Emergence and Evolution of Advanced Package Materials
The growing demand for high‑capacity and high‑speed signal processing is driving the development of large‑scale semiconductor packages with ever‑higher integration density. Realizing such packages requires the convergence of materials from printed‑circuit‑board (PCB) substrates to back‑end‑of‑line (BEOL) interconnects. This talk reviews recent material innovations and outlines road‑maps in three key areas.
1. Thick‑film evolution – PCB‑grade thick‑film formulations are being re‑engineered to support macro‑structures over 100 µm thick in vertical chip stacks, providing fine interconnection density and improved thermal dissipation. To pattern and inspect these structures, low‑NA, long‑wavelength lithography and advanced metrology for high‑aspect‑ratio structures are required.
2. Glass emergence – Glass is emerging as a solution for large‑area packages because of its excellent dimensional stability. However, a critical weakness of glass—crack—must be overcome for commercialization. This talk will present the technical challenges and prospective solutions for crack control, reliable detection, and processing.
3. Defect control – As package dimensions shrink, process tapes must be antistatic and residue‑free, with defect‑density targets close to those of front‑end processes. Material selection, surface‑energy tuning, and in‑line monitoring strategies are discussed.
