Design for manufacturing of RF MCM-L

Conexant Systems Inc. builds single and multi-die IC components for industrial and consumer data communications, telecom, and telephony applications. The IC package technology base allows mixing of analog, RF, and digital functions of noncompatible device families on a low cost interconnect substrate. The multichip module (MCM) technologies are currently being used to design radio frequency (RF) MCM products for wireless and broadband network communication applications. Experience in the use of MCM technology has been developed for nearly a decade by product designers, which has in turn resulted in system-on-a-package implementation long before the fad for system-on-a-chip started. In this paper, the primary features of RF MCM design methodology, electrical simulation tools, and design for high volume manufacturing trade-offs are discussed. Each RF MCM may have one to three CMOS, bipolar, and/or GaAs die, and 10 to 100 discretes depending on its size and functionality. In this paper, we discuss a laminate MCM design that meets performance requirements and can be manufactured on a high volume assembly line