Keynotes

Computing demands are growing at an unprecedented rate, raising serious concerns about the long-term sustainability of current technologies. Continued progress requires major innovations in microelectronic fabrication and design. As transistors and interconnect dimensions shrink, power delivery and signal transport increasingly limit performance, calling for new architectural solutions. At the same time, rising power densities make heat dissipation a critical challenge across all length scales of computing, from data centers down to individual nanometer-scale transistors.

After reviewing selected advances such as backside power delivery and transistor stacking, we focus on key materials-science challenges. One major challenge is the identification of alternatives to copper interconnects that reduce energy dissipation during signal transmission. Another is the development of materials and device architectures that enhance thermal transport within the CMOS device layer. Addressing these questions requires advanced characterization techniques capable of probing micro- and nanoscale structures and their interfaces. We will discuss several such methods, including MEMS-based measurement platforms, self-sensing test structures, and scanning thermal microscopy, and present examples of recent progress enabled by these approaches.

As opto-semiconductors reach extreme power densities, brightness is increasingly constrained by thermal management. Whether in high-power laser diodes used in multi-kW YAG lasers, LEDs for video projection where micro displays impose size limits, or novel pixelated automotive LED headlamps, the same rule applies: Performance depends on the efficiency of the heat path.

This keynote highlights real-world applications in which physics sets clear limits—where more light inevitably means more heat, and where thermal design determines the difference between breakthrough and failure.

Across these domains, one conclusion is unavoidable: if we want more powerful optical systems, thermal management must be treated as a core design priority.

The acceleration of artificial intelligence and its power supply, the electrification of mobility, and the expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) are driving a fundamental increase in power density across modern electronic systems. As a result, thermal management addressed by package technology has become a key enabler of performance, efficiency, and reliability. This presentation will discuss challenges and solutions in system integration, and advanced packaging for different applications in the semiconductor industry.