Fan-in WLP: Technology and Market Trends

The semiconductor industry is facing a new era in which device scaling and cost reduction will not continue on the path they followed for the past few decades, with Moore's law in its foundation. Advanced nodes do not bring the desired cost benefit anymore and R&D expenses for new lithography solutions and devices in sub-10nm nodes are rising substantially. Subsequently, new market shifts are expected in due time, with “Internet of Things” (IoT) getting ready to take over pole market driver position from mobile. In these circumstances, where front-end-of-line (FEOL) scaling options remain uncertain and IoT promises application diversification, in order to answer market demands, the industry seeks further performance and functionality boosts in package level integration. Emerging packages such as fan-out wafer level packages, 2.5D/3D IC and related System-in-Package (SiP) solutions together with more conventional but upgraded flip chip BGAs aim to bridge the gap and revive the cost/performance curve. In such an environment, what is the importance of fan-in wafer level packages (FI WLP), the current status of the fan-in WLP industry and how will fan-in WLP market and technology evolve? This work aims to answer these questions by performing an in-depth analysis on fan-in WLP market dynamics and technology trends.

Research on Statistics Based Multi-Priority MAC Protocol for Ad Hoc Networks

With the growing application diversification in Ad Hoc networks, it is particularly important to support prioritization of traffic and ensure that critical data can be delivered more reliably and faster in an emergency scene. We mainly study on the improvement of statistics based multi-priority medium access control (MAC) protocol, including the channel occupancy statistic and the backoff mechanism. We conduct comprehensive simulations based on the OPNET Modeler and account for the success rate results with theoretical analysis. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can simultaneously guarantee high success rate and low delay for high-priority packets.

Wheat stripe rust in China

China has the largest stripe rust epidemic region in the world in terms of wheat acreage affected by the disease. Extensive studies on the epidemiology and management of stripe rust have been carried out since the widespread occurrence of the disease in the 1950s. Fifteen epidemic zones were classified, based on factors influencing the occurrence of wheat stripe rust. The disease can spread inter-regionally, mainly from west to east and from south to north. Winter-wheat growing regions in the north-west, south-west, and north, and spring-wheat growing regions in the north-west are the major epidemic areas. Hotspots of wheat stripe rust are mainly located in south-eastern Gansu and north-western Sichuan, and these areas constitute the inoculum base, centre of diversity, and major over-summering areas of the pathogen. Successful control in over-summering areas is the key to achieving sustainable management of stripe rust in China. Pathogen variability and race virulence have been monitored continuously, and the resistance genetics and background of Chinese wheat cultivars analysed. Effective management of stripe rust includes resistance breeding and application, diversification and deployment of various resistance genes, use of chemicals, adoption of appropriate agricultural practice, and integrated disease management in ‘hotspot’ regions. Collaboration of scientists among various organisations and disciplines is vital. We discuss the progress and challenges of wheat stripe rust management in China.