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To: Proud_Infidel who wrote (14087)	5/28/1998 1:24:00 PM
From: Andrew Vance	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 17305

AV--I actually just posted a response on the General Lithography Thread concerning this (#1012). Bottom line: this technology has commercial viability but will start life in a niche market. It may never make it out of a small niche market so I am not worried about the present industry for the next 10 years. This ball technology is nice but too far out in the future. I will take considerable time to shrink this technology to the sub micron or sub 0.5 micron levels where much of today's requirements are. As we move to the increased usuage of mixed signal devices (analog and digital) which require both speed and precision, I do not forsee this type of technology providing that type of capability. I see this upcoming technology as a complement to the existing wafer technology, for the most part. Conceivably, I see these types of balls replacing discrete components on a PCB board, replacing some of the low tech ICs that populate these boards, and maybe making some inroads to some of the advanced chip arenas. I do see them as viable "add-in" components for feature functionality on sophisticated chips by virtue of a 3-D deposition of functionality onto the existing wafer surface. Sort of like making tiny vias on the wafer and precisely depositing these ball structures into these vias to concentrate certain basic functional operations in both a vertical and spherical direction in order to keep the overall area of the die as small as possible. It was a nioce article worthy of saving and keeping tabs on over the next 5-10 years. howver, I do not see it as a threat. It is almost as much a threat today as the viability of actually bringing someone back from a cryogenic freeze. Cryogenics will be successful but I wouldn't be a particpant yet. Andrew