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Viewpoint

February 6, 2026

VIEWPOINT 2026: Marc Engel, CEO, Agileo Automation

The Convergence of Front-end and Back-end: Navigating the Advanced Packaging Era

Marc Engel, CEO, Agileo Automation

The shift toward advanced packaging (AP) is fundamentally reshaping semiconductor manufacturing, blurring the lines between front-end and back-end processes. For equipment manufacturers, this evolution demands a dual transformation in automation strategy.

Software – The Front-end Migration

As back-end fabs adopt AP techniques, they are inheriting the stringent software standards of front-end wafer fabs. Major players now require GEM300 and Equipment Data Acquisition (EDA/Interface A) to enable high-speed, secured, and structured data-driven process control. Modern manufacturing execution systems (MES) must now treat back-end tools with the same granularity as lithography or etching equipment.

Hardware – Mastering Non-Standard Complexity

Hardware automation faces a geometric revolution. Unlike the predictable 300mm round wafer, AP introduces a variety of new challenges:

• Substrate diversity: Handling large, non-standard rectangular panels requires robotic flexibility and precise alignment.
• Physical variability: Automation must navigate extreme structural ranges, from ultra-thin, highly warped "potato chip" wafers to massive, high-density panels weighed down by high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and graphics processing unit (GPU) stacks.
• Intelligent mapping: To manage these complex layouts, the SEMI E142 standard is becoming essential for substrate mapping and multi-die traceability.

By aligning with these software and hardware standards, semiconductor OEMs can deliver the modularity and precision required for the next era of heterogeneous integration.

Marc Engel, CEO
Agileo Automation
https://www.agileo.com/en

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