Oct 26, 2026 What Breaks when Packaging Moves from Wafer to Panel? Advanced packaging panels increase chip production for AI and high-performance computing, but equipment limits, yield risks and alignment challenges threaten progress. Engineers are refining materials, processes and simulations to boost efficiency, control costs and ensure reliability. Semiconductor Engineering

Sponsor The Gallery of Progress From desktop to laptop to data center, every leap in performance begins with a packaging decision most people will never see. Explore the rooms of the exhibition and see our range of innovative applications. Henkel AG & Co.

Chip Industry Week In Review The U.S. Commerce Dept signed letters of intent to provide up to $389 million in semiconductor research funding to four companies developing power devices and critical materials, including vertical GaN and ultra-high-purity quartz, in exchange for minority, nonvoting equity stakes. Semiconductor Engineering

Why Metal TIM Warpage Simulations Fail—and How to Fix Them This study shows why metal TIM warpage simulations often fail when using bulk material properties and demonstrates that rheometer-derived film measurements significantly improve accuracy, reliability, and the optimization of high-performance package designs. Technical Paper

Sponsor LAPLACE® LAR 600A Saves Energy Fast 4-8s reflow, massive energy savings, and 90 × 90 mm² precision scanning make LAPLACE® LAR 600A the ultimate choice for sustainable reflow processes. PacTech

The AI Packaging Bottleneck Is a Materials Opportunity AI hardware increasingly relies on advanced packaging. Glass-core substrates and panel-level packaging enable denser designs, but materials challenges, complex manufacturing and limited suppliers make strategic partnerships vital to scaling production. 3D InCites

Taiwan plans to build rare earths plant Taiwan's ITRI plans a rare-earth demonstration plant targeting 500 tonnes of annual production by 2030, aiming to meet half the nation's demand. The project seeks to reduce reliance on Chinese supplies and strengthen industrial supply chains. Taipei Times

Sponsor Epoxy for Dam-and-Fill Applications Master Bond EP17HTDM-2 Black is a high temperature resistant, non-drip adhesive for bonding, sealing, encapsulating and dam-and-fill applications. Master Bond

Technical Papers ■ The Future of Flip Chip Bonding: How R-LAB and R-LTC Enable Next-Generation AI and HPC Packaging ■ Selective Alkaline Wet Etching of Al and AlCu Using a Phosphoric and Nitric Acid Free Formulation ■ 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 MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

Sponsor Ultra-Thin Wafer Handling Achieve ≤ 10 µm device thinning with Brewer Science’s BrewerBOND® VersaLayer system: a thermoplastic layer coats device features, while a low-stress adhesive bonds them. Brewer Science

China's AI compute surge heavily reliant on US chips, offshore cloud access China's AI computing capacity will double by 2027, but US-designed chips will supply 65%. Despite export restrictions, cloud access and smuggling sustain reliance on foreign hardware, while domestic chip production faces high-bandwidth memory constraints. South China Morning Post

Arm Comments on Jury Decision in Qualcomm Trial Arm claims victory in its Qualcomm dispute, citing $2 damages and the judge's reluctance to regulate licensing negotiations. Despite ongoing collaboration, the legal battle highlights growing tensions and renewed interest in open-source RISC-V architectures for AI chip development. EE Times

Sponsor Fusion and Hybrid Bonding Experts EVG's industry-leading process solutions, expertise and HI Competence Center accelerate the development and implementation of heterogeneous integration technology. EV Group

From Chip Lab to Center Stage Preethi Ashwath, an Analog Devices circuit designer, develops health-monitoring earbuds & wearables while promoting semiconductor technology. Through industry events, public speaking & IEEE volunteering, she advances engineering innovation and inspires community participation. IEEE Spectrum

SK Hynix cancels IPO of Solidigm unit SK Hynix scrapped Solidigm's planned $10 billion U.S. IPO after regulatory and shareholder opposition raised dilution and governance concerns. The move strengthens minority investor protections and highlights market uncertainty over AI investments and technology stocks. Taipei Times

Sponsor Gold Mitigation: What Engineers Need to Know When gold-plated component surfaces enter the solder joint, reliability can be at risk. This technical paper examines gold removal, robotic hot solder dip processing, testing, and process control. Circuit Technology Center

US reinvents rare earth refining as China guards know-how Washington is funding US rare earth refiners to develop new processing methods and reduce reliance on China. However, Beijing's restrictions on technology, equipment and skilled workers make building domestic expertise costly and difficult for American companies. Asia Times

TSMC seeks factory-equipment alternatives TSMC is exploring rare-earth-free motors for factory automation after China imposed export controls on critical materials, seeking to protect advanced chip production from supply disruptions. Taiwan and the US are also pursuing alternatives and more resilient supply chains. Taipei Times

Sponsor Effect of Package Warpage and Composite CT on Failure Modes Researchers analyze board-level reliability of surface mount devices in thermal cycling, identifying failure modes via warpage and strain data. Akrometrix

Foundries and OSATs Increasingly Overlap Foundries and OSATs are reshaping semiconductor manufacturing as AI demand and capacity constraints drive convergence. OSATs expand 2.5D, panel packaging and hybrid bonding, while foundries increasingly outsource backend processes to boost capacity and flexibility. Semiconductor Engineering

Sponsor Trace Analytical for Semiconductor Industry Balazs™ provides the following analytical services with a commitment to absolute quality control: Water analysis, Chemical analysis, Gas analysis, Particle analysis, Material analysis, Part analysis, and Cleanroom Evaluation analysis. Balazs Nanoanalysis

Merck opens Korean chip materials plant to meet advanced memory demand Merck opened a South Korean plant to produce molybdenum chemicals for advanced memory chips. The facility will supply Asian customers, support next-generation NAND production, reduce material waste and expand regional manufacturing capacity. The Korea Herald