Trends in semiconductor packaging, a merchant house view

Semiconductor packaging is being driven in two major directions by the demand for increased system operating speeds and higher functional density. Most prominent is the trend toward higher functional integration on the die, resulting in both a larger die size and decreased feature size. The other major trend is the mechanical integration of multiple devices in a single package. These trends require improved package-design methods that include electrical and thermomechanical modeling, improved data on material properties that drive package reliability, and novel methods of reliability testing to meet the very low defect levels that will be required in next-generation electronic equipment