On the Origins, Status, and Future of Flip Chip & Wafer Level Packaging

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 (1) ◽  
pp. 000325-000332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Huffman ◽  
Philip Garrou

As IC scaling continues to shrink transistors, the increased number of circuits per chip requires more I/O per unit area (Rent's rule). High I/O count, the need for smaller form factors and the need for better electrical performance drove the technological change towards die being interconnected (assembled) by area array techniques. This review will examine this evolution from die wire bonded on lead frames to flip chip die in wafer level or area array packages and discuss emerging technologies such as copper pillar bumps, fan out packaging, integrated passives, and 3D integration..

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 (DPC) ◽  
pp. 002254-002271
Author(s):  
Dave Thomas ◽  
Matthew Muggeridge ◽  
Mike Steel ◽  
Dorleta Cortaberria Sanz ◽  
Hefin Griffiths ◽  
...  

Miniature, high performance camera modules are found in a range of consumer devices including phones, PDAs, cameras and gaming consoles. According to Gartner the $1B image sensor market will grow to $2.3B by 2013. Image sensor packaging technologies are increasingly required to deliver greater reliability within smaller form factors. Tessera's OptiML™ Micro Via Pad (MVP) wafer-level packaging technology is in production on 200mm wafers. This paper will report on the first joint activity that scales this technology to 300mm. We focus on three critical silicon etches that form the back-bone of the structure. These etches are carried out from the wafer back-side while bonded to a glass carrier. First there is a blanket dry etch. This removes stress introduced by the back-grind. Uniformity control to < ±5% is essential for this process. Second, after a lithography step, tapered silicon trenches are etched forming streets to a certain depth. The trench etch uniformity is critical because it defines the depth range for the subsequent Vias. Profile control is needed to ease the subsequent spray-coat lithography. Lastly, vias are then etched down to metal bond pads on the device side of the wafer. CD and taper control is required here both within wafer and between wafers. End-pointing represents a way of ensuring process reproducibility. In 2010 Tessera carried out 300mm demos with key suppliers. As part of this activity SPTS scaled the above critical silicon etches. The wafers were further processed into functional die. We will describe the etch equipment used, report on the critical processes developed emphasizing the relationships between 200mm and 300mm results and the essential control parameters. We will also demonstrate successful scaling by including data on the electrical performance of packaged devices.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 (S2) ◽  
pp. S1-S23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl-Friedrich Becker ◽  
Tanja Braun ◽  
S. Raatz ◽  
M. Minkus ◽  
V. Bader ◽  
...  

Fan-out Wafer Level Packaging (FOWLP) is one of the latest packaging trends in microelectronics. The technology has a high potential in significant package miniaturization concerning package volume but also in thickness. Main advantages of FOWLP are the substrate-less package, lower thermal resistance, higher performance due to shorter interconnects together with direct IC connection by thin film metallization instead of wire bonds or flip chip bumps and lower parasitic effects. Especially the inductance of the FOWLP is much lower compared to FC-BGA packages. In addition the redistribution layer can also provide embedded passives (R, L, C) as well as antenna structures using a multi-layer structure. It can be used for multi-chip packages for System in Package (SiP) and heterogeneous integration. Manufacturing is currently done on wafer level up to 12″/300 mm and 330 mm respectively. For higher productivity and therewith lower costs larger form factors are forecasted for the near future. Instead of following the wafer level approach to 450 mm, panel level packaging will be the next big step. Sizes for the panel could range up to 18″×24″ or even larger influenced by different technologies coming from e.g. printed circuit board, solar or LCD manufacturing. However, an easy upscaling of technology when moving from wafer to panel level is not possible. Materials, equipment and processes have to be further developed or at least adapted. An overview of state of technology for panel level packaging will be presented and discussed in detailed.


2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. T. Lin ◽  
P. J. Tang ◽  
K. N. Chiang

Abstract The demands of electronic packages toward lower profile, lighter weight, and higher density of I/O lead to rapid expansion in the field of flip chip, chip scale package (CSP) and wafer level packaging (WLP) technologies. The urgent needs of high I/O density and good reliability characteristic lead to the evolution of the ultra high-density type of non-solder interconnection such as the wire interconnect technology (WIT). The new technology using copper posts to replace the solder bumps as interconnections shown a great improvement in the reliability life. Moreover, this type of wafer level package could achieve higher I/O density, as well as ultra fine pitch. This research will focus on the reliability analysis of the WIT package structures in material selection and structural design, etc. This research will use finite element method to analyze the physical behavior of packaging structures under thermal cycling condition to compare the reliability characteristics of conventional wafer level package and WIT packages. Parametric studies of specific parameters will be performed, and the plastic and temperature dependent material properties will be applied to all of the models.


Author(s):  
Amy Lujan

In recent years, there has been increased focus on fan-out wafer level packaging with the growing inclusion of a variety of fan-out wafer level packages in mobile products. While fan-out wafer level packaging may be the right solution for many designs, it is not always the lowest cost solution. The right packaging choice is the packaging technology that meets design requirements at the lowest cost. Flip chip packaging, a more mature technology, continues to be an alternative to fan-out wafer level packaging. It is important for many in the electronic packaging industry to be able to determine whether flip chip or fan-out wafer level packaging is the most cost-effective option. This paper will compare the cost of flip chip and fan-out wafer level packaging across a variety of designs. Additionally, the process flows for each technology will be introduced and the cost drivers highlighted. A variety of package sizes, die sizes, and design features will be covered by the cost comparison. Yield is a key component of cost and will also be considered in the analysis. Activity based cost modeling will be used for this analysis. With this type of cost modeling, a process flow is divided into a series of activities, and the total cost of each activity is accumulated. The cost of each activity is determined by analyzing the following attributes: time required, labor required, material required (consumable and permanent), capital required, and yield loss. The goal of this cost comparison is to determine which design features drive a design to be packaged more cost-effectively as a flip chip package, and which design features result in a lower cost fan-out wafer level package.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 (1) ◽  
pp. 000321-000325
Author(s):  
Bob Chylak ◽  
Horst Clauberg ◽  
Tom Strothmann

Abstract Device packaging is undergoing a proliferation of assembly options within the ever-expanding category of Advanced Packaging. Fan Out-Wafer Level Packages are achieving wide adoption based on improved performance and reduced package size and new System in Package products are coming to market in FOWLP, 2.5D and 3D package formats with the full capability to leverage heterogeneous integration in small package profiles. While the wide-spread adoption of thermocompression bonding and 2.5D packages predicted several years ago has not materialized to the extent predicted, advanced memory modules assembled by TCB are in high volume manufacturing, as are some high-end GPUs with integrated memory on Si interposer. High accuracy flip chip has been pushed to fine pitches that were difficult to imagine only three years ago and innovation in substrates and bonder technology is pushing the throughput and pitch capability even further. The packaging landscape, once dominated by a few large assembly providers, now includes turn-key packaging initiatives from the foundries with an expanding set of fan-out packing options. The fan-out processes include face-up and face-down methods, die first and die last methods and 2.5D or 3D package options. Selection of the most appropriate packaging technology from the combined aspects of electrical performance, form-factor, yield and cost presents a complex problem with considerable uncertainty and high risk for capital investment. To address this problem, the industry demands flexible manufacturing solutions that can be modified and upgraded to accommodate a changing assembly environment. This presentation will present the assembly process flows for various packaging options and discuss the key aspects of the process that influence throughput, accuracy and other key quality metrics, such as package warpage. These process flows in turn impose design constraints on submodules of the bonder. It will be shown that thoughtfully designed machine architecture allows for interchangeable and upgradeable submodules that can support nearly the entire range of assembly options. As an example, a nimble, low weight, medium force, constant heat bondhead for high throughput FOWLP can be interchanged with a high force, pulse heater bondhead to support low stress/low warpage thermocompression bonding. The various configuration options for a flexible advanced packaging bonder will be reviewed along with the impact of configuration changes on throughput and accuracy.


2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi Zhu ◽  
Lunyu Ma ◽  
Suresh K. Sitaraman

Microsystem packages continue to demand lower cost, higher reliability, better performance and smaller size. Compliant wafer-level interconnects show great potential for next-generation packaging. G-Helix, an electroplated compliant wafer-level chip-to-substrate interconnect can facilitate wafer-level probing as well as wafer-level packaging without the need for an underfill. The fabrication of the G-Helix interconnect is similar to conventional IC fabrication process and is based on electroplating and photolithography. G-Helix interconnect has good mechanical compliance in the three orthogonal directions and can accommodate the differential displacement induced by the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch between the silicon die and the organic substrate. In this paper, we report the wafer-level fabrication of an area-arrayed G-Helix interconnects. The geometry effect on the mechanical compliance and electrical parasitics of G-Helix interconnects have been studied. Thinner and narrower arcuate beams with larger radius and taller post are found to have better mechanical compliance. However, it is also found that structures with excellent mechanical compliance may not have good electrical performance. Therefore, a trade off is needed. Using response surface methodology (RSM), an optimization has been done. Furthermore, reliability of the optimized G-helix interconnects in a silicon-on-organic substrate assembly has been assessed, which includes the package weight and thermo-mechanical analysis. The pitch size effect on the electrical and mechanical performance of G-Helix interconnects has also been studied.


2007 ◽  
Vol 129 (4) ◽  
pp. 460-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karan Kacker ◽  
Thomas Sokol ◽  
Wansuk Yun ◽  
Madhavan Swaminathan ◽  
Suresh K. Sitaraman

Demand for off-chip bandwidth has continued to increase. It is projected by the Semiconductor Industry Association in their International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors that by the year 2015, the chip-to-substrate area-array input-output interconnects will require a pitch of 80 μm. Compliant off-chip interconnects show great potential to address these needs. G-Helix is a lithography-based electroplated compliant interconnect that can be fabricated at the wafer level. G-Helix interconnects exhibit excellent compliance in all three orthogonal directions, and can accommodate the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch between the silicon die and the organic substrate without requiring an underfill. Also, these compliant interconnects are less likely to crack or delaminate the low-k dielectric material in current and future integrated circuits. The interconnects are potentially cost effective because they can be fabricated in batch at the wafer level and using conventional wafer fabrication infrastructure. In this paper, we present an integrative approach, which uses interconnects with varying compliance and thus varying electrical performance from the center to the edge of the die. Using such a varying geometry from the center to the edge of the die, the system performance can be tailored by balancing electrical requirements against thermomechanical reliability concerns. The test vehicle design to assess the reliability and electrical performance of the interconnects is also presented. Preliminary fabrication results for the integrative approach are presented and show the viability of the fabrication procedure. The results from reliability experiments of helix interconnects assembled on an organic substrate are also presented. Initial results from the thermal cycling experiments are promising. Results from mechanical characterization experiments are also presented and show that the out-of-plane compliance exceeds target values recommended by industry experts. Finally, through finite element analysis simulations, it is demonstrated that the die stresses induced by the compliant interconnects are an order of magnitude lower than the die stresses in flip chip on board (FCOB) assemblies, and hence the compliant interconnects are not likely to crack or delaminate low-k dielectric material.


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