Thin packaging - What is next?

The drive for miniaturization of electronic packaging is continuing relentlessly due to ever more functionality in smaller, lighter mobile products. Consequently, innovations are required in packaging technology, and more importantly, in enabled volume manufacturing. Some recent trends in thin products and packaging will be high-lighted and compared to the JEDEC standards for packages. The ASE roadmaps for package size reductions will be presented with particular focus on prepreg based substrate technology. A single sided substrate has been developed and is currently shipping in high volume. The manufacturing concept for this substrate has been adapted to build coreless substrates based on prepreg which are currently in characterization. Further adaptation has led to embedded component, actives and passives, substrates which are currently in qualification. For the later, a new manufacturing form factor has been chosen to take advantage of the assembly infrastructure and to maximize the yield of the substrate which is a key factor for the commercial success of this technology. ASE is offering these substrates in full turnkey service from wafer sort to bumping to embedding in the substrate to assembly of top components, balling and final test.