Sep 17, 2013 Industry thought leaders will present a high-level look at new technologies against a backdrop of domestic and global economics during the IPC Technology Market Research Conference (TMRC), September 25–26 in Chicago. The conference aims to give attendees a holistic perspective on the technologies and economic forces that will shape the electronics marketplace in the near term.
Expert insights at the event may challenge existing paradigms.
“I think that in the near term most global growth is going to come from the developed countries of North America, Western Europe and Japan,” said Robert Fry, Ph.D., senior economist at DuPont. “There has been a significant downshift in growth in the emerging markets of Asia, and many of these countries — China in particular — will never return to the rapid growth rates they experienced over the last few decades.” Fry will expand on these ideas during his session on the global economic outlook at the TMRC.
On the technology side, 3-D packaging is among the timely topics on the agenda. Although many forms of 3-D packaging have been adopted in today’s electronic products, the ultimate form of 3-D — in which ICs are stacked using through silicon vias (TSVs) — is in the not-too-distant future, according to Jan Vardaman, president of TechSearch International.
“As with the adoption of any new technology, cost is the limiting factor," Vardaman said. “Some high performance applications, such as 3-D stacked memory with TSVs, appear to be on the horizon.”
Several companies are developing new materials and equipment for 3-D IC with TSVs. Vardaman believes that, in the interim, some module solutions using interposers with multiple die may meet the immediate form factor and performance objectives. She will discuss the latest developments in this new module technology and its timeline toward wide adoption during her presentation at the TMRC.
Nanotechnology, automotive technology, new materials, military markets and China’s PCB industry will also be highlighted at the event. In addition, attendees will hear from New York Times columnist Gene Marks during his opening keynote about economic, political and other trends influencing businesses today.
The TMRC is co-located with IPC Management Meetings, which will take place on September 24. More information about the TMRC, including a full agenda and registration options, is available at www.ipc.org/tmrc.
IPC (www.IPC.org) is a global industry association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 3,300 member companies which represent all facets of the electronics industry, including design, printed board manufacturing, electronics assembly and test. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $2.17 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Arlington, Va.; Stockholm, Sweden; Moscow, Russia; Bangalore, India; Bangkok, Thailand; and Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Suzhou and Beijing, China.
»
