But our sales team, application engineers and product managers have also become much less camera shy. With trade shows being cancelled and tight travel restrictions, our staff is hosting more virtual demonstrations, video-taped sample bonding, and even remote factory acceptances for a purchased machine. We can deliver a range of virtual experiences, from live machine introductions to in-depth evaluations using customer parts.

In both of our US based demonstration labs (New Hampshire and Arizona), we have become virtual production studios.  A similar change has occurred in our Berlin, Germany headquarters.

We have been helped by the expertise of our marketing team who knows this  digital media best.  I believe we have been successful in creating a good replica of the important in-person visit to an equipment supplier to see the capability of a system and the people who will support it.

We have even produced virtual factory tours for those who don’t know Finetech.  They can really benefit by seeing just how modern our production areas and dedicated application labs are, as well as the large, knowledgeable staff behind all this.

Our offices are open and as long as local guidelines are followed, we are having visitors to our facilities.  But not everyone who wants to can come to us.  So now we have a convenient way to connect with them virtually.

All of us here at Finetech miss our in-person interactions, but we are inspired to add the new tag line to our emails:

Our technical specialists have been supporting existing users through numerous remote methods.  Some TeamViewer, Skype, Zoom or WebEx sessions may have extra background noise from children or dogs barking, but ultimately the job is still getting done. In typical Finetech fashion, many of these calls  take place no matter the time of day.

Our sales and administration groups have continued to keep our business running smoothly.  I am happy that during this unprecedented event, we have kept our factory quite active with new systems to build and ship.

As many states start the process of a slow re-opening, we all look forward to getting “back on the road” in a safe manner.  We thrive on seeing our customers in-person.  Learning your business and advising on process and applications are part of Finetech’s DNA.  

No one knows how the infection rates will trend in the coming months.  We all hope for a return toward some version of normalcy, and of course for kids to be back in school…someday...

Here’s to perseverance, health, and optimism for the future!

Two important variables to consider when selecting equipment are speed and throughput. In many ways, both of those words can mean the same thing. But when broken down in the micro assembly world, and especially for a CM that sees a variety of technology types, the words have completely different meanings but are equally important. Let me explain -

Speed and throughput in a manufacturing environment can have the same meaning when it relates to Parts per Hour (PPH) or Units per Hour (UPH).  Speed relates to how fast a machine can do its job – whether it’s a wire bonder bonding wires from a chip to a substrate or a dispenser applying solder or epoxy to all required locations. Throughput is the amount of product that can be built in an assembly line or assembly cell, completed and ready for test.

But for a CM, speed and throughput actually have very different meanings when it comes to process flexibility. Remember, a CM will see dozens of products come and go, all having their own unique assembly requirements. When talking about die bonding, speed is absolutely NOT the same as throughput.  

High accuracy die bonding is not an easy task – it requires a sophisticated machine to achieve repeatable results. A CM’s need to have process flexibility is critical to their success, especially in the areas of fiber optics, LED technologies, smart products, automotive, etc. So, how does speed play into this? Changing over from the assembly of one product type to another equates to time. Time equates to money spent or money saved. A company developing a product must choose a CM that can quickly deliver quality products:  time to market. Speed to change over from one product to another is the common denominator in making that happen in an efficient way. As a high accuracy die bonding equipment manufacturer, we develop our products to do just that – provide a quick changeover so that our customers can convert their product and process with minimal downtime.

Take the example of changing from a thermo-sonic to a thermo-compression process. How long would that take? And while achieving < 1 µm bonding accuracy? 4 hours?  A day or two?  Our equipment changeover is measured in MINUTES, not hours or days. This gives a CM ultimate flexibility to bid on various jobs, allowing them to compete for small builds, medium builds or high-volume projects with minimal downtime. The result is a better bottom line for the CM and a faster time to market for the end customer.

If you are a CM or even an OEM with multiple products and processes, consider more than just the UPH or PPH number of a production bonder - also product changeover time must be factored in. Finetech bonders have always led the market in flexibility, ease and speed in switching out process technologies.  Our demonstration labs are ready to show you this capability using YOUR products.

In 2018, Finetech’s die bonding technology helped accelerate catheter capabilities.  A catheter is defined as a thin tube made from medical grade materials that is inserted into the body to perform a wide range of surgical or diagnostic functions - they access the inner reaches of our bodies without painful, invasive open surgeries.  The solution consisted of bonding multiple ultrasonic transducers onto a flex cable that was approximately 1.5 meters in length. These small MEMS die are bonded and bundled into a catheter, with each die providing a different function. As you can imagine, anything of that length will likely be inserted through an artery in the leg and moved up to the heart. Handling a flex circuit of that length always proves to be a challenge. Most equipment on the market was developed to handle more traditional, rigid printed circuits boards (PCB’s). Flex PCB’s are not “new” technology but today’s cutting-edge applications - like a smart catheter that shows real time 3D rendering of the organs inside the body - is truly evolutionary, not revolutionary.

Die bonding to flex or other types of circuits is not at all foreign to Finetech. Challenges always come into play when customers develop a new product utilizing established processes, like Thermo-Sonic or Thermo-Compression bonding but include a new “twist”. Reviewing a Bill of Material (BOM) is always our first step to help our customer understand what is and what’s not possible in terms of process and product development.

Our die bonding expertise covers a full spectrum of applications and bio-medical is one of many business sectors that require precise die attach. Is bio-medical really any different from say, a LiDAR application? From our perspective, sure, but many similarities cross over the industry segments. Our first priority is to help customers understand process related solutions so they can be first to market. First to market is a big deal for investors and more importantly, for patients needing medical technology solutions. We are always up for a new challenge and ready to provide the time sensitive support often needed in the medical market.

We were first to offer 0201 passive rework solutions and then on to 01005 and 008004 devices.  So this is certainly a topic that Finetech has years of experience with.  I looked back in my files to see that I had presented on 0201 rework practices at Semicon in July of 2004.  Yes, that is correct.  Then our 01005 solutions were presented worldwide throughout 2007.

For some in the audience, working within this component range is a new challenge; it is a real “change”.  But for Finetech, it is a bit more of the “same” with further miniaturization.

However, this is a good thing.  Finetech’s depth of experience has allowed us to quickly offer solutions to the new emerging microLED market.  That is where I tried to focus the presentation and paper.  This new volume manufacturing is producing displays with millions of LEDs.  Rework is inevitable, but a daunting challenge.  This requires novel solutions for tooling, site preparation, paste deposition, very precise thermal management, as well as high accuracy and optical resolution.  Oh yes, and please do it quickly!  More to come on that topic in the near future.

It was great see a lot of colleagues that I have worked with since joining this industry in 1995.  Many faces are still familiar despite more grey hair and some talk of retirement. I was also happy to meet recent graduates who are new process engineers, sales engineers, and product specialists.  It certainly had me thinking a bit nostalgically about what has changed and what has stayed the same. 

To learn more, click the link to SMTAI:  www.smta.org/smtai

Though LEDs produce more lumens (measured light) compared to incandescent lamps, halogen lamps, etc, there has long been a debate as to whether or not LEDs will be around long term.  A big concern has been the environmental waste that results from LED manufacturing.  Regardless of environmental concerns, LEDs appear to be here to stay.  They are replacing incandescent type products and are used in nearly every market that requires light - from cell phones and smart watches to the illumination in a refrigerator or automobile.  

So what are the advantages of LEDs versus incandescent or halogen bulbs?  LEDs are so much more efficient than other light sources. Take for example Christmas lights. To illuminate a 500 foot string of C9 bulbs, it would require approximately 3,500 watts of power. Compare this to only 480 watts of power for LEDs -- roughly 7x more efficient than the incandescent bulb.

As this industry evolves, Finetech equipment is playing a key role in the development and implementation of innovative LED technology. We work with companies large and small, from startups to Fortune 500s that are looking to capitalize on a market that seems to have very high potential.  At the development level, Finetech systems may be involved in die bonding the first sample set from a wafer, or reworking µLEDs.  Our ability to place and bond die as small as 0.03 x 0.03mm is unique, as well as our expertise in reworking individual pixels without disturbing neighboring LEDs.  And we provide excellent thermal management and optical resolution, both critical factors when working with these devices.

Manual to automation…we have it covered!  Check out how we helped an Asian display manufacturer improve its production yield for small SMD LED carrier boards.  

On the next morning, we reunited at the Finetech headquarters for a series of presentations covering a wide spectrum of topics. Numerous guest speakers provided insights into their latest application solutions and new technological achievements and gave examples of practical implementations in different industries and markets. Meanwhile, Finetech Product Managers presented exclusive previews of upcoming hardware and software solutions for our high-accuracy die bonder line.

A recurring theme during the Micro Assembly Day was the transition of R&D processes into automated manufacturing. In line with Finetechs "From Lab to Fab" approach, many presentations and discussions involved strategies to scale up challenging high-accuracy applications to meet the requirements of automated series production.

A complete overview of topics and speakers can be found here: www.finetech.de/events/microassemblyday/abstracts/

We would like to say thank you to all our visitors, speakers and Finetech staff that contributed to making this year's Micro Assembly Day a success and hope to see you again soon.

IPC/APEX Expo, the largest SMT exhibition in the US, will be held next week at the San Diego Convention Center. I personally look forward to this event each year so I can see the competition and of course have an opportunity to meet with potential and existing customers. One of the biggest thrills of the event is speak with people who continue to work on cutting edge technology. From our perspective, we continue to be a leader in SMT Rework and APEX is a great place to foster our connections and solutions.

Let me refer back to my first point - our equipment is able to place at +/- 10µm. Our inaugural machine far exceeded other rework systems on the market and, quite honestly, not one company was able to offer this sort of placement tolerance as a requirement. So it was considered a “freebie”, a “perk”, if you will. As technology has evolved, the need for this type of accuracy has become and will continue to be significant when looking to future proof an equipment purchase.

Just take a look at hand held devices – the guts of a cell phone board are vastly different when comparing the early days to present. Today, PoP devices and small passives the size of sand fill a PCB and the simple rules of physics are - if you can't see it, how can you rework it? LED Rework is a huge market now, especially single LED Rework. This includes removal, dispense and replacing known bad LED’s.  These are mainstream products that are being built by the millions and believe me, even if OEM’s conceal the fact that Rework is a process within their factory, it most likely is. Now, don’t get me wrong, we all strive for high yield. Especially when cranking out tens of thousands of boards per week, it’s difficult. Vertically stacked devices, GPS or small projectors in a new cell phone are absolutely mainstream today. All of these “features” take up board space.

Real-estate is a huge factor when designing next generation products and having a rework system that can repair/replace the smallest devices without disturbing neighboring components is essential. And visa versa. For instance, if the goal is to rework a QFN and there are 01-005 devices surrounding the QFN, not only does the machine need the optical resolution to rework both, thermal management is also critical. When it comes to the volume of air/N2 on convection systems, the software allows “low/medium/high” as set points. This makes very little sense to me. No quantitative volume of control. Well, at least with most convection systems. We do things a bit different. This begs the question, what about IR instead of convection? IR presents a completely different set of challenges, mostly with regard to its absorption-to reflection ratio.
 
I could talk about this all day. Come see us at IPC/APEX – there we can have an open and clear dialog about the advantages of Finetech and anyone else there. After all, that’s the reason we attend these events, right? To learn and discover what technologies are available to help in making our products the best.

This type of technology is very powerful as it can be used for many types of image scans or as its known in LiDAR land, a survey. Have you ever been caught speeding by a police officer pointing a radar gun at you? LiDAR is similar to the way that the officer is measuring the speed you are traveling at. But the radar gun has no method to determine if you are driving a sedan, a motorcycle, etc. With LiDAR, the sensor that is surveying the area can detect other vehicles near you and can also determine if its a human or dog crossing into oncoming traffic.

There are so many technologies where LiDAR can be utilized. In this blog, I will talk about autonomous vehicles and mapping.
 

Autonomous Vehicles

In and around my neighborhood (Chandler, Arizona), there is a fleet of autonomous vehicles driving the streets all the time! Early mornings, late evenings, you get the point. My understanding is, the fleet is capturing data and going through its alpha and beta testing. Thousands of hours are being put to the test in residential areas and busy intersections, hoping to prove out the “bugs” of LiDAR algorithms.

Its always interesting for me to see these vehicles because as a supplier of high accuracy bonders, Finetech is involved in the development of these exciting new technologies. Whether its one of the four sensors on each corner of the vehicle or the spinning sensor on the top of the vehicle, the goal is to achieve a lower accident to passenger ratio. Because according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 13 out of 100,000 people will have a fatal accident. Those numbers are frightening. Not only that, but just imagine if autonomous vehicles really can cut down on accidents in general. Imagine the savings all of us will see when it comes to auto insurance.
 

Mobile LiDAR (Mapping)

Not only do we want our automobiles to be safer, LiDAR has and will continue to play big roles in Mapping, commonly known as Mobile LiDAR. Whether this is mapping traffic or geographic areas (bridges, water, etc), or whether the mapping is done by plane or drone, the data collected will help scientists understand our planet and help city managers better control traffic flow during peak times. The term “Mobile LiDAR” is purely based on the fact that the mapping is collected from a mobile vehicle. Just to clarify, not the same as an autonomous vehicle.

 This crazy world we live in is ever changing. I remember watching the Jetsons cartoon as a little boy – with the outlandish flying cars. So here we are today with self -driving cars. Flying cars next? We could be getting much closer.

Let us know if you want to partner with Finetech for your LiDAR assembly and other die bonding needs. We are experts when it comes to die bonding, whether it’s an Edge Emitting Laser, VCSEL, Fiber Coupled device, or maybe an Optical Phase Array (OPA), we have the process covered. Thermocompression bonding? UV Cure? Sure, no problem - from manual to fully automated, always done with the highest precision and reproducibility.

From Prototype to Production. That’s our motto and we are sticking to it!

Using a laser as a primary heat source will have other variables to keep in mind: 

Material must be suited for eutectic (e.g. Au80Sn20) bonding process – 

• Substrates should be made of thermally conductive materials.  Using substrates made of AlN or Si would be considered ideal, unlike materials made from Al203 (ceramic)…though we may have had success with Al203   :-)
• Deposited solder is always the preferred way to go. Using this method of solder deposition is much more uniform and consistent in comparison to pre-forms.
• Finally, none of the surfaces of the die or substrate should be reflective or polished. This will likely cause challenges and inconsistencies in trying to create a process with highly reflective surfaces.

Laser parameters should be adaptable with process and materials –

• When using a laser, it’s important to be able to slightly penetrate the device being heated (thermal absorption). That means the chosen laser must be at the appropriate frequency for that particular material. In other words, the power and wavelength, in combination are equally important.  
• Typical lasers emit as a circular shape…but die and substrates rarely do. So, the spot diameter relative to the heated surface area must be somewhat similar. Otherwise it would be nearly impossible to achieve the uniform heat described previously. Imagine bonding an edge emitting high power laser and the edges of the die never fully reflow? That could spell trouble.

Some real advantages of the laser are obvious. The expected throughput should be much faster than traditional conductive methods, as the laser has the potential to increase by up to 1000º/second. In addition, because the solder reflows so quickly, there is not much of a window to oxidize, which eliminates the need for forming gas.

Obviously safety could be an issue.  Anyone working with lasers understands the need for safety and as long as procedures are followed, this should not be a concern.

Look, we understand this process and the inherent variables in great detail. We’d love to hear from you if this is something you are considering.  It would be interesting to us to know if your interest is based on speed or another reason. 

Take epoxy bonding for instance. For a growing number of assembly processes, adhesives are now the preferred material. This is based on an extended spectrum of applications and improved processing methods. Significant progress has been made to achieve stronger resistance against rough environmental conditions - such as extreme temperatures, air humidity and UV radiation - as well as better compatibility with other substances.

Design or application limitations can require adapted hardware and tooling solutions designed to apply such material.  Flux trays, stamping tools, heated needles are some of Finetech’s die-bonding process accessories.  However, it is the flexibility of Finetech’s table-top manual R&D die bonders that allow for users to conduct diverse tests with epoxy under various thermal conditions (i.e., top heat and bottom heat & UV) to understand how epoxies perform under a specific bonding conditions.  Finetech’s side observation cameras record video and snap pictures of the entire bond process, capturing real-time validation of potential fillet results exposing die attach contamination or die lifting and cracking.

Finetech can provide automated and manual dispensing solutions to apply materials which can reproducibly apply glue with spot diameters of 200 µm and less.  We can integrate time/pressure, Auger and jet dispensing - all on the same bonder.

In production environments, adhesives have become an essential material for mechanical, electrical, thermal and optical bonding and sealing. Glue is also used as a compensation plane for bonding partners with differing expansion coefficients.

Customers find that our bonders are extremely versatile when it comes to handling a wide range of materials, using various technologies.  

When Finetech is approached with a demanding application, we gladly accept the challenge. Not under the mindset that a solution always exists, but with the approach of, "lets see how we can incorporate our technology and solve a tough application or create new technology to provide the answer".  Many times, including with Ultra-Comm, we had long meetings, drilling down to the smallest details related to a design and a plan to assemble these complicated and novel devices. With Ultra-Comm, it has been challenging. It has been intense at times. Nonetheless, both companies focused on the technical details, collaborated, and communicated effectively until we could reach a resolution. Years later, after delivering a product that seemed nearly impossible to assemble, Ultra-Comm is moving into a production environment. And how exciting is that? Not only for our customer, but for Finetech as well.

Communication - a 13 letter word that is essential in all aspects of life. With kids, relationships and in business. At Finetech we never try to over simplify our die bonding technology.  We have evolved as a company because of customers like Ultra-Comm and we continually improve because of these types of challenges. Open and effective communication is key to these successes.

If you have a challenging application, give us a call!  We can work together to develop a plan -  starting in prototype and development.  And when your needs change, we can move you to a production solution. Put us to the test.... Ultra-Comm did... and years later, we continue to build on the foundation of communication and innovation.

Often we cannot talk about our customer applications due to confidentiality.  That is why we took great satisfaction to see the recent Jim Cramer interview with Tony Atti, CEO of Phononic Devices – talking about their thermoelectric semiconductor technology.

Phononic is #18 on 2016 CNBC Disruptive 50 Companies List for transforming the fridge – with thermoelectric cooling that uses 25% less energy with no moving parts.  Currently, Phononic’s medical grade fridges are found in hospitals and science labs.  A new partnership with Haier is developing an innovative wine cooler. Other applications include CPU coolers and LED display signs.  The semiconductor components are manufactured in a fab and assembled at a facility in Durham, North Carolina.

It was roughly 5 years ago when a key Phononic engineer flew to Finetech’s New Hampshire office to see if our bonders could help them get to the next level.  He came to our lab carrying samples we had never seen before.  Within 45 minutes of his arrival, he was placing and bonding on his own.  We had a purchase order very quickly - signed by Tony Atti.  When I checked in with that same engineer recently, he mentioned that their Finetech bonder is used every day in support of the thermoelectric devices.

That indeed is very COOL for all of us at Finetech. Congratulations to Phononic and do check out Tony Atti talking about Phononic's technology and having a cold beer with Jim Cramer:
Phononic CEO: Transforming The Fridge | Mad Money

VCSEL Bonding- There are two types:
Single Emitter VCSELs - Active alignment is unnecessary because the alignment precision of Finetech is +/- 0.5 micron. Most single emitters are bonded onto TO headers, which include a lens bonded on top of the VCSEL to collimate the light (photons). In the event that multiple single emitters are being bonded to one another, this is known as a "face up" process and does not require active alignment.

VCSEL die with multiple emitters (multi-mode VCSEL) - could be 4 channel, 12 channel or a custom die with more than one emitter. Most VCSEL applications use a lens or some sort of collimator to capture and focus the photons before launching into a fiber. The lens ensures the coupling gradient is effective so the VCSEL current is maintained and keeps the device safe from over current. Each VCSEL aperture has "modes" where the light exits the VCSEL. The modes are often not in the same place. For instance, if you check the current of channel #1 compared to #4, you might see a difference is its performance. This could simply be because the modes from channel 1 to 4 are emitting light from different positions (microns). If the modes are in different locations because of how the wafer was grown, it begs the question, how to compensate for this with active alignment? To answer this, you need to understand the application - and we can help with that!

Laser Bar/Diode - Pre-checking or "binning" each laser diode before it is bonded onto its C, Cs, Cu or other type of mount is pretty typical.  And it is common to check the performance of each laser die prior to bonding, to achieve maximum performance. Active alignment for laser bar/diode applications is achievable when assembling other optics (beam splitter, output couplers, etc). These optical devices are, for the most part, transparent and bonded with UV epoxy.  Lasing while placing these discrete optical devices is possible. Within this capability, there must be a feedback method while lasing and placing to ensure maximum performance of the laser during placement.  Once the laser die performance is maximized, the UV epoxy is cured. It is important to cure the epoxy while the feedback is being monitored to ensure the epoxy shrinkage does not change the position and/or performance of the optical devices. A slow process, but yes, it does work.

I encourage questions about this challenge. We can explain why active alignment works or doesn’t work for a particular project and I’m optimistic about providing solutions, regardless of how difficult the challenge may be. This is a field we continue to learn about as well. Happy Bonding!

As an example, bonding a large sensor array to a readout unit involves handling a large amount of bumps in the process.  Two electrical connections per sensor element are needed to process the signal.  A state-of- the-art, 1k x 1k pixel sensor array contains 2 million bumps.  To achieve good results, the bonding platform must offer extraordinary evenness of the entire system and keeping all parameters constant over a large area or distance can be very challenging.  

Considering that required bonding force increases with the amount of bumps, our customers are often faced with very high bonding forces.  High forces can easily lead to deformation of parts of the bonding system.  If the bonding system design is not optimized for maximum mechanical stiffness, the total value of all deformations will exceed the tolerable limits for low or medium force ranges.   Our bonders have the integrity to handle bonding forces up to 1000 N.  This, in combination with passive or active coplanarity control, provides an effective solution.