As advanced packaging technology becomes increasingly important for implementing advanced semiconductors, an event that provided an opportunity to examine the latest surface mount technology and packaging technology trends was held in one place, attracting a large number of visitors.

■ SMT·Dispensing, Expectations for Battlefield Products Amid the Stagnation

An exhibition was held where one could examine trends in surface mount technology (SMT), a core manufacturing technology for cutting-edge industries such as semiconductor post-processing, automobile parts, 5G communications, and mobile.

The 2023 Smart SMT&PCB Assembly Exhibition was held at the Suwon Convention Center on the 5th. This event, which was held with 491 booths from 134 companies, which is more than 50% larger than last year, showcased various cutting-edge production equipment in the SMT field used in semiconductor post-processing and manufacturing various industrial parts.

SMT equipment is mainly used in semiconductor post-processing, providing short development periods and cost-effective solutions in SiP (System in Package) product groups. The technology of packaging different components into one is receiving a lot of attention as an alternative to the yield problems, long development periods, and high costs of SoCs.

On the other hand, due to the global economic downturn and the semiconductor inventory buildup, this year is a dark cloud over the SMT and dispensing systems in the related market. The industry predicted that this year would be difficult due to the decrease in facility investment demand and weakening demand. However, they were optimistic about securing related customers, saying that there will be opportunities for the expansion of the automobile and battery industries.

As soldering is the core of SMT production equipment, many companies were presenting soldering machine solutions. △Dawon Nexview △Mint Technology △Shinmyung Electric △Top Solution △TSM △Protec △Heller Korea, etc. exhibited reflow soldering and selective machines.

Hanwha Precision Machinery, the sponsor of the exhibition, attracted many visitors by introducing chip mounters and automatic mounting machines for odd-shaped parts. In addition, a smart factory solution was showcased, and the 'T-Solution', an automated manufacturing operation system (ERP/MES) for production, material, and quality management, attracted the attention of visitors.

In addition, the exhibition hall was filled with many products capable of inspecting product defects and surface-mounted boards, such as △3D optical inspection machines, △X-ray inspection machines, and △3D conformal coating inspection machines.

■ Packaging, labor-intensive → transformed into technology-intensive industry
“As the status of technological hegemony rises, semiconductors are at the center of it. “Advanced packaging technology is included in the national core technology and is changing from a labor-intensive industry to a technology-intensive industry.”

Kang Sa-yoon, president of the Korea Microelectronics and Packaging Society, diagnosed the current state of the packaging industry as follows.

The Korea Microelectronics and Packaging Society held its 31st regular academic conference in 2023 on the 4th floor of the Suwon Convention Center on the 5th.

This two-day academic conference presented cutting-edge semiconductor packaging technologies across industries, including 5G, 6G, automotive electronics, and displays, and shared research trends, particularly in heterogeneous integration and chiplet packaging, which have recently attracted a lot of attention.

Chairman Kang Sa-yoon said in his opening remarks, “The society aims to present packaging technology directions, share research and development, foster an ecosystem for the Korean packaging industry, and further contribute to the semiconductor industry as a whole.” He added, “This year, as last year, we are planning a forum to analyze the advanced packaging roadmap and present future directions, as well as a carbon-neutral symposium.”
The seminar hall where the regular academic conference was held was packed with over 300 participants from academia, industry, and research. As the heated presentations and Q&A sessions continued, the conference room was soon filled with a heated atmosphere.

The sessions on this day included presentations on △Advanced Packaging Technology for HPC △Semiconductor Packaging Technology for HPC/AI at Plannery Talk, as well as poster presentations △Special sessions on heterogeneous integration and chiplet packaging technology △Special sessions on Test & Reliability.

Meanwhile, the international academic conference ISMP 2023 is scheduled to be held in Busan in early October. ISMP is a top-level international event that shares expertise in microelectronics and packaging across academia, industry, and research, and is hosted by the Korea Microelectronics and Packaging Society.