The worldwide market for semiconductor optoelectronic components, estimated to be $34.3 billion in 2007, is forecasted to grow by an annual average growth rate of 13% to over $63 billion by 2012 according to the fourth edition of the 'Strategic Study of the Worldwide Semiconductor Optoelectronic Component Industry to 2012'.
Due to this rapid growth, many have recognized that in order to keep up with demand to capture additional revenue, it is necessary to move from the manual assembly processes that have characterized the industry for decades to automated manufacture.
The switch to an automated process is being made possible because the die attachment and wire bonding techniques that were developed in the hybrid semiconductor and high frequency wireless industries are now being incorporated into the optical component manufacturing industry.
Who benefits the most from this automation? Firms who require high accuracy, high yield output benefit greatly from these systems that have the flexibility to support the difficult tolerances and process requirements necessary to meet the high accuracy, high yield constraint.
One component manufacturer demonstrated that one automated laser diode attach machine could produce the same total output as four manual stations run by twenty operators. When using the automated process, yielded output went up by 50%, and there was a 67% reduction in occupied floor space in the clean room. These savings resulted in the return on investment for the equipment to be realized in less than 3 months.
However, while automation is able to provide complete process solutions for the optical component assembly industry, there are numerous challenges in becoming fully automated. The challenges include meeting extreme accuracy and process requirements, significant variations in height, unusual form factors, and unusual materials. In addition, inherent difficulties arising from the requirement to guide light have prevented most equipment available today from being utilized in optical component packaging.
Fortunately, there has been an emergence of an equipment supplier base that is able to support the stringent tolerances of the optoelectronic component assembly industry. The equipment that these suppliers are designing today will not only facilitate the efficient manufacture of optical components, but will enable the component designers to continue to push the envelope of communications technology into the foreseeable future.