Semiconductor Device Manufacturing Process Challenges And Opportunities


Semiconductor device manufacturing involves a complex series of processes that transform raw materials into finished devices. The process typically involves four major stages: wafer fabrication, wafer testing, assembly or packaging, and final testing. Each stage has its own unique set of challenges and opportunities. The semiconductor device manufacturing process faces several challenges, inclu... » read more

The Good Old Days Of EDA


Nostalgia is wonderful, but there is something about being involved in the formative years of an industry. Few people ever get to experience it, and it was probably one of the most fortuitous events to have happened in my life. Back in the early '80s, little in the way of design automation existed. There were a few gate- and transistor-level simulators, primarily for test and a few 'calculators... » read more

LAB Flip Chip Reflow Process Robustness Prediction By Thermal Simulation


By Gabriel Chang and Ricky Zang Nowadays, there are many interconnects in IC chips. One of the packaging goals is to connect an IC to the next level of subsystem circuitry (package substrates/print circuit boards). Mass reflow (MR) of solder joints is a widely adapted and stable process in the industry. The applications of MR include flip chip, ball mounting, surface mount technology (SMT), ... » read more

Making Connections In 3D Heterogeneous Integration


Activity around 3D heterogeneous integration (3DHI) is heating up, driven by growing support from governments, the need to add more features and compute elements into systems, and a widespread recognition that there are better paths forward than packing everything into a single SoC at the same process node. The leading edge of chip design has changed dramatically over the last few years. Int... » read more

Reverse Laser Assisted Bonding (R-LAB) Technology For Chiplet Module Bonding On Substrate


By SeokHo Na, MinHo Gim, GaHyeon Kim, DongSu Ryu, DongJoo Park, and JinYoung Kim In the recent semiconductor market, there are many applications including smartphone, tablets, central processing units (CPUs), artificial intelligence (AI), data cloud and more that are expecting and experiencing rapid growth. As most of these applications require high performance, single-die Flip Chip packages... » read more

3D In-Memory Compute Making Progress


Indium compounds are showing great promise for 3D in-memory compute and RF integration, but more work is needed. Researchers continue to make headway into 3D device integration particularly with indium tin oxide (ITO), which is widely used in display manufacturing. Recent work indicates that different compounds of indium oxide doped with tin, gallium, or zinc combinations may boost transisto... » read more

A Hybrid PLP Technology Based On A 650mm x 650mm Platform


A panel-level (PL) approach to fan-out (FO) packaging has been discussed for several years to reduce the cost of chip-first FO packaging based on redistribution layer (RDL) technology. More recently, multilayer high-density chip-last packages have been introduced for more advanced applications. This technology would also benefit from PL processing for cost reduction. Due to the large package di... » read more

High-Density Fan-Out Packaging With Fine Pitch Embedded Trace RDL


The needs of high-performance devices for artificial intelligence (AI), high performance computing (HPC) and data center applications have drastically accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic period. At the same time, the integrated circuit (IC) industry struggles to minimize the silicon technology node to satisfy the endless requirements of computing performance within tight cost constraints. ... » read more

Enhancing Punch MLF Packaging with Edge Protection Technology


Quad Flat No-Lead (QFN) semiconductor packaging provides a small form factor as well as good electrical and thermal performance for low cost. Add demonstrated long term reliability to its benefits and it is easy to see why it has been a preferred automotive package for many years. QFNs are offered in saw and punch formats with punch being a well-defined and used solution in the automotive marke... » read more

Challenges Grow For Creating Smaller Bumps For Flip Chips


New bump structures are being developed to enable higher interconnect densities in flip-chip packaging, but they are complex, expensive, and increasingly difficult to manufacture. For products with high pin counts, flip-chip [1] packages have long been a popular choice because they utilize the whole die area for interconnect. The technology has been in use since the 1970s, starting with IBM�... » read more

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