Materion Performance Alloys is active in the microelectronics market where we produce the material (copper beryllium) that is the material of choice for contacts in semiconductor (computer chip) testing. Arrays of up to 1,200 of these tiny contacts are placed in sockets and used to make temporary electrical contact with each computer chip under test. All 1,200 contacts must maintain good electrical contact with the chip, even when held at high temperatures (burn-in) up to 200°C, and are expected to last long enough to test tens of thousands of semiconductors without a single failure of any one of these contacts. Once the chips are determined to be "known good", they are then and only then permanently soldered to the circuit board. As technology continues to test the limits and ingenuity of test and burn-in strategies, the demand for materials solutions increases.
Earlier this month, the Fifteenth Annual Burn-in & Test Strategies Workshop™ (BiTS) was held in Mesa, Arizona. BiTS is the world's premier workshop dedicated to providing a forum for the latest information about burn-in and test tooling, and related fields. More than 30 papers were presented covering a host of test and burn-in related topics from a worldwide representation of authors.
Mike Gedeon, Applications Engineering Manager, Materion Performance Alloys, won the award for Best Tutorial Presentation at the event. Titled "Rising to the Challenge: Material Evolution to Enable Reliable Performance at Tighter Pitches and Higher Temperature", Gedeon's presentation discusses the continuing trends of making the contacts ever smaller and closer together, while at the same time exposing them to higher temperatures and passing more electrical current through them. This places heavy demands on test probes and equipment, particularly the materials used to manufacture them. The presentation discussed which material properties were important in order to meet the required performance, and how materials have evolved over time to keep pace with these demands.
Gedeon's presentation was videotaped at the event and eventually segments will be made available on materion.com and the BiTS website.
Noted winner Gedeon, "I am thrilled that the BITS Workshop chose to honor my presentation. It is gratifying for Materion to be recognized for our technical expertise in our materials and applications. Our customers truly look upon us as trusted advisors when they are seeking assistance with designing new products."
Jason Maher, Marketing Director, Materion Brush Performance Alloys, commented, "This is a great achievement for Mike. The BiTS conference is a highly technical group and Materion is one of the few material suppliers that regularly attends. Mike has attended for many years and is widely recognized by many for his material expertise and finite element analysis (FEA) skills to help with innovative designs that enable socket makers to take their products to the next level."