packages decrease in size. DL Technology

Global IBs raise Korea's growth outlooks on chip boom Foreign investment banks raised South Korea's 2026 growth forecast to 3.5% from 3.3%, driven by a stronger semiconductor upcycle. JPMorgan, Citi and UBS upgraded projections, while the 2027 forecast also increased to 2.8%. Yonhap News Agency