Strategies for Embedding of Active Components

Innovative technologies for the realization of packages and system-in-packages (SIP) with embedded components will be described. Embedding of semiconductor chips into substrates has several advantages. At first it allows a very high degree of miniaturization, since multiple layers of embedded components can be sequentially stacked. A further advantage is the beneficial electrical performance by short and geometrically well controlled interconnects. Furthermore the embedding gives a homogeneous mechanical environment of the chips, resulting in good reliability. The development of different technologies for component embedding will be described. One technology, called "chip in polymer", uses thin chips which are die bonded and embedded by lamination of resin coated copper (RCC) layers. The electrical contacts are made by laser drilling and Cu metallization. An other approach, which is mainly of interest for flexible substrates, uses flip chips with very thin interconnect. The chips are soldered or glued to flex substrates, followed by embedding in an adhesive layer. Both technologies result in chips which are fully integrated in a flat substrate, either rigid or flex. In both cases further layers an be applied or other components can be conventionally assembled on top