8. Conclusion

Packaging has accompanied the evolution of microelectronics applications, from the infrastructure electronics of the 1980s to today's mobile applications. New applications don't replace existing markets and, consequently, new packages don't replace existing ones; for example, generic SMD packages (SO or LQFP type) will continue to endure for decades.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is currently the growth driver that mobile applications, driven by the cell phone and then the smartphone, once represented, and that artificial intelligence (AI) is set to represent by the end of the current decade. Weight reduction and greater integration will therefore continue to be key trends. This should not, however, translate into a reduction in package output pitches. In fact, pitches of between 0.35 and 0.5 mm seem to be the limit, so as not to increase the price of the printed...