Ken Church, CEO, nScrypt, Inc.

A pandemic and a trade war - calling 2020 challenging understates the obvious. Fortunately, our industry has been not been heavily impacted, and the forecast for 2021 is strong. Demand continues to grow for smaller, faster, more powerful products, driven primarily by developments in 5G, AI, IoT, cloud computing and more.

For example, rapid expansion in cloud computing is driving growing demand for memory modules. Final visual inspection after I/O check is critical to detect defects that may occur as the module is manipulated in the electrical tester. Often this last inspection is still performed by humans. Automated optical inspection systems can greatly improve both speed and accuracy.

CyberOptics' Multi-Reflection Suppression™ (MRS™) sensor technology, the heart of our MX3000™ memory module system, provides fast, accurate, 3D inspection to detect defects such as missing or displaced components and switched polarities. MRS technology eliminates errors caused by multiple internal reflections from shiny surfaces, like solder joints and the 3D capability effectively detects defects, like lifted leads.

Our MRS sensors are used worldwide in various inspection and metrology applications, including SMT and semiconductor with the SQ3000™ systems, and are incorporated into the WX3000™ systems that greatly speed the process for semiconductor wafer-level and advanced packaging applications. Analysts project market demand for inspection and metrology solutions will grow as advanced packaging and assembly technologies continue to approach each other in feature sizes and complexity.