UK-based MicroStencil launched a new production facility for the manufacture of ultra-fine pitch screen printing stencils.

Following its spin-out from Edinburgh's Heriot-Watt University, additional investment has now enabled the company to expand stencil manufacturing at its headquarters in Livingston with the installation of a class 100 cleanroom and customized production equipment based on the semiconductor manufacturing processes.

The company provides an electroformed stencil that allows the fabrication of sub-100 micron aperture pitch. The stencil has the potential to deliver considerable advantages in interconnecting technology and offers in screen printing for wafer bumping and chip bonding.

The process forms high tolerance apertures with extremely smooth sidewalls. Such stencils are beginning to enable printing at sub-150 micron pitch. While current methods of applying solder bumps using stencil printing cannot cost-effectively get below a 150µm aperture pitch, severely restricting the use of flip-chip packaging, MicroStencil can push the limits down to 10µm aperture size and 10µm web space.

The technology achieves high-density electrical interconnects leading to higher portability and functionality in portable electronics devices.

www.micro-stencil.com 

Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials has launched ALPHA EF-10000, the latest addition to its lead-free no-clean wave solder flux technology. The high rosin, no-clean, alcohol-based product passes international reliability standards, including JIS, IPC and Bellcore, while reportedly providing broad process compatibility and excellent first pass yield in both lead-free and tin-lead wave soldering applications. 

Said to deliver best-in-class top side hole fill on a variety of common plated through-hole sizes; is fully capable with SAC and eutectic tin-lead alloys. Resists micro solder ball formation.

“ALPHA EF-10000 flux passes the JIS, IPC and Bellcore electrical reliability standards enabling electronic assemblers to build strong, durable joints in both lead-free and tin-lead processes,” said Steve Brown, global product manager at CEAM. 

Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials, alphametals.com

Speedline Technologies will introduce its XyflexPro Dispensing System for the first time in Asia at Semicon Taiwan 2005. The system is said to deliver an increased speed rating of more than 30% and twice the accuracy of other dispensing systems.

The XyflexPr⁺ platform, along with Camalot Pumps and MPM Gel Flex tooling, will be featured at Semicon Taiwan 2005, booth number 914, Hall 1, on Sept. 12-14, in the Taipei World Trade Center.

“Featuring an advanced composite gantry design structure and linear drive system utilizing the latest in motion control drive technology, the new XyflexPro⁺ platform has the structural rigidity and control needed to attain the high performance capabilities and speed demands by the most challenging current – and future – manufacturing requirements,” said Hugh Read, product manager dispensing equipment.

Highlights include:

“Total System Accuracy” specification for “real world” material placement on a substrate relevant to a target;

Throughput increases across all dispense applications, with a faster point-to-point movement and the virtual elimination of z-axis travel time;

An increase in the gross dot placement rate to 45,000 DPH;

A Line Sequence command for faster, smoother travel around corners when dispensing Underfill, Encapsulation and Micro Display applications;

Pipeline conveyor mode allows parallel product transfer between conveyor zones, reducing transfer time up to 40%.

Allows the retrofitting of any option at anytime in the field as well as ability to change to and from SMT to semiconductor applications with minimum downtime. 

Features the Multi Piston Pump, Positive shut-off Dispense Units (DU), standard auger and MicroDot DU’s.

Available as a standalone or in-line system, and is easily configurable with single or dual heads for a range of dispense applications.

Speedline Technologies, .speedlinetech.com

SensArray Corp. announced an Assembly and Test Business Unit to deliver process optimization tools specifically for backend semiconductor manufacturers. The unit currently markets six applications as well as custom control systems to ensure optimum performance and better yields during wafer bumping.

"Present instruments currently used to control processes such as solder reflow and curing polymer coatings have become inadequate due to their lack of accuracy and sufficient channels of data measurement and analysis," said Phil Marcoux, Assembly and Test manager. "SensArray is leveraging its reputation for leadership in process optimization tools for front end IC manufacturing by supplying a set of measurement and control solutions that provide temperature accuracy, stability and calibration for the backend market."

With process optimization tools and measurement systems, regular profiling can reveal potential process problems before manufacturers realize a reduction in yields, which necessitate high rework requirements. SensArray has created a system bundle from its current tools for measuring real time, in situ temperature in backend processes.

The bundle includes: Process Probe1935 thermocouple (TC)-instrumented wafer; Process Prob3 1630 TC-instrumented wafer; Process Probe Custom Reflow; PDA-based Thermal TRACK measurement systems; laptop-based Thermal MAP metrology systems; and the Intelligent Sensor Interface System (ISIS).

SensArray, www.sensarray.com