Back End Swings Into San Jose
By Semiconductor International Staff -- Semiconductor International, 6/1/2000
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For the fourth consecutive year, the semiconductor industry's largest conference and exposition will be split into two segments this year: front-end and back-end. And once again, the back-end portion of SEMICON West -covering test, assembly and packaging - will convene in San Jose, Calif. From Wednesday, July 12, through Friday, July 14, the San Jose Convention Center will play host to the back-end segment of SEMICON West 2000. As in years past, this portion of the show overlaps the front-end, wafer processing segment - held in San Francisco from Monday, July 10 through Wednesday, July 12, - by one day.
Though always synonymous with technology, SEMICON West this year takes on an even more high-tech atmosphere with virtual displays and computer-enhanced services that offer visitors access to a variety of resources even before they reach the first booth at the San Jose Convention Center. In both San Jose and San Francisco, this year's SEMICON West features high-tech amenities that include virtual booths, eCenters and a "personal planner" to help attendees optimize their experience, whether in person or remotely.
Can't get to every booth that interests you? Log on and visit some in advance, from wherever you are. Up to 100 exhibitors are scheduled to have "virtual booths" set up by the time SEMICON West opens, according to SEMI. These booths can be accessed before or during the show, and visitors can download literature and access audio and video presentations. Each booth is designed to be unique, but they all have some common features, such as "Literature" and "Contacts." The "Literature" links give visitors access to specific product and industry informational writings, which can be downloaded into a virtual "Tradeshow Bag" and printed out from there. The "Contacts" links offer small, virtual "business cards," which also can be downloaded and printed out. And to keep track of where you've been, you can even have a "virtual badge" scanned at each virtual booth, allowing you access to various links for each exhibitor.
There are other new high-tech offerings at this year's SEMICON West as well. Overwhelmed by the size of the convention and wondering how to keep track of all you want to do? Neither time nor distance need be an issue. Simply log on to a feature called "My Personal Planner" and organize your activities in advance. Later, when you get to the show, you'll find other amenities available to help you stay in touch with your office or check the Internet. So-called eCenters will be available throughout the convention area: e-mail stations you can use to send or receive e-mail from anywhere in the world; and kiosks connected directly into the Internet, where you can look up exhibitor and product information instantly.
Virtual booths and other high-tech resources for SEMICON West 2000 can be found on SEMI's Web site, at www.semi.org.
Technology trends
The San Jose segment of SEMICON West is the premier place for back-end technology introductions and innovations. It is an excellent resource for making new contacts and learning the latest in packaging and other techniques vital to the industry.
One major change in the industry lately has been the rapidly growing importance placed on packaging. Instead of simply protecting the die, the package also is playing a larger role in ensuring signal integrity. At the same time that packaging technologies are advancing, codesign of chip and package is becoming a necessity. Multichip packaging is a growing method for saving space as well as a viable alternative to system-on-a-chip integration.
The numbers game
Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the San Jose Convention Center is situated at 408 Almaden Ave., within two blocks of the Tech Museum of Innovation, San Jose Museum of Art and the Children's Discovery Museum. There will be three exhibit areas at the Convention Center this year: McEnery Hall, Civic and Parkside.
Despite an industry upturn, the number of companies with booths at SEMICON West 2000 is down slightly from last year. This year, San Jose will feature 1,300 booths with displays from 580 companies, according to SEMI officials. There also are plenty of presentations for participants in San Jose, including a significant increase in the number of Standards programs - 37 this year, compared with nine in 1999. There also will be 15 technical and business programs this year. SEMI estimates the booths and exhibits in San Jose and San Francisco will draw some 70,000 visitors to SEMICON West this year.
Exhibition hours for the San Jose portion of the show are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, July 12-13, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, July 14. The last day of the San Francisco expo overlaps the first day of the San Jose segment, and SEMI will provide free shuttle services between the two cities from July 10-12.
Technical and business programs
The 15 technical and business programs offered this year in San Jose cover a broad range of topics (Table 1).
Among the presentations will be "International Packaging Strategy Symposium," to be held Thursday, July 13, from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the San Jose Hilton and Towers. This symposium will deal with improving communication through cooperation among system integrators and IC device manufactuers, as well as equipment and materials suppliers. Information necessary to create a framework for coordinated product and technology development based on the needs and requirements of end users will be presented, along with a discussion of the future economic and technological trends, among other topics. The program chairs are Charles Bauer, Ph.D., of TechLead Corporation, and Randy Braun of Allied Signal Electronic Materials.
Another course visitors might want to explore is "Understanding and Using Cost of Ownership - Assembly and Packaging Emphasis," to be held Thursday, July 13, from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the San Jose Fairmont. In this course, leading IC manufacturers - including Texas Instruments, Philips, Intel, STMicroelectronics and IBM - use cost-of-ownership to evaluate equipment purchases. Cost-of-ownership is growing in importance to equipment manufacturers and material suppliers, and this one-day workshop will explore how the industry employs cost-of-ownership by providing a theoretical foundation and practical understanding of its concepts and applications. The course is a laboratory workshop with computer workstations allowing participants to measure cost-of-ownership sensitivities hands-on. Using pre-planned exercises and the latest generation of software, participants can examine their own equipment, materials or fab conditions.
Standards meeting
As standards are becoming increasingly important to the semiconductor industry, their presence is growing at SEMICON West. This year, the San Jose expo will feature more standards meetings than in previous years, with more emphasis on data and automation standards, but also covering assembly and packaging as well as automated test and equipment integration (Table 2). In addition to the San Jose meetings, more than 100 committee and task force meetings are scheduled in San Francisco, along with four SEMI Standards technical education programs.
Schedules will be available at the SEMI booths in the San Jose Convention Center and San Francisco's Moscone Center, as well as at the Standards Information desk at the San Francisco Marriott Hotel.
Happy anniversary, SEMI!
With both SEMI and SEMICON West celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, one highlight of SEMICON West 2000 will be a special black-tie fundraiser, held in the main hangar at Moffett Field in Mountain View, Calif., on Wednesday, July 12. The benefit gala will feature Gen. Colin L. Powell, former chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, as keynote speaker, plus entertainment from comedian Dana Carvey and the swing band Cherry Poppin' Daddies. Proceeds will go to five Silicon Valley programs that promote math and science education and workforce development programs in grades 6-12. SEMI has pledged a total of $1M to be divided equally among these organizations: Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education; Synopsis Outreach Foundation; Jose A. Valdes Summer Mathematics Institute; Workforce Silicon Valley; and Charitech Civic Venture Fund.
For more information and to obtain tickets to the gala, call 1-650-940-6901 or visit SEMI's Web site.
Registration details
On-site registration begins in San Jose on Wednesday, July 12, and continues throughout the show. You also can register in advance, either by mail, by Fax or at www.semi.org. Downloadable registration forms are available at the online registration page. If you choose not to register online, you can register for the exposition by mailing your form to SEMICON West 2000, 110 Shawmut Rd., Canton, MA 02021-1411, or Faxing it to 1-781-828-9992. To register for programs or events, mail forms to SEMICON West 2000 Lock Box, Department 05229, P.O. Box 39000, San Francisco, CA 94139-5229, or Fax to 1-650-940-7919. For general information, call 1-650-964-5111.
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