Why the Future of Computing is Being Built Like Legos
Dr. Habib Hitri, EVP at Ajinomoto Fine Techno, shares his journey from chemical engineering to semiconductor packaging leadership, discussing his 12-year career at IBM, transitions through different companies and cultures, and current focus on advanced packaging materials including non-photo materials and photonics integration.
Summary
Dr. Habib Hitri discusses his remarkable career journey from chemical engineering to becoming a senior executive in semiconductor packaging. Starting at Occidental Chemical, he accidentally discovered IBM at a university job fair, leading to a transformative 12-year career in semiconductor R&D. At IBM, he worked on process integration for copper wiring and advanced packaging, developing over 40 patents while operating in constant 'crisis mode' where morning data became outdated by afternoon. His transition from technical roles to management was motivated by the need to facilitate engineer success rather than exert power, emphasizing leadership through example and team collaboration. After earning an MBA to better connect R&D innovations to market needs, he moved to SUSS MicroTec to work on excimer laser applications for small vias in non-photo materials - a technology he evangelized for 10 years that is now becoming industry-relevant. Currently at Ajinomoto Fine Techno, he focuses on advanced packaging materials, particularly promoting non-photo materials for interposers due to their superior mechanical and electrical properties. He identifies chiplet design and heterogeneous integration as the most exciting breakthroughs, while noting that photonics integration remains underhyped due to lack of cross-pollination between photonics and semiconductor packaging communities. Throughout his career across American, German, and Japanese companies, he has observed distinct cultural differences - IBM's innovation focus, SUSS's execution refinement, and Ajinomoto's long-term partnership approach with customers. His philosophy centers on defining real problems before seeking solutions, maintaining curiosity, and building networks while giving back to the industry through various professional organizations.
Key Insights
- Hitri describes IBM as operating in constant 'crisis mode' where information from morning becomes outdated by afternoon due to new data, reflecting the fast-paced nature of semiconductor development
- He argues that chiplet design and heterogeneous integration provide relief for front-end manufacturing by enabling smaller dies that increase yield and reduce foreign material contamination compared to large monolithic designs
- Hitri claims that photonics integration is underhyped because there is insufficient cross-pollination between the photonics industry and semiconductor packaging communities, with no domain existing for them to collaborate effectively
- He advocates for non-photo materials in interposers, arguing they offer superior mechanical and electrical properties without noise issues compared to photo materials, and believes the industry should invest in lithography and dry etch for these applications
- Hitri emphasizes that defining the real problem is crucial for finding solutions, stating that if you properly define the problem, the solution becomes readily apparent, rather than spending time solving the wrong issues
Topics
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