Category: My Presentations

Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop 2015 Presentation – Are You Really Going To Package That?

Are You Really Going To Package That? - Ira Feldman and Debbora Ahlgren - SW Test 2015
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I had the pleasure of presenting “Are You Really Going To Package That?” at the 25th annual Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop (SW Test / SWTW) on Tuesday June 9, 2015. Debbora Ahlgren and I took this opportunity to step back and look at how old paradigms in test-cell integration may lead to suboptimal solutions.

In an effort to reduce the cost-of-test (COT), a number of customers are increasing the parallelism of logic wafer probe cards. However, due to the complexity such as pitch and number of probes, the pricing for these cards is reaching astronomical levels. We do not believe this trend is sustainable, let alone logical. The presentation suggested examples of alternative solutions. It is clear that critical solutions need to be optimized at the test cell, factory, and supply chain level not just at the consumable (probe card) level.

Trillion Sensors – TApps: Ultra-High Volume Sensor Applications for Global Challenges

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Click image to download San Diego TSensors Summit presentation (update of Munich)

 
It was my pleasure to organize and present at two TSensors Summits: Munich and San Diego this fall. The enthusiasm and intellectual “horsepower” of the presenters and attendees was incredible!

My presentations explain Continue reading “Trillion Sensors – TApps: Ultra-High Volume Sensor Applications for Global Challenges”

IEEE Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop 2014 Presentation

International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) - Ira Feldman - IEEE SWTW2014
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At the 24th annual IEEE 
Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop (SWTW) on Wednesday June 11, 2014,
I had the pleasure of presenting “International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors”. This presentation was co-authored with Dave Armstrong (Advantest) and Marc Loranger (FormFactor).

For the last fifteen years the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) has been looking fifteen years into the future. Based upon technology requirements and other inputs, ranging from the gate size of transistors to advanced packaging technology, the Test and Test Equipment Technical Working Group (Test TWG) has worked to develop the requirements for test technology and equipment.

The Test TWG is over seventy volunteers with deep technical expertise in test from around the world and from every sized company – Fortune 100 to individual consultants – and every type of company – semiconductor independent device manufacturer (IDM), fabless semiconductor, foundry, outsourced assembly and test (OSAT), automated test equipment (ATE) suppliers, prober, probe card, socket, handler, and more. Through Continue reading “IEEE Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop 2014 Presentation”

IEEE Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop 2013

Ideal 3D Stacked Die Test - Ira Feldman - IEEE SWTW2013
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I had the pleasure of presenting “Ideal 3D Stacked Die Test” in Session Two “Industry Trends and Advanced Packaging Challenges” of the 23rd annual IEEE 
Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop (SWTW) on Monday June 10, 2013.

Integrated circuits using 2.5D advanced packaging are shipping. 3D packaging with thru-silicon vias (TSV) has been demonstrated. “5.5D” packages may not be far behind. Probe card suppliers have made progress building interconnect technology for the micro-bump arrays. Standards committees have started defining IC interface standards and test access protocols.

But what does the Test Engineer and Management really want? What can they afford? What are the most likely scenarios? Factors that determine which test technology can support the desired test flow are examined. In particular, probe card technology for probing TSV bumps and potential usage models are reviewed.

Riding Off Into the Sunset – BiTS 2013

Sunset over Phoenix, Arizona during BiTS Workshop
Sunset over Phoenix, Arizona during BiTS Workshop

As the Burn-in & Test Strategies (BiTS) Workshop 2013 fades into the sunset (queue the music), here is a round-up of the highlights. There were gun fights in the corral as well as technical questions for the presenters. The saloon girls and gunfighters took an edge off of the “geek” factor. This year over three hundred fifty people come to the “Circle BiTS Ranch” (aka the Hilton in Mesa, Arizona) for the premier conference focused on what is new and next for semiconductor test tooling and strategy. Oh, did I mention that the theme this year was Western?

This was the 14th annual BiTS Workshop, which has achieved the perfect conference trifecta of Continue reading “Riding Off Into the Sunset – BiTS 2013”

LinkedIn Lady Radio Show: Marketing & Social Media Applications


Not enough time to plan, execute, and measure the ROI of the marketing for your business? Hey, there’s an app for that!

I was pleased to be Ken Herron’s guest on the October 24 edition of the LinkedIn Lady radio show. We had a great discussion about marketing and social media applications.

To hear the show:
   via iTunes
   download a MP3 file

 

Please send me your questions in the comments below or feel free to contact me directly if I can help your business!

Here is the show announcement:

As an independent consultant, Ira works with his high technology clients to move their products from concepts to commercialization. Marketing is an area of expertise in which he assists his clients, who range from solopreneurs to large publicly traded companies. At the same time, he markets his consulting services to his own customers. In this show, Ken and Ira will discuss marketing for small businesses. They will talk about marketing strategy, channel selection, and content optimization, which are even more important for business owners with limited time and resources. Ira and Ken will discuss all of the major social channels, including: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, and Slideshare, and the latest free tools to help YOU get the most out of your social marketing efforts to grow your business.

Join Ira and Ken on your computer or smartphone on the Wednesday, October 24 LinkedIn Lady radio show at 4:00 p.m. Eastern / 1:00 p.m. Pacific. Only on the LinkedIn Lady radio show on the Rock Star Radio Network!

IEEE Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop 2012 – Session 4 (Monday)

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Here are the highlights from Session Four “New Contactor Technologies and RF PCB Design” of the 22nd annual IEEE 
Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop (SWTW) from Monday June 11, 2012.

A last minute change to balance the schedule moved my paper “The Road to 450 mm Semiconductor Wafers” from the previous session:

Many believe that Gordon Moore in his famous 1965 paper “The Experts Look Ahead: Cramming More Components onto Integrated Circuits” that has become know as Moore’s Law, said that the number of transistors on a device would double every year (later revised to every two years). He did not say quite that. What he said was  Continue reading “IEEE Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop 2012 – Session 4 (Monday)”

Silicon Valley Test Workshop – 2nd Year “Rocks”

2 5D? 3D? What? 3D IC Packaging - Ira Feldman
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Back for the second year (with a minor name change), the Silicon Valley Test Workshop is an unpolished gem. Looking past the rough edges (minor logistical issues), what really shines through is the interaction of the participants. This conference really has Continue reading “Silicon Valley Test Workshop – 2nd Year “Rocks””

Semiconductor Wafer Test Technology and Trends: Lessons for MEMS Test Engineers

Lessons for MEMS Test Engineers
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The MEMS Testing and Reliability 3rd Annual Conference gets high marks: excellent speakers focused on an emerging topic and it was large enough to have “critical mass” while allowing everyone to interact. It was well produced by MEMS Investor Journal and MEPTEC.

My presentation, “Semiconductor Wafer Test Technology and Trends: Lessons for MEMS Test Engineers“, covered the differences between testing semiconductors and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). I reviewed the progress in test technology over the last fifty plus years, from simple cantilever probe cards to large full wafer contact probe cards, developed to reduce the cost of test.

I discussed lower cost solutions that appear counter-intuitive since they require increased technical and operational complexity. Challenges of testing MEMS devices while still on wafer (prior to packaging and singulation) were discussed along with a review of MEMS solutions at this year’s IEEE Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop.

With the proper skills, experience, and perspective it is possible to avoid “re-inventing the wheel” and to develop the best strategy to profitably introduce new technologies to high volume manufacturing.

IEEE Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop – Productivity / COO – Session Nine (Wednesday)

 

Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop SWTW bannerHere are the highlights from Session Nine – “Productivity / COO” of the 21st annual IEEE Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop (SWTW) from Wednesday June 15, 2011.

Doron Avidar, Micron, “Ghosting – Touchdown Reduction Using Alternate Site Sharing“:

Even though memory testers can support very high parallelism, with smaller memories (in terms of capacity and dimensions) there are more die per wafer requiring Continue reading “IEEE Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop – Productivity / COO – Session Nine (Wednesday)”

Probe Card Cost Drivers from Architecture to Zero Defects

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As the final presenter at this week’s IEEE Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop (SWTW), I outlined how critical it is to understand the true cost of a product’s architecture in “Probe Card Cost Drivers from Architecture to Zero Defects“. Without a proper understanding of these costs – especially for fully custom high technology products such as wafer test probe cards – it is impossible to maintain a sufficient gross margin. Gross margin is essential to maintain the health of a company and to fund the research & development required for innovation.

Many companies in the semiconductor test market have entered a period that Steve Newberry identified in his 2008 speech “Semiconductor Industry Trends: The Era of Profitless Prosperity?” that parallels the aluminum industry in the 1970’s. And without the means to fund innovation, companies have no future especially when faced with the double threat of Moore’s Law – increasingly harder technical requirements delivered at lower cost.

Yes, there were a few in the audience who appeared pleased since they are confident that their products are on the right path. There were others who may have been upset based upon their company’s direction. I would argue that a proper diagnosis – regardless of how disturbing – is essential to drive the proper cure.

There is plenty of opportunity in the test market and reasons for optimism. The key to long term prosperity is to really understand the fundamentals of the business and not be blinded by the technology.

I thank those who stayed for the entire conference and welcome your thoughts below. And I will be posting more about the conference (including my summaries) in the next few weeks.

 

Silicon Valley Test Conference – Something New & Overdue

Starting off something new is often challenging and difficult with many unknowns. Kudos to Nick Langston for creating the Silicon Valley Test Conference that was held last week. (November 8 & 9, 2010) It was the first test conference to actually take place in Silicon Valley. And yes there were some minor “bugs” like registration delays and a no-show by the audio visual contractor that should be solved in next year’s Rev 2.0. Even with a few rough edges, the quality of the presentations and the exhibitors shined through to make this a success.

The conference opened with an excellent keynote address by well-known industry expert Continue reading “Silicon Valley Test Conference – Something New & Overdue”