Vila do Conde, Porto, Portugal – May 27, 2015 – NANIUM S.A., acknowledged for its experience in designing and developing reliable, innovative semiconductor packaging solutions, announced the successful qualification of yet another type of Wafer-Level Package. This time directed at WLCSP, the new WLCSP+ concept is grounded on the Wafer-Level Fan-Out (WLFO) technology that is NANIUM’s hallmark. Independently of the incoming wafer size, the WLCSP+ is efficiently processed in large format 300mm reconstituted wafer format and allows for superior product robustness for handling. In essence, the package applies a thin mold compound layer over the die’s backside and sidewall, offering an additional 5-side mechanical protection.
The recently introduced solution is called WLCSP+, a standard WLCSP with a “plus” of important additional features. NANIUM attained it by a fusion of its leading-edge WLFO technology knowledge and HVM capabilities with classical WLCSP technology. In essence, regardless of their diameter, the Known-Good Dies (KGD) of the grinded and diced incoming wafers are placed together in a new, standardized, 300mm reconstituted mold wafer with very short distance between each other. As redistribution routing and bumps are placed on the die itself only, it remains a WLCSP solution. However, it relies on a reconstituted mold wafer. In this way, for instance, dies from two 200mm wafer, or from even more wafers with smaller diameters, can be processed on one reconstituted 300mm mold wafer. This translates into cost advantage, which may be amplified in accordance with the incoming wafer’s diameter, die size and yield.
“The idea of WLCSP+ was born at NANIUM already during the second half of 2012”, explained Steffen Kroehnert, the company’s Director of Technology. “A customer with already singulated thick dies from so-called Multi-Project-Wafers (MPW) approached us asking for single-die thickness reduction and, if possible, also active surface cleaning and pad activation for the following wire bond process in a QFN package. Before WLFO was established in the market and ready for this type of construction, single-die processing was very difficult to accomplish and extremely costly. The reconstituted wafer only requires a short distance between the dies and combines the single-dies again into a wafer format, offering a very efficient way to complete the required modifications.”
In addition to the cost benefits, the WLCSP+ concept is important for advanced CMOS technology nodes using Low-k and ULK materials. It enables wafer-probe application to dies, already separated from the Si wafer, now embedded in the reconstituted mold wafer. This allows for testing Si wafer dicing fails, which are critical. Due to the sensitivity of the wafers produced in advanced CMOS technology nodes, they require new dicing methods such as laser grooving. Thus far, test after separation from the Si wafer had been possible via expensive and inefficient bare-die handling and testing only. With WLCSP+, the package singulation from the reconstituted mold wafer will be completed by dicing through the mold compound, after the already separated and tested Si dies have been coated by mold compound to ensure their protection.
WLCSP is the only real Fan-In WLP technology that offers the smallest package form-factor possible in the semiconductor packaging industry. It enables low-cost manufacturing, and a high performance suitable for low and medium I/O density. WLCSP’s product applications include Mobile and Consumer products, Wireless connectivity, MEMS and Sensors.
NANIUM will be showcasing the WLCSP+ at the 65th ECTC, along with its other wafer-level packaging technology innovations. The event will be held in San Diego, California, USA, from May 26th to May 29th, 2015.
About NANIUM
NANIUM ( www.nanium.com) is an outsourced semiconductor packaging, assembly and test provider, and a world-leader in 300mm Wafer-Level Packaging. The company provides Wafer-Level Chip Scale Packaging (WLCSP) and was among the first in the world to offer Wafer-Level Fan-Out (WLFO) in high volume manufacturing. Nowadays, NANIUM stands as a leader in WLFO, a technology that combines minimal form-factor with superior performance, high integration density, and maximum reliability. To date, NANIUM has shipped over 550 million WLFO packages.
NANIUM delivers world-class services and always customizes them according to the customers’ needs. In this way, its WLFO embedded integration solutions range from single- to multi-die, system-in-package and package-on-package with passives integration, and serve markets such as mobile communication, medical, security, wearables and automotive radars, to name a few. The company is acknowledged for its proficiency in advanced packaging and known for its portfolio of innovative solutions, which includes the largest WLCSP in the world or the most compact WLFO Multi-Chip Module in the medical market.
Based in Portugal, NANIUM’s facilities include over 20,000 m2 of cleanroom area. The company offers in-house capabilities for the entire development chain, from design to the flexibility to tailor and test solutions. NANIUM has sales offices in Dresden, Germany, and Boston, USA.
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Irene Martins
NANIUM, S.A.
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