What happened on day one at electronica 2026?
Imec has delivered the baseline manufacturing flow for a silicon interposer that supports microbump pitches down to 20 µm. The Belgian research centre announced the milestone at SEMICON Europa on 10 November, as electronica opened alongside it in Munich. Imec plans to release a process design kit through its NanoIC pilot line in early 2027. [1]
Imec sets out how designers will get access
A silicon interposer sits beneath the dies in a package and carries the connections between them. When a compute chiplet needs to exchange data with high-bandwidth memory, that routing has to fit a large number of connections into a small area. Imec’s platform combines multiple metal routing layers with through-silicon vias. Its 20 µm figure refers to the spacing between adjacent microbumps where the dies connect to the interposer. [1]
The design kit will let universities, start-ups and fabless chip companies model interposer-based packages in Cadence and Synopsys tools. It will join two NanoIC kits already available for fine-pitch redistribution-layer interposers and die-to-wafer hybrid bonding. That puts another packaging option into the design environment, where teams can compare approaches before committing to an architecture. Building physical demonstrators is a later objective for the pilot line. [1]
Infineon shows a processed 300 mm silicon carbide wafer
Infineon brought its processed 300 mm silicon carbide wafer to Munich for the opening of the fair after making functioning power devices at Villach, Austria, using existing silicon manufacturing equipment. Increasing wafer diameter from 200 mm to 300 mm gives 2.25 times the nominal surface area. Infineon estimates the larger format can accommodate around 2.3 times as many chips per wafer, with the number of usable devices in a production run also depending on yield. [2]
The company has also demonstrated the feasibility of using its Cold Split process to separate 300 mm wafers from a silicon carbide crystal at Dresden. Infineon says the method wastes less material than wire sawing, allowing more wafers to be taken from the same crystal. It is continuing its 200 mm programme while it works with customers and partners on the timing of a 300 mm production ramp. [2]
Read TEB’s full report on Infineon’s wafer
Powercast launches an 868 MHz battery-free sensor tag for Europe
Powercast unveiled the PCTB101 on Tuesday. The 1.2 mm tag takes power from an 868 MHz RF source and sends temperature and humidity readings over Bluetooth Low Energy. It is the European version of the company’s PCTB100. Each tag has its own identifier, so a gateway can associate readings with individual sensors. [3]
Powercast quotes up to 25 metres for receiving RF power. The source supplies the energy while a Bluetooth gateway receives the readings, so a deployment needs coverage for both links. Powercast is targeting applications including building monitoring, warehouses and cold-chain logistics. [3]
Vishay compares two approaches to electronic fusing
Among the demonstrations on the opening day are two Vishay eFuse designs. The bidirectional design, developed with Altera, uses an FPGA and is intended for a power path where current can flow in either direction. The unidirectional design developed with NXP uses a microcontroller for a one-way path. Vishay is also showing a separate 800 V active discharge circuit built around a silicon carbide MOSFET, a photovoltaic gate driver and wirewound resistors. [5]
Luchrome brings a printed display to Fast Forward
Tuesday’s Fast Forward programme listed French start-up Luchrome’s Lusight, a printed electrochromic display aimed at applications such as smart labels and device indicators. Luchrome and Elektor are developing a concept in which a phone’s NFC interaction reveals a message on the display. Elektor listed the demonstration as subject to release clearance, so the NFC design is an example of what the companies are developing. [6] [7] [8]
Arrow introduces Capstone ahead of a dedicated sourcing site
Arrow Electronics is introducing Capstone in Munich after announcing the business on Monday. It brings interconnect, passive and electromechanical components into a dedicated operation as Arrow reorganises its global components business around technology and services. Arrow says the business will provide specialist support from component selection through to production. [4]
The Capstone website and sourcing platform are due in the first quarter of 2027. The portfolio remains available through Arrow’s existing website in the meantime. [4]
