March 3, 2026

Making Hybrid Bonding Better Chipmakers advance 3D integration with hybrid bonding, creating denser interconnects that cut latency and boost power efficiency for AI and HPC. Material, process, and co-design innovations are overcoming HBM costs and thermal limits, speeding adoption in advanced packaging. Semiconductor Engineering

Sponsor Are Your BGA Rework Operators Competent? Can every operator handle your BGA rework equally well? In real life, in all but just a few situations, the answer is no. Why is this so? Circuit Technology Center

VIEWPOINT 2026: Paul Crothers, Vice President of Semiconductor Segment, TransPak The world's semiconductor supply chains will continue to shift toward higher-value, larger, and more complex equipment in 2026 to power AI and advanced nodes. To keep pace with the industry's needs, packaging and logistics solutions will need to become even more predictive and data-driven. At TransPak, ... TransPak

EOTPR Fine pitch probing for die-to-die interconnect failure analysis in chiplet devices Debugging D2D I/O failures in heterogeneous packages is increasingly difficult due to limited access and test granularity. This paper shows how EOTPR accurately isolates chiplet interconnect defects with minimal prep, validated by a case study. Technical Paper

Sponsor FSO Hermetic Package HDHS® Technology Seam sealing with metal to metal seals and low temperature exposure. Inside the hermetic package the atmosphere is precisely controlled. Auer package tooling reduces handling and contamination. MicroCircuit Laboratories, LLC

Samsung Reportedly Targets HBM4E Power Bottleneck with Design Overhaul, Cuts Defects 97% Samsung is revamping HBM4E's power network to boost efficiency and reliability, segmenting internal PDNs to cut congestion. The redesign reduces metal defects by 97% and IR drop by 41%, while Samsung explores GPU–HBM separation and photonic links for faster, cooler AI chips. Trendforce

TSMC's 2025 Overseas Split: China Leads Profits, Arizona Turns Profitable, Japan Losses Widen TSMC's 2025 report shows its China fabs drove profits, with Nanjing and Shanghai netting NT$39.177 billion from mature 16/28 nm chips, while Arizona swung to NT$16.1 billion profit as U.S. AI orders surged. Japan and Germany fabs struggled amid upgrades and startup costs. TrendForce

Sponsor Elevate Efficiency: MRSI-H1 Die Bonder Transform your assembly with precision and speed. Discover unparalleled quality and efficiency. MRSI

Technical Papers Alpha Particle Emissions: An Overlooked Risk for Soft Errors in Advanced Packaging Revolutionizing IC Packaging with High-Density RDL Technology EOTPR Fine pitch probing for die-to-die interconnect failure analysis in chiplet devices Die-on-Tab for Compound Semiconductors: Enabling Advanced RF Power Systems Package Assembly Design Kits: The Future of Advanced Package Design Novel Molded FCBGA Package Platform For Highly Reliable Automotive Applications Eliminating Interfacial Delamination in High-Power Automotive Devices MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

Sponsor UV DIE Bonding Special Technology Liquid adhesive is cured using ultraviolet (UV) light. In contrast to epoxy, the UV adhesive remains in the liquid state until it is exposed to high-energy UV radiation with UV DIE Bonding technology. Tresky Automation

US considers capping Nvidia H200 sales at 75,000 per Chinese customer US officials are weighing a plan to cap Nvidia's AI accelerator exports to 75,000 H200 chips per Chinese customer, limiting major buyers like Alibaba and ByteDance, while including AMD chips in the tally and keeping total China shipments potentially near one million units. South China Morning Post

Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) Statement on Chip Security Act SIA opposes the Chip Security Act, warning that mandatory, untested on-chip security rules could weaken U.S. chip competitiveness and erode global trust. CEO John Neuffer said members follow export controls and will work with Congress on effective safeguards. Semiconductor Industry Association

Sponsor SQ7000+TM Multi-Function for 3D AOI, SPI & CMM The SQ7000+ with MRS® sensor technology delivers high-resolution, high-speed inspection and metrology, uniquely combining AOI, SPI, and CMM in one in-line system. Nordson Test & Inspection

Manufacturing PMI rises on chip, AI demand: S&P Taiwan's manufacturing sector surged to its strongest growth in over four years, as booming global demand for semiconductors and AI drove sharp gains in output and orders. said rising costs, supply strains and mounting backlogs accompanied the expansion. Taipei Times

Nvidia to invest $4 billion into photonics companies Coherent and Lumentum Nvidia will invest $4 billion in Lumentum and Coherent to speed silicon photonics and secure AI supply chains. The multi-year deals expand capacity for advanced optical, laser, and networking components powering AI factories. CNBC

Sponsor Die-to-Wafer Bonding Simplified Researchers developed a plasma Die-to-Wafer bonding process, eliminating complex carrier wafers & costly vacuum systems, enhancing 3DIC & integrated photonics applications. Ontos Equipment Systems

How Quantum Data Can Teach AI to Do Better Chemistry John P. Perdew's "Jacob's Ladder" frames the growing complexity of simulating electrons. Now Microsoft aims to bend it, pairing quantum computing with AI to turn quantum data into hyperaccurate models that speed materials and chemical discovery. IEEE Spectrum

Nvidia Sells Arm Shares, Signals Realignment of AI Portfolio Nvidia has sold 1.1 million Arm shares worth $140 million, ending its equity tie while remaining a customer and partner. As it expands Arm-based CPUs, adds RISC-V and x86 collaborations, Nvidia positions itself as a full-stack AI infrastructure integrator. EE Times

Sponsor New PLP solution improves underfill yields Underfill yields were greater than 99% and cycle time decreased 30% with the ASYMTEK Vantage system for panel-level packaging (PLP). Learn more. Nordson Electronics Solutions

Grand Process Technology, Taiwan Tech join forces on semiconductor packaging platform Grand Process Technology is partnering with National Taiwan University of Science and Technology in a five-year, NT$50M deal to build an advanced semiconductor packaging platform, boost R&D, train talent, pursue joint patents, and seize growing AI-driven packaging demand. Taiwan News

Sponsor Medical Grade, Dual Curable Adhesive Master Bond LED415DC90Med is a dual cure adhesive designed for high-speed manufacturing of medical electronic devices. Master Bond