Ultra-Small Fan-Out Packaging Solution

By Ken Hsiao - 19 Aug, 2021 - Comments: 0

With the advent of the Internet and multimedia, electronics miniaturization in the form of integrated circuits has become an indispensable part of our lives. To ensure its long-term operation and reliability, the rapid development of integrated circuits depends on advancements in not only the design and manufacturing of chips, but also its packaging. As the market demand for consumer and com... » read more

Fan-Out Packaging Options Grow

By Mark LaPedus - 17 Jun, 2021 - Comments: 0

Chipmakers, OSATs and R&D organizations are developing the next wave of fan-out packages for a range of applications, but sorting out the new options and finding the right solution is proving to be a challenge. Fan-out is a way to assemble one or more dies in an advanced package, enabling chips with better performance and more I/Os for applications like computing, IoT, networking and sma... » read more

The Next Advanced Packages

By Mark LaPedus - 18 Jun, 2020 - Comments: 4

Packaging houses are readying their next-generation advanced IC packages, paving the way toward new and innovative system-level chip designs. These packages include new versions of 2.5D/3D technologies, chiplets, fan-out and even wafer-scale packaging. A given package type may include several variations. For example, vendors are developing new fan-out packages using wafers and panels. One is... » read more

What’s The Best Advanced Packaging Option?

By Mark LaPedus - 17 Oct, 2019 - Comments: 2

As traditional chip designs become more unwieldy and expensive at each node, many IC vendors are exploring or pursuing alternative approaches using advanced packaging. The problem is there are too many advanced packaging options on the table already, and the list continues to grow. Moreover, each option has several tradeoffs and challenges, and all of them are still relatively expensive. ... » read more

Inspecting IC Packages Using Die Sorters

By Mark LaPedus - 18 Apr, 2019 - Comments: 0

The shift toward more complex IC packages requires more advanced inspection systems in the production flow to capture unwanted defects in products. This includes traditional optical inspection tools in the in-line production flow, but it also now requires new die sorting equipment with advanced inspection capabilities. Die sorters are not the kind of equipment that typically attracts attenti... » read more

Fan-Out Wars Begin

By Mark LaPedus - 05 Feb, 2018 - Comments: 3

Several packaging houses are developing the next wave of high-density fan-out packages for premium smartphones, but perhaps a bigger battle is brewing in the lower density fan-out arena. Amkor, ASE, STATS ChipPAC and others sell traditional low-density fan-out packages, although some new and competitive technologies are beginning to appear in the market. Low-density fan-out, or sometimes cal... » read more

Packaging Challenges For 2018

By Mark LaPedus - 08 Jan, 2018 - Comments: 0

The IC packaging market is projected to see steady growth this year, amid ongoing changes in the landscape. The outsourced semiconductor assembly and test ([getkc id="83" kc_name="OSAT"]) industry, which provides third-party packaging and test services, has been consolidating for some time. So while sales rising, the number of companies is falling. In late 2017, for example, [getentity id="2... » read more

Shortages Hit Packaging Biz

By Mark LaPedus - 11 Dec, 2017 - Comments: 1

Rising demand for chips is hitting the IC packaging supply chain, causing shortages of select manufacturing capacity, various package types, leadframes and even some equipment. Spot shortages for some IC packages began showing up earlier this year, but the problem has been growing and spreading since then. Supply imbalances reached a boiling point in the third and fourth quarters of this yea... » read more

28nm Chip-Package Interactions In Large eWLB FO-WLP

By STATS ChipPAC - 10 Jul, 2017 - Comments: 0

To meet the continued demand for form factor reduction and functional integration of electronic devices, Wafer Level Packaging (WLP) is an attractive packaging solution with many advantages in comparison with standard Ball Grid Array (BGA) packages. The advancement of fan-out WLP has made it a more promising solution as compared with fan-in WLP, because it can offer greater flexibility in enabl... » read more

Wirebond Technology Rolls On

By Mark LaPedus - 08 May, 2017 - Comments: 2

Several years ago, many predicted the demise of an older interconnect packaging technology called wire bonding, prompting the need for more advanced packaging types. Those predictions were wrong. The semiconductor industry today uses several advanced packaging types, but wire bonding has been reinvented over the years and remains the workhorse in packaging. For example, Advanced Semiconducto... » read more

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