October 16, 2025 • 20 mins
We record live at IMAPS to follow a first-time attendee’s leap into advanced packaging and a trio of high school students discovering semiconductors, robotics, and career paths that bridge disciplines. Along the way, we unpack speed-to-market, standards, hybrid vs TCB, and why AI skills matter.
• why a self-funded first conference can reset a career
• key takeaways from PDCs and technical talks
• time-to-market pressure across packaging workflows
• standards tension between front-end and packaging
• hybrid bonding promise versus TCB workhorse reality
• how to network with intent and follow through
• volunteering with IMAPS to build early-career hubs
• robotics as an on-ramp to semiconductors
• interdisciplinary routes into microelectronics
• student goals, mentors, and university paths
• practical questions to ask on the expo floor
IMAPS is the largest society dedicated to microelectronics and electronics packaging advancement.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Francoise von Trapp (00:00):
This episode of the 3D Insights
podcast is sponsored by IMAPs,the premier global association
for microelectronics advancedpackaging enthusiasts.
A membership in IMAPs helpsyour company grow its advanced
packaging workforce throughprofessional education and
networking, advances your brand,and supports building
relationships.
IMAPS helps you learn, connect,and collaborate.
(00:20):
Learn more at imaps.org.
Hi there.
I'm Francoise von Trapp, andthis is the 3D InCites Podcast.
Hi everyone.
(00:42):
This week we are recording livefrom the iMaps International
Symposium.
And you know, this is one of myfavorite conferences of the
year, and the best parts are theconversations I get to have
with attendees.
And I'm always excited to meetsomebody new in the industry and
ask them about why they'rehere.
You know, we're also going tobe talking to some students
(01:03):
later, and one of the bigefforts we have right now is
bringing newcomers into thisindustry.
So I had the opportunity on thebus ride to the welcome
reception this week.
I sat down on the bus next toEthan Tetteh e and we struck up
a conversation.
And it turns out this is notjust his first advanced
(01:24):
packaging conference.
This is his first industryconference ever.
So I invited him to join me totalk about his experience here.
So welcome.
Ethan Tetteh (01:33):
Thank you.
Thank you.
Francoise von Trapp (01:34):
Ethan, before we dive in, tell me a
little bit about yourbackground.
Ethan Tetteh (01:37):
Yeah, sure.
So I have a bachelor's inmaterials engineering from
Rensilier Polytechnic Institute.
I graduated in 2022 and Istarted working at um applied
materials.
Okay.
Francoise von Trapp (01:49):
And so did you intern there first or did
they just hire you?
Ethan Tetteh (01:53):
No, uh I got hired.
You got hired.
Francoise von Trapp (01:55):
Okay.
Ethan Tetteh (01:56):
So um I'm a process support engineer at
Applied Materials.
I currently work on an angledreactive beam etch uh
technology, and I'm supportingum one of our prime customers um
in advanced high volumemanufacturing.
And so I've been in the rolefor about three years.
I got a broad base in processtechnology, product development,
customer engagement.
And um, after having that broadbase in the semiconductor
(02:18):
industry, I started thinkingabout what are the areas where
materials engineering comes tothe forefront.
And I started researchingaround and I actually found out
about advanced packaging.
And so I was watching someYouTube videos, and um I
actually saw the past presidentuh of IMAPs uh Beth Kessler.
She was talking about how IMAPsas a society, there's a lot of
(02:41):
um you know professionaldevelopment and a lot of career
networking events.
So that was what drove me toIMAPs.
So I signed up as a member andI found out there was this
symposium, and I said, Oh wow,that might be a good place to
meet people and learn about theindustry.
And so uh I I decided to come.
Francoise von Trapp (02:57):
Let me back up a little bit.
First of all, your current roleis in front-end processing,
that's right.
And so you decided to see whatelse was out there that would
fit your expertise.
Ethan Tetteh (03:08):
Yes, my background.
Francoise von Trapp (03:09):
Your background and materials.
Okay.
And up until now, you've beenin the job for three years, but
you hadn't gone to like SemiconWest or any of those
conferences.
No.
I was amazed when you told methat you basically took time off
to come to this and that youinitiated this all on your own
independently, that it wasn'tsomething that your manager
said, Hey, you should go to thisevent, you should, you know,
(03:29):
learn about this, or even thatyou should go to a different
event.
And so you made the decision tocome here and took the time
off, paid your own way.
But I have to mention, youknow, so Ethan's here on his
own, doesn't know anybody, signsup for the welcome reception,
which is on the midway.
And so that's how we met,because he was sitting by
himself and I sat down next tohim.
(03:51):
And I know it's hard to meetpeople in with such a crowd.
You know, people know eachother, especially what's it been
like for you since you gothere?
Ethan Tetteh (04:02):
So it's honestly been amazing.
Everyone I've met has been veryapproachable.
All I've needed to do in orderto actually get talking to
someone is just maybe join thetable and say hi.
You know, I'm Ethan, you know,I I work at Applied Materials,
you know, it's nice to meet you.
And, you know, the next thing Iknow, the person is already
engaging, you know, starting aconversation, sharing a lot
(04:22):
about what they do.
And even, you know, once theyfind out that I'm an early
career person, they're willingto actually give me career
advice, which is uh, you know,pretty amazing.
Francoise von Trapp (04:31):
Just off the Yeah, you know, I I agree
with you.
People here are veryapproachable.
That's a great word for that.
And um because people tend tobe a bit introverted in this
industry, except in thisenvironment where they feel
comfortable with like-mindedpeople, right?
And the point of being here isto network and to talk.
So I applaud you.
(04:52):
I think this morning you heardum Benson Chan talk about meet
10 new people.
Yes.
And all you have to do is sitat a table where there's five
more people that you don't know.
Yeah.
So tell me about what you'velearned.
Did you go to a lot of thetechnical sessions?
Ethan Tetteh (05:09):
Yes, I signed up for as much PDCs as I could.
Francoise von Trapp (05:12):
Oh, so you went to the PDCs on Monday?
Ethan Tetteh (05:14):
Yeah, PDCs on Monday.
I went to all the technicaltalks.
Yeah.
Francoise von Trapp (05:17):
Okay.
So what's your impression sofar?
What have you really taken awayfrom this?
Ethan Tetteh (05:22):
Yeah, so I would say some of my key takeaways
are, you know, first of all,whatever area you're in in
packaging, it's, you know,reducing time to market is
critical.
That's one key takeaway I got.
Also, there's many undiscoveredapplications in the world of
packaging, and it's abouttalking wide and paying
attention to what's happening inthe ecosystem.
And you just might be able tofind an application or use case
(05:43):
that you know you could um takeadvantage of.
Um the packaging ecosystem as awhole needs standardization in
order to drive the innovation.
That way, you know,entrepreneurs and other smaller
companies can, you know, stillcompete in this market.
You have to think wide andensure your solution is
scalable.
There's so much innovationneeded that if you can find a
(06:04):
way to solve a problem, you willget customers.
So you don't have to think thatyou know the barrier to entry
is you know that high.
And as much as possible, becomeskilled in AI and use it where
you can.
Francoise von Trapp (06:16):
Wow.
You've that's awesome.
You've come away with a lot ofimpressions.
It's interesting.
Okay, you mentioned standards.
One thing I can tell you aboutthe advanced packaging side of
things is the moment you mentionstandards, I see how you've
been influenced by front-endprocesses because front-end
processes is all aboutstandards.
Ethan Tetteh (06:34):
All about standards, specs, everything.
Francoise von Trapp (06:36):
Yeah, packaging has always been
application specific.
You'll see all sorts ofstructures and packages and
designs, and once something isqualified in, it never goes away
and gets replaced by somethingelse.
And that's probably why ittakes so long for new ideas to
be implemented, because as longas something works, it doesn't
(06:57):
change.
You heard Subu Ayer talkingabout hybrid bonding and
thermocompression bonding.
And hybrid bonding has beenaround as long as I have in this
industry, 15 years, and it'sseen as the next big thing.
But uh TCB is the workhorse,and we're always gonna go with
the workhorse.
So have you learned enough togive you the impression that
(07:22):
this is an area you'd like towork in?
Ethan Tetteh (07:25):
Definitely.
So I would say I felt like itwas an area I wanted to work in
before I came to thisconference, and that was one of
the main reasons I decided tocome to actually expose myself
to the industry more and hearyou know directly from people
who are working in it.
But you know, after coming tothe conference, I'd say, you
know, one thing that I didconfirm is that yeah, it's a
right fit for me in terms of youknow the technical expertise
(07:48):
and you know the naturalinterest, and um also just in
the fact that it's it's anup-and-coming industry, it's
still growing, you know, themarket for packaging is still
increasing.
So it's a good time to sort ofget myself involved and you know
help you know be one of thepeople that drives this uh
market further.
Francoise von Trapp (08:07):
So, what are your next steps then going
back from this conference?
What are you gonna do with it?
Ethan Tetteh (08:13):
Right.
So, one thing I'm gonna do isI'm definitely volunteering uh
for IMAPs.
So, you know, I'd love to starta chapter or you know, increase
engagement amongst other earlycareer uh professionals or
students in IMAPs.
I definitely want to see whatopportunities applied materials
may have for collaborations witheither IMAPs or um other
(08:36):
players in the industry, andlike I said, use AI to speed it
all up.
Excellent.
Francoise von Trapp (08:42):
I am so excited for you, and I'm so
happy I met you because this islike the story to tell is here
you are, newcomer, and this oneexperience has kind of
solidified what you kind ofalready suspected would be true
for you, and now you've foundthe place to make that happen.
So is I call it an IMAP successstory.
Ethan Tetteh (09:03):
Oh yeah.
Yeah, very grateful to havecome together.
Francoise von Trapp (09:06):
Okay, thank you so much, Ethan.
This was great.
I enjoyed it.
Ethan Tetteh (09:09):
Thank you.
Francoise von Trapp (09:15):
So I'm at the point of my favorite part of
this event where I get tointerview some of the students
who have come to learn aboutmicroelectronics and packaging.
And so I am sitting here withthree students from different
schools.
I have Aporv Pandy, I have LilyLong and Max Kroll.
(09:36):
Welcome to the podcast.
Lily Long (09:38):
Thank you, it's lovely to meet you.
Apoorv Pandy (09:40):
Yes, thank you.
Francoise von Trapp (09:41):
First of all, can you each just kind of
introduce yourselves and talkabout where you go to school and
what you're interested instudying?
Apoorv Pandy (09:49):
Yes, so I am a Porv.
I am a junior at Stage CreekHigh School.
And I think most of my lifeI've been interested in studying
engineering.
So specifically I'm looking atthe mechanical.
Francoise von Trapp (10:03):
Okay.
Apoorv Pandy (10:03):
But just anything in the engineering field is
something I've always beeninterested in.
Francoise von Trapp (10:07):
And you said you're a junior?
Apoorv Pandy (10:08):
I'm a junior.
Francoise von Trapp (10:09):
You're a junior.
Okay, are your parents in theengineering field?
Apoorv Pandy (10:12):
Yeah, so my dad is in IT at Thermal Fisher, so
biotech.
Francoise von Trapp (10:16):
Okay.
Apoorv Pandy (10:16):
And my mom actually works at the other high
school in Carlsbad, CarlsbadHigh School, as like a data
administrator, so she deals witha lot of data.
Francoise von Trapp (10:24):
Okay.
Alright, so that's why.
Well, what has made youinterested in engineering for so
long?
Apoorv Pandy (10:30):
Yes, so a program headed by Mrs.
D actually.
Uh it was called the First LegoLeague, and the First Lego
League was my first real uhexperience in the world of
robotics.
And since then I've gone to thehigh school level of that,
which is the first techchallenge.
And that's really piqued myinterest, especially for, you
know, mechanical engineeringelements like, you know, linear
(10:52):
motion or you know, thestandards and elements of
rotational movement or stufflike that.
So it's all really piqued myinterest, especially the
robotics.
Lily Long (11:03):
Awesome.
Willie, how about you?
So I'm also a junior at SeachCreek.
Um, I love robotics, but alsojust science in general.
So my first run-in withrobotics was also in middle
school where I was the captainof my robotics team.
We did Botball, which is aseparate competition.
Um, and I did Science Spirit,which was super fun.
(11:24):
And both of those really showedme that SEM was definitely the
path for me.
Um robotics in high school wasa shift because the teams are
bigger, and so it taught me alot more about collaboration and
just to love this competition,it's a lot more open than the
one I was doing in middleschool, so it's been super fun.
(11:44):
I love working with my team andyeah, uh other clubs that I do
like Science Olympiad that aresuper fun.
Excellent.
And Max, how about you?
Max Krull (11:56):
Hello.
Um I'm a 11th grader junior inCarlsbed High School.
Francoise von Trapp (12:01):
Okay.
Max Krull (12:01):
I started getting into like top technology, like
robotics, that sort of stuff.
Uh pretty early on.
Like we I had like an Arduinokit, which was pretty cool.
Like I made origami and then,like, for example, a puppet and
used servos to make its mathlike move, which was really fun.
Apoorv Pandy (12:18):
That is fun.
Max Krull (12:19):
But then uh eighth grade, my dad encouraged me to
go to this like new robots clubfor the first tech challenge,
right?
And it's really cool likeseeing like how I could use my
like coding abilities and likehow I could use software, um
just pretty much all myknowledge to uh actually like
(12:44):
solve problems and win acompetition.
So that's pretty fun.
Francoise von Trapp (12:48):
So robotics has been in all of your
experiences.
Is that how it happens a lot?
Like in school, it's been along time since I've had kids in
high school, and we were backeast, and robotics wasn't a big
deal, but it seems to be areally big deal out here.
Lily Long (13:03):
San Diego is one of the most competitive regions for
first competitions in theworld.
It's a tough playing field, butthere are a lot of people who
are dedicated to robotics here.
Um, I think that's a commontheme whenever we tell people
like here that we do robotics,they're like, oh yeah, that's a
good start.
Like it's great, great skillsyou learn.
Francoise von Trapp (13:20):
Well, and it's a lot of fun too, right?
It's not just sitting down andlearning math or learning
science, or you know, you'reactually taking those and
applying them in a real lifescenario.
And so you're now, Max, intothe software side of things.
Speaker 5 (13:33):
Yeah, yeah.
Francoise von Trapp (13:34):
And are you both into the hardware side of
things?
I do hardware and business.
Hardware and business.
Okay.
You're all juniors.
Have you started thinking aboutwhat's next?
College, university, jobs yet?
Apoorv Pandy (13:49):
Uh yeah.
So a lot of what the roboticsthat we've actually been, you
know, we've absorbed throughoutall these years has actually led
us to, I think all of us havinga joint love for engineering
and robotics in general.
And I think, yeah, that's wherewe want to be headed is
engineering.
Uh and the whole reason that wecame here to IMAPS in general
(14:11):
is to actually explore the microuh the microprocessing and the
uh the chip industry in general,especially its packaging
aspect.
And I think that'd be a reallycool thing to study to aim for
in college as we, you know,major in engineering, do fun
engineering challenges in highschool.
(14:32):
I actually met my mentor uhright now, Rohan.
He's uh he's at the NanoCAD labin UCLA, and he's he's he loves
it, and I think that's where Iwant to go.
Lily Long (14:42):
That's exciting.
I think this conference for meis a great opportunity to see a
field that takes in a lot ofdifferent disciplines.
So we talked about chemicalengineering, material science,
mechanical engineering,chemistry, but it's also a
really great networkingopportunity.
Sometimes people say, you know,it's like it's not what you
know, it's who you know, andit's a really great opportunity
(15:04):
to meet new people and formthose connections.
Francoise von Trapp (15:06):
So you get to spend an afternoon here.
So you haven't had a chance, Iknow, to go around the floor
yet.
So at this point, what's thehighlight been for Star Next?
Well, besides lunch.
Max Krull (15:21):
Um well it's been really amazing just seeing like
how nice everyone is and justlike being in a room with people
like like-minded, like peoplewith similar interests, people
who are passionate in theirsubject, it's it's really cool.
And then them like displayingthat for you, it's really nice.
Francoise von Trapp (15:46):
I'm really happy to hear you say that
because I don't have anengineering background, but I've
been working in this industryfor 20 years, and I can tell you
right now that for me, thetechnology is interesting, but I
studied English andcommunications.
So for me, it is the people,and you're absolutely right.
You can't meet a nicer group ofpeople that are really
(16:06):
passionate about what they doand are interested in helping
people out, and just it's such acommunity, and I'm really
excited for you that you havethe chance to meet these people
here.
Um Lily, what what's been yourfavorite part so far?
You have to say something elsebesides people.
Lily Long (16:25):
I would say I didn't actually know much about the
semiconductor process or theircreation or their applications.
I mean, I sort of knew liketechnology goes with
semiconductors, like there's ahuge global like demand for
them.
But it was really interestingto see like the specific
applications, like the medicalapplications or the applications
in a car, or also just like Ididn't realize how
(16:45):
intradisciplinary of a fieldthis is.
How many different like groupsof people come together to make
this super cool and minusculetechnology together?
It's really mind-blowing.
Francoise von Trapp (16:58):
Did they show you some presentations then
of the whole like semiconductorprocess, not just the packaging
part?
Yeah.
Apoorv Pandy (17:04):
We had four guest speakers, and so they basically
talked to us about theirdifferent disciples, as Lily
said.
And yeah, I mean, we got aguest speaker who worked at
Qualcomm working on RF, and thatwas really cool.
And then we also had Mr.
Ishii, who's in the marketingand finance uh area of this uh
(17:25):
practice, and he also talked tous about how regardless of that
background, he still has beeninvolved in this industry like
you for decades, and he's he'sloved it, so it's really cool.
Francoise von Trapp (17:37):
Okay, that's really great.
So, so what's next for you?
You're gonna be visiting,you're gonna be walking around
the floor.
What are you hoping to see?
Apoorv Pandy (17:44):
First of all, I mean it's a huge space.
We walked in and we werecompletely shocked by how many
companies there were.
But I'm I'm looking forward toseeing individually, like, you
know, a lot of people think thatthe chip industry is just
packaging, every countr uh everycompany does packaging.
But I want to see specificallyhow they individually do it
because we've look we talkedabout how cost is such a big
(18:06):
factor in these types of umindustries, and also what
machines are they making to makethis process cheaper and more
efficient for their ownindividual companies and then
and also ultimately likenetworking with these
individuals is gonna be sohelpful for uh all high school
students.
Francoise von Trapp (18:24):
So, did you do some research before you
came here today?
Apoorv Pandy (18:27):
Uh so there was an introduction video that I
watched a little.
But I mean, I I think I'velearned more in the first two
hours than I would have justresearching it by myself.
Francoise von Trapp (18:38):
Yes, every one of these companies, you'll
find materials companies, you'llfind device companies, you'll
find equipment manufacturers,and make sure you talk to them
and ask them the questionsbecause they're very happy to
show you.
And I'm not sure if there's anybooths from school.
I think there might be someuniversity groups because there
(18:58):
was last year.
So, okay.
You talked a little bit aboutwhere you want to go from here.
Have you any of you uh thoughtabout schools yet?
Lily Long (19:08):
Where you'd like to go to school?
I would love to go to UCSD.
Um, they've got a greatengineering program, but Caltech
is also really cool.
I would love to go there.
I'm thinking of staying in thestate on the off chance that I
get into MIT, which is veryunlikely.
I would probably go there.
Oh, don't tell yourself.
Apply, you never know.
I will.
(19:29):
San Diego is a nice city togrow up in.
It's beautiful.
We were just talking about thaton the bus ride.
Like how lucky we are to livehere.
You are very lucky to livehere.
It's one of my favorite placesto visit.
Francoise von Trapp (19:37):
I live in Phoenix.
It's hot.
Speaker 5 (19:39):
Yeah.
Francoise von Trapp (19:39):
But I'm sure you meet a lot of people
from Arizona in like July andAugust.
Well, I wanted you to enjoy therest of your visit here and
thank you for taking the time totalk to me today.
Good luck in your futures.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
It was lovely to meet you.
Lovely to meet you too.
Next time on the 3D InsightsPodcast, we wrap up our coverage
(20:02):
of the iMap Symposium with ourmember spotlight episode.
And we have some really funconversations this year, so be
sure to listen in.
There's lots more to come, sotune in next time to the 3D
Insights podcast.
The 3D Insights Podcast is aproduction of 3D Insights LLC.
This episode of the 3D Insights
podcast is sponsored by IMAPs,the premier global association
for microelectronics advancedpackaging enthusiasts.
A membership in IMAPs helpsyour company grow its advanced
packaging workforce throughprofessional education and
networking, advances your brand,and supports building
relationships.
IMAPS helps you learn, connect,and collaborate.
(00:20):
Learn more at imaps.org.
Hi there.
I'm Francoise von Trapp, andthis is the 3D InCites Podcast.
Hi everyone.
(00:42):
This week we are recording livefrom the iMaps International
Symposium.
And you know, this is one of myfavorite conferences of the
year, and the best parts are theconversations I get to have
with attendees.
And I'm always excited to meetsomebody new in the industry and
ask them about why they'rehere.
You know, we're also going tobe talking to some students
(01:03):
later, and one of the bigefforts we have right now is
bringing newcomers into thisindustry.
So I had the opportunity on thebus ride to the welcome
reception this week.
I sat down on the bus next toEthan Tetteh e and we struck up
a conversation.
And it turns out this is notjust his first advanced
(01:24):
packaging conference.
This is his first industryconference ever.
So I invited him to join me totalk about his experience here.
So welcome.
Ethan Tetteh (01:33):
Thank you.
Thank you.
Francoise von Trapp (01:34):
Ethan, before we dive in, tell me a
little bit about yourbackground.
Ethan Tetteh (01:37):
Yeah, sure.
So I have a bachelor's inmaterials engineering from
Rensilier Polytechnic Institute.
I graduated in 2022 and Istarted working at um applied
materials.
Okay.
Francoise von Trapp (01:49):
And so did you intern there first or did
they just hire you?
Ethan Tetteh (01:53):
No, uh I got hired.
You got hired.
Francoise von Trapp (01:55):
Okay.
Ethan Tetteh (01:56):
So um I'm a process support engineer at
Applied Materials.
I currently work on an angledreactive beam etch uh
technology, and I'm supportingum one of our prime customers um
in advanced high volumemanufacturing.
And so I've been in the rolefor about three years.
I got a broad base in processtechnology, product development,
customer engagement.
And um, after having that broadbase in the semiconductor
(02:18):
industry, I started thinkingabout what are the areas where
materials engineering comes tothe forefront.
And I started researchingaround and I actually found out
about advanced packaging.
And so I was watching someYouTube videos, and um I
actually saw the past presidentuh of IMAPs uh Beth Kessler.
She was talking about how IMAPsas a society, there's a lot of
(02:41):
um you know professionaldevelopment and a lot of career
networking events.
So that was what drove me toIMAPs.
So I signed up as a member andI found out there was this
symposium, and I said, Oh wow,that might be a good place to
meet people and learn about theindustry.
And so uh I I decided to come.
Francoise von Trapp (02:57):
Let me back up a little bit.
First of all, your current roleis in front-end processing,
that's right.
And so you decided to see whatelse was out there that would
fit your expertise.
Ethan Tetteh (03:08):
Yes, my background.
Francoise von Trapp (03:09):
Your background and materials.
Okay.
And up until now, you've beenin the job for three years, but
you hadn't gone to like SemiconWest or any of those
conferences.
No.
I was amazed when you told methat you basically took time off
to come to this and that youinitiated this all on your own
independently, that it wasn'tsomething that your manager
said, Hey, you should go to thisevent, you should, you know,
(03:29):
learn about this, or even thatyou should go to a different
event.
And so you made the decision tocome here and took the time
off, paid your own way.
But I have to mention, youknow, so Ethan's here on his
own, doesn't know anybody, signsup for the welcome reception,
which is on the midway.
And so that's how we met,because he was sitting by
himself and I sat down next tohim.
(03:51):
And I know it's hard to meetpeople in with such a crowd.
You know, people know eachother, especially what's it been
like for you since you gothere?
Ethan Tetteh (04:02):
So it's honestly been amazing.
Everyone I've met has been veryapproachable.
All I've needed to do in orderto actually get talking to
someone is just maybe join thetable and say hi.
You know, I'm Ethan, you know,I I work at Applied Materials,
you know, it's nice to meet you.
And, you know, the next thing Iknow, the person is already
engaging, you know, starting aconversation, sharing a lot
(04:22):
about what they do.
And even, you know, once theyfind out that I'm an early
career person, they're willingto actually give me career
advice, which is uh, you know,pretty amazing.
Francoise von Trapp (04:31):
Just off the Yeah, you know, I I agree
with you.
People here are veryapproachable.
That's a great word for that.
And um because people tend tobe a bit introverted in this
industry, except in thisenvironment where they feel
comfortable with like-mindedpeople, right?
And the point of being here isto network and to talk.
So I applaud you.
(04:52):
I think this morning you heardum Benson Chan talk about meet
10 new people.
Yes.
And all you have to do is sitat a table where there's five
more people that you don't know.
Yeah.
So tell me about what you'velearned.
Did you go to a lot of thetechnical sessions?
Ethan Tetteh (05:09):
Yes, I signed up for as much PDCs as I could.
Francoise von Trapp (05:12):
Oh, so you went to the PDCs on Monday?
Ethan Tetteh (05:14):
Yeah, PDCs on Monday.
I went to all the technicaltalks.
Yeah.
Francoise von Trapp (05:17):
Okay.
So what's your impression sofar?
What have you really taken awayfrom this?
Ethan Tetteh (05:22):
Yeah, so I would say some of my key takeaways
are, you know, first of all,whatever area you're in in
packaging, it's, you know,reducing time to market is
critical.
That's one key takeaway I got.
Also, there's many undiscoveredapplications in the world of
packaging, and it's abouttalking wide and paying
attention to what's happening inthe ecosystem.
And you just might be able tofind an application or use case
(05:43):
that you know you could um takeadvantage of.
Um the packaging ecosystem as awhole needs standardization in
order to drive the innovation.
That way, you know,entrepreneurs and other smaller
companies can, you know, stillcompete in this market.
You have to think wide andensure your solution is
scalable.
There's so much innovationneeded that if you can find a
(06:04):
way to solve a problem, you willget customers.
So you don't have to think thatyou know the barrier to entry
is you know that high.
And as much as possible, becomeskilled in AI and use it where
you can.
Francoise von Trapp (06:16):
Wow.
You've that's awesome.
You've come away with a lot ofimpressions.
It's interesting.
Okay, you mentioned standards.
One thing I can tell you aboutthe advanced packaging side of
things is the moment you mentionstandards, I see how you've
been influenced by front-endprocesses because front-end
processes is all aboutstandards.
Ethan Tetteh (06:34):
All about standards, specs, everything.
Francoise von Trapp (06:36):
Yeah, packaging has always been
application specific.
You'll see all sorts ofstructures and packages and
designs, and once something isqualified in, it never goes away
and gets replaced by somethingelse.
And that's probably why ittakes so long for new ideas to
be implemented, because as longas something works, it doesn't
(06:57):
change.
You heard Subu Ayer talkingabout hybrid bonding and
thermocompression bonding.
And hybrid bonding has beenaround as long as I have in this
industry, 15 years, and it'sseen as the next big thing.
But uh TCB is the workhorse,and we're always gonna go with
the workhorse.
So have you learned enough togive you the impression that
(07:22):
this is an area you'd like towork in?
Ethan Tetteh (07:25):
Definitely.
So I would say I felt like itwas an area I wanted to work in
before I came to thisconference, and that was one of
the main reasons I decided tocome to actually expose myself
to the industry more and hearyou know directly from people
who are working in it.
But you know, after coming tothe conference, I'd say, you
know, one thing that I didconfirm is that yeah, it's a
right fit for me in terms of youknow the technical expertise
(07:48):
and you know the naturalinterest, and um also just in
the fact that it's it's anup-and-coming industry, it's
still growing, you know, themarket for packaging is still
increasing.
So it's a good time to sort ofget myself involved and you know
help you know be one of thepeople that drives this uh
market further.
Francoise von Trapp (08:07):
So, what are your next steps then going
back from this conference?
What are you gonna do with it?
Ethan Tetteh (08:13):
Right.
So, one thing I'm gonna do isI'm definitely volunteering uh
for IMAPs.
So, you know, I'd love to starta chapter or you know, increase
engagement amongst other earlycareer uh professionals or
students in IMAPs.
I definitely want to see whatopportunities applied materials
may have for collaborations witheither IMAPs or um other
(08:36):
players in the industry, andlike I said, use AI to speed it
all up.
Excellent.
Francoise von Trapp (08:42):
I am so excited for you, and I'm so
happy I met you because this islike the story to tell is here
you are, newcomer, and this oneexperience has kind of
solidified what you kind ofalready suspected would be true
for you, and now you've foundthe place to make that happen.
So is I call it an IMAP successstory.
Ethan Tetteh (09:03):
Oh yeah.
Yeah, very grateful to havecome together.
Francoise von Trapp (09:06):
Okay, thank you so much, Ethan.
This was great.
I enjoyed it.
Ethan Tetteh (09:09):
Thank you.
Francoise von Trapp (09:15):
So I'm at the point of my favorite part of
this event where I get tointerview some of the students
who have come to learn aboutmicroelectronics and packaging.
And so I am sitting here withthree students from different
schools.
I have Aporv Pandy, I have LilyLong and Max Kroll.
(09:36):
Welcome to the podcast.
Lily Long (09:38):
Thank you, it's lovely to meet you.
Apoorv Pandy (09:40):
Yes, thank you.
Francoise von Trapp (09:41):
First of all, can you each just kind of
introduce yourselves and talkabout where you go to school and
what you're interested instudying?
Apoorv Pandy (09:49):
Yes, so I am a Porv.
I am a junior at Stage CreekHigh School.
And I think most of my lifeI've been interested in studying
engineering.
So specifically I'm looking atthe mechanical.
Francoise von Trapp (10:03):
Okay.
Apoorv Pandy (10:03):
But just anything in the engineering field is
something I've always beeninterested in.
Francoise von Trapp (10:07):
And you said you're a junior?
Apoorv Pandy (10:08):
I'm a junior.
Francoise von Trapp (10:09):
You're a junior.
Okay, are your parents in theengineering field?
Apoorv Pandy (10:12):
Yeah, so my dad is in IT at Thermal Fisher, so
biotech.
Francoise von Trapp (10:16):
Okay.
Apoorv Pandy (10:16):
And my mom actually works at the other high
school in Carlsbad, CarlsbadHigh School, as like a data
administrator, so she deals witha lot of data.
Francoise von Trapp (10:24):
Okay.
Alright, so that's why.
Well, what has made youinterested in engineering for so
long?
Apoorv Pandy (10:30):
Yes, so a program headed by Mrs.
D actually.
Uh it was called the First LegoLeague, and the First Lego
League was my first real uhexperience in the world of
robotics.
And since then I've gone to thehigh school level of that,
which is the first techchallenge.
And that's really piqued myinterest, especially for, you
know, mechanical engineeringelements like, you know, linear
(10:52):
motion or you know, thestandards and elements of
rotational movement or stufflike that.
So it's all really piqued myinterest, especially the
robotics.
Lily Long (11:03):
Awesome.
Willie, how about you?
So I'm also a junior at SeachCreek.
Um, I love robotics, but alsojust science in general.
So my first run-in withrobotics was also in middle
school where I was the captainof my robotics team.
We did Botball, which is aseparate competition.
Um, and I did Science Spirit,which was super fun.
(11:24):
And both of those really showedme that SEM was definitely the
path for me.
Um robotics in high school wasa shift because the teams are
bigger, and so it taught me alot more about collaboration and
just to love this competition,it's a lot more open than the
one I was doing in middleschool, so it's been super fun.
(11:44):
I love working with my team andyeah, uh other clubs that I do
like Science Olympiad that aresuper fun.
Excellent.
And Max, how about you?
Max Krull (11:56):
Hello.
Um I'm a 11th grader junior inCarlsbed High School.
Francoise von Trapp (12:01):
Okay.
Max Krull (12:01):
I started getting into like top technology, like
robotics, that sort of stuff.
Uh pretty early on.
Like we I had like an Arduinokit, which was pretty cool.
Like I made origami and then,like, for example, a puppet and
used servos to make its mathlike move, which was really fun.
Apoorv Pandy (12:18):
That is fun.
Max Krull (12:19):
But then uh eighth grade, my dad encouraged me to
go to this like new robots clubfor the first tech challenge,
right?
And it's really cool likeseeing like how I could use my
like coding abilities and likehow I could use software, um
just pretty much all myknowledge to uh actually like
(12:44):
solve problems and win acompetition.
So that's pretty fun.
Francoise von Trapp (12:48):
So robotics has been in all of your
experiences.
Is that how it happens a lot?
Like in school, it's been along time since I've had kids in
high school, and we were backeast, and robotics wasn't a big
deal, but it seems to be areally big deal out here.
Lily Long (13:03):
San Diego is one of the most competitive regions for
first competitions in theworld.
It's a tough playing field, butthere are a lot of people who
are dedicated to robotics here.
Um, I think that's a commontheme whenever we tell people
like here that we do robotics,they're like, oh yeah, that's a
good start.
Like it's great, great skillsyou learn.
Francoise von Trapp (13:20):
Well, and it's a lot of fun too, right?
It's not just sitting down andlearning math or learning
science, or you know, you'reactually taking those and
applying them in a real lifescenario.
And so you're now, Max, intothe software side of things.
Speaker 5 (13:33):
Yeah, yeah.
Francoise von Trapp (13:34):
And are you both into the hardware side of
things?
I do hardware and business.
Hardware and business.
Okay.
You're all juniors.
Have you started thinking aboutwhat's next?
College, university, jobs yet?
Apoorv Pandy (13:49):
Uh yeah.
So a lot of what the roboticsthat we've actually been, you
know, we've absorbed throughoutall these years has actually led
us to, I think all of us havinga joint love for engineering
and robotics in general.
And I think, yeah, that's wherewe want to be headed is
engineering.
Uh and the whole reason that wecame here to IMAPS in general
(14:11):
is to actually explore the microuh the microprocessing and the
uh the chip industry in general,especially its packaging
aspect.
And I think that'd be a reallycool thing to study to aim for
in college as we, you know,major in engineering, do fun
engineering challenges in highschool.
(14:32):
I actually met my mentor uhright now, Rohan.
He's uh he's at the NanoCAD labin UCLA, and he's he's he loves
it, and I think that's where Iwant to go.
Lily Long (14:42):
That's exciting.
I think this conference for meis a great opportunity to see a
field that takes in a lot ofdifferent disciplines.
So we talked about chemicalengineering, material science,
mechanical engineering,chemistry, but it's also a
really great networkingopportunity.
Sometimes people say, you know,it's like it's not what you
know, it's who you know, andit's a really great opportunity
(15:04):
to meet new people and formthose connections.
Francoise von Trapp (15:06):
So you get to spend an afternoon here.
So you haven't had a chance, Iknow, to go around the floor
yet.
So at this point, what's thehighlight been for Star Next?
Well, besides lunch.
Max Krull (15:21):
Um well it's been really amazing just seeing like
how nice everyone is and justlike being in a room with people
like like-minded, like peoplewith similar interests, people
who are passionate in theirsubject, it's it's really cool.
And then them like displayingthat for you, it's really nice.
Francoise von Trapp (15:46):
I'm really happy to hear you say that
because I don't have anengineering background, but I've
been working in this industryfor 20 years, and I can tell you
right now that for me, thetechnology is interesting, but I
studied English andcommunications.
So for me, it is the people,and you're absolutely right.
You can't meet a nicer group ofpeople that are really
(16:06):
passionate about what they doand are interested in helping
people out, and just it's such acommunity, and I'm really
excited for you that you havethe chance to meet these people
here.
Um Lily, what what's been yourfavorite part so far?
You have to say something elsebesides people.
Lily Long (16:25):
I would say I didn't actually know much about the
semiconductor process or theircreation or their applications.
I mean, I sort of knew liketechnology goes with
semiconductors, like there's ahuge global like demand for
them.
But it was really interestingto see like the specific
applications, like the medicalapplications or the applications
in a car, or also just like Ididn't realize how
(16:45):
intradisciplinary of a fieldthis is.
How many different like groupsof people come together to make
this super cool and minusculetechnology together?
It's really mind-blowing.
Francoise von Trapp (16:58):
Did they show you some presentations then
of the whole like semiconductorprocess, not just the packaging
part?
Yeah.
Apoorv Pandy (17:04):
We had four guest speakers, and so they basically
talked to us about theirdifferent disciples, as Lily
said.
And yeah, I mean, we got aguest speaker who worked at
Qualcomm working on RF, and thatwas really cool.
And then we also had Mr.
Ishii, who's in the marketingand finance uh area of this uh
(17:25):
practice, and he also talked tous about how regardless of that
background, he still has beeninvolved in this industry like
you for decades, and he's he'sloved it, so it's really cool.
Francoise von Trapp (17:37):
Okay, that's really great.
So, so what's next for you?
You're gonna be visiting,you're gonna be walking around
the floor.
What are you hoping to see?
Apoorv Pandy (17:44):
First of all, I mean it's a huge space.
We walked in and we werecompletely shocked by how many
companies there were.
But I'm I'm looking forward toseeing individually, like, you
know, a lot of people think thatthe chip industry is just
packaging, every countr uh everycompany does packaging.
But I want to see specificallyhow they individually do it
because we've look we talkedabout how cost is such a big
(18:06):
factor in these types of umindustries, and also what
machines are they making to makethis process cheaper and more
efficient for their ownindividual companies and then
and also ultimately likenetworking with these
individuals is gonna be sohelpful for uh all high school
students.
Francoise von Trapp (18:24):
So, did you do some research before you
came here today?
Apoorv Pandy (18:27):
Uh so there was an introduction video that I
watched a little.
But I mean, I I think I'velearned more in the first two
hours than I would have justresearching it by myself.
Francoise von Trapp (18:38):
Yes, every one of these companies, you'll
find materials companies, you'llfind device companies, you'll
find equipment manufacturers,and make sure you talk to them
and ask them the questionsbecause they're very happy to
show you.
And I'm not sure if there's anybooths from school.
I think there might be someuniversity groups because there
(18:58):
was last year.
So, okay.
You talked a little bit aboutwhere you want to go from here.
Have you any of you uh thoughtabout schools yet?
Lily Long (19:08):
Where you'd like to go to school?
I would love to go to UCSD.
Um, they've got a greatengineering program, but Caltech
is also really cool.
I would love to go there.
I'm thinking of staying in thestate on the off chance that I
get into MIT, which is veryunlikely.
I would probably go there.
Oh, don't tell yourself.
Apply, you never know.
I will.
(19:29):
San Diego is a nice city togrow up in.
It's beautiful.
We were just talking about thaton the bus ride.
Like how lucky we are to livehere.
You are very lucky to livehere.
It's one of my favorite placesto visit.
Francoise von Trapp (19:37):
I live in Phoenix.
It's hot.
Speaker 5 (19:39):
Yeah.
Francoise von Trapp (19:39):
But I'm sure you meet a lot of people
from Arizona in like July andAugust.
Well, I wanted you to enjoy therest of your visit here and
thank you for taking the time totalk to me today.
Good luck in your futures.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
It was lovely to meet you.
Lovely to meet you too.
Next time on the 3D InsightsPodcast, we wrap up our coverage
(20:02):
of the iMap Symposium with ourmember spotlight episode.
And we have some really funconversations this year, so be
sure to listen in.
There's lots more to come, sotune in next time to the 3D
Insights podcast.
The 3D Insights Podcast is aproduction of 3D Insights LLC.
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