You may have seen summaries from the publication of a NEMI Roadmap earlier this year. You might have wondered, coincidentally, how these diminutive chip scale packages are being used, especially in portable products, and how they can survive the many changes they are subjected to through temperature extremes and mishandling.

Scale Review on reliability should answer many questions that you have about the assembly reliability of CSPs.

Reliability, irrespective of its definition, is no longer an "after‑the‑fact" concept; rather, it must be an integral part of development and implementation. This is especially true in the microelectronics field with its uncompromising demands for miniaturization and system integration in a faster, better and lower‑cost environment. The rapid development of CSPs and their introduction into the market is a good example of this trend.