Thinking Out of the Box
What is systems packaging? I'm always fascinated by how much our definitions of a system differ. Webster's Dictionary defines a system as "a group of things or parts connected in some form to make a whole." Using this definition, systems packaging is nothing more than mechanically and electrically connecting components to provide an assembly that meets customer requirements. In other words, the electrical and mechanical "glue" that holds all of the parts together. To the semiconductor manufacturer, the system is the die and its substrate. To the computer manufacturer it is the PC or server. Traditionally, IMAPS has focused on the former but my role in IMAPS has been to expand to the latter. Why is this so important? Quite frankly, we can no longer optimize our products within our own silos. Semiconductor engineers need to understand the packaging issues faced by their customers. What good is the fastest processor in the world if nobody knows how to package it, cool it or power it? Similarly, the computer manufacturer needs to know how his customer will use his machines. Will he integrate the computer into the data center? Does the machine match the customers' infrastructure needs? Using this logic, we are all building components for our customers' systems and we need to step outside of our comfort zone and explore the packaging needs of our customer.
For this reason, the theme I selected for this issue is "thinking out of the box." Through education and participation in conferences such as HD International we have the opportunity to step outside of our boxes and expose ourselves to other ideas and technologies. I look at this magazine as an avenue to do exactly that. I really enjoyed working with the publisher to convey this particular theme on the cover. The cover shows several images emerging out of the box and leading the way to Silicon Valley, the location of HD International this April. These images represent technological advances that required doing things a way they have never been done before. At the center of the images is a picture of a pair of HP's Superdome servers. My direct involvement with the development of this server has been a source of pride and joy, especially since its unprecedented performance and features exemplify what thinking out of the box can accomplish.
So in this spirit expanding our horizons, I have decided to focus this issue on system packaging of components at the cabinet level. The selected papers for this issue were among the best of HDI 2000 and address systems concerns associated with packaging semiconductor devices in radar systems, cellular phones and computers. The papers address cooling, shock & vibe and power delivery as they relate to semiconductors or printed wiring boards. The paper by John O'Connor discusses a liquid cooling technique that ensures that all devices run at the same temperature to meet the performance requirements of his system. As frequencies increase, this problem is becoming more critical to insure timing tolerances are met. The shock & vibe paper by Suresh Goyal outlines a technique for designing products to handle portable environments. This type of work is becoming more important in our society as everything is becoming handheld and portable capable of handling everyday abuse. Finally, the paper by Yuan-Liang Li describes the transient power delivery issues associated with high performance semiconductors such as processors. These transient power requirements of such devices are impacting the way we design our systems. It is conceivable that in the near future, power conversion will actually be integrated into the semiconductor package to solve the problems he discusses. I encourage all of you to read these papers and try to think about how these issues will impact your jobs in the future.
Finally, I hope that after you read this issue of Advancing Microelectronics you feel that it does stimulate "thinking outside of the box" and encourage many of you to actively participate in the upcoming HD International in Santa Clara this April!
