Inaugurated in 1994, the International Conference on Electronic Packaging Technology (ICEPT), hosted by the Chinese Institute of Electronics (CIE) and organized by the Electronic Manufacturing and Packaging Technology Society (EMPT) of CIE as well as several participating universities, has been successfully held 15 times in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xi’an, Guilin, Dalian and Chengdu. ICEPT offers attendees, including experts, researchers and engineers from industry and academia, numerous opportunities for discussion on state-of-the-art technologies in electronic packaging.

The Chinese semiconductor industry was initiated by the “12-Year Plan for Scientific and Technological Development” in 1956. With more than 50 years of progress, China has formed a complete industry chain incorporating all three sectors of the semiconductor industry: IC design, manufacturing, packaging and testing. China’s semiconductor industry achieved revenue of 404.45 billion RMB (65.93 billion USD) in 2013, which accounted for 38.3% of the domestic semiconductor market and reached a record of 21.4% of the global market.

China’s semiconductor packaging industry started to develop in association with the birth of China’s first manufactured transistor in 1956. With the rapid growth of China’s semiconductor industry, especially in the packaging and testing sectors in the past ten years, Chinese packaging and testing companies number more than 300 at present, boosted from around 70 in 2001, and they dominate approximately 50% of the revenue of the semiconductor industry. In the field of advanced packaging technologies (such as SiP, 2.5D interposer, 3D IC, TSV interconnect, WLCSP and R&D on packaging related material and equipment), China is narrowing the technology gap rapidly and has accumulated distinct advantage in term of technique and industry.

However, several disadvantages still exist in the field of packaging in China. This includes an incomplete innovation system, few influential achievements, inadequate planning and a lack of sense of competition. As wafer fabrication enters into a “post-moore era”, the development of packaging technology faces more challenges to satisfy the market demand for low cost, small size, high speed, high density and high performance, while also providing opportunities to lead the field.

Therefore, ICEPT continues promoting mutual study, exchange and co-operation among researchers and engineers, which contributes not only to domestic high-end talent training but also to global technological exchange on electronic packaging. In addition, I hope this premier international conference (ICEPT) can enhance the long-term collaboration between the EMPT of CIE and other international organizations and conferences, such as IEEE-CPMT, IMAPS, iNEMI, ECTC, ESTC and EPTC.