Trends in power semiconductor packaging

After a number of decades of relative obscurity behind furious advancements in IC packaging technology, a review of recent advances in power device packaging is presented. General trends in relevant electrical and mechanical characteristics are reviewed. Then, the presentation covers in more detail, examples of how advances in both semiconductor content and advanced package design and materials have co-enabled the significant advances in power device capability during the last half decade. Extrapolating the same trends in representative areas to the remainder of the decade serves to highlight where further improvements in materials and techniques can drive continued enhancements in usability, efficiency, reliability, and overall cost of power semiconductor solutions. In addition to the forward looking trends it is important to recognize that the methods for concurrent engineering of these solutions (both the semiconductor content and high performance package capability) are becoming more increasingly dependent on rigorous use of proven multiphysics/FEA tools and techniques. In most cases this insures adequate program definition and timely program completion. In some cases the use of these tools by the teams involved lead directly to unanticipated and insightful solutions to problems which had previously remained intractable. Examples are described with illustrations and commentary.