By 2028, the size of the semiconductor advanced packaging industry is projected to reach USD 67.4 billion. Therefore, in the fast-paced dominion of semiconductor packaging, miniaturization, and innovation is the name of the game. Among the infinite techniques striving for supremacy, one stands out as a frontrunner in efficiency, performance, and miniaturization: flip chip technology. Gone are the days when traditional wire bonding reigned supreme. The time has passed when traditional wire bonding reigned utmost. Flip chip technology represents a paradigm shift, providing infinite advantages that are transforming the semiconductor packaging industry as we know it. With this transformation, the flip chip industry generated a revenue of USD 28 Billion in 2023 and is expected to surpass USD 50 billion by the end of 2036 with a compound annual growth rate of 7%.
New Battle: Flip Chip VS Wire Bonding
In the realm of high-speed and high-performance package design, the most commonly used packaging solution is flip chip-in package (FCiP) technology. Flip chips are known to offer several advantages over traditional wire-bond packaging, such as superior thermal and electrical performance, high I/O capability, substrate flexibility for varying performance requirements, well-established process equipment expertise, proven construction, and reduced form factors.
By offering flip chip packaging alternatives on a standard bis-maleimide triazine (BT) resin substrate, quad flat pack no leads (QFN), and standard leadframe (FCSOL), packaging and assembly houses have recently made significant progress toward providing cost-effective solutions. Even though the wafer fabrication process may still involve upfront expenses, assembly houses are employing cutting-edge procedures and tried-and-true technologies to give their clients greater options.
The ability to stack dies on top of one another is one of the key benefits of flip-chip technology. This is more difficult with wire-bonded chips because of the wires, while flip-chips may produce dense interconnections in a smaller space.
Market Dynamics
Factors Influencing the Flip Chip Industry
- Surge in Popularity of IoT – The Internet of Things uses flip chip technology, which can miniaturize devices and perform better than conventional technologies. Consequently, flip chip design finds application in microelectromechanical systems (MEMs) sensors, driving the global flip chip market growth.
- Growing Technological Advancements in Wire Bonding – The improvements in flip chip connectivity technology over wire bonding technology are what is driving the demand for it. Flip chips offer several advantages over conventional wire-bond packaging, including as better thermal and electrical performance requirements, lower form factors, familiarity with well-established production equipment, and enhanced 1/0 capabilities.
- Growing Demand for Smartphones – Smartphone CPUs have made heavy use of flip chip technologies. As a result, the business is expanding due to the rising demand for smartphones. It was predicted that between 2024 and 2029, there will be a constant rise in the number of smartphone users worldwide, adding 1.5 billion people (or 30.6 percent).
Largest segment in the Industry
- Packaging Technology (2D IC, 2.5D IC, 3D IC) – The 2.5D IC segment is expected to hold a share of 50% in the coming years. The primary factors driving the worldwide use of 2.5D IC flip chips are their smaller size when compared to alternative packaging technologies, enhanced performance, greater capacity to pack more chips, and superior efficiency.
Largest Region Overview
- Asia Pacific – The region is poised to dominate with a share of 30% during the forecast period due to the rising number of semiconductor industries in this region.
Major Key Players
- Amkor Technology
- IBM Corporation
- Phison Electronics
- 3M
Unlocking the Flip Chip Packaging Process
An essential technique for electrically attaching a die to a package carrier is flip chip packaging. A direct and effective bond between the chip and the substrate or package is made possible by flip-chip packaging, in contrast to the conventional method of using wire interconnections. This adaptable method works with a wide range of substrates, such as plastic package lead frames, polyimide, glass, ceramic, silicon, and laminate PCBs.
The application of flip chip packaging goes beyond single-die packing. Whether or not the surrounding components use flip chip technology—also known as flip chip on board—it can be utilized to attach dies directly to PCB boards.
Flip chips further cemented their status as a dependable and effective packaging solution in the electronics industry by removing performance concerns related to inductance and capacitance connected to binding wires. Let’s dive into the flip chip packaging process:
- Water Bumping – The attachment pads on the chip’s surface are metalized throughout the manufacturing process to improve their solder receptivity. Electrically conductive bumps or solder balls are placed onto the die’s bond pads to enable flip chip bumping, also known as wafer bumping. This can be accomplished by several techniques, including wafer bumping, which is the combination of solder bumping, stud bumping, and adhesive bumping. These bumps do several tasks, including mechanically supporting the flip chip and enabling heat conduction, electrical short prevention, and connection establishment.
- Alignment – To ensure accurate placement, the die containing the conductive bumps is flipped and aligned after the bumps are formed and the chips are cut. Reliability depends on alignment precision, which must be within a few microns to be achieved.
- Reflow – To enable the conductive material to spread evenly throughout the bond pads, the conductive bumps are heated and melted during the reflow stage, which follows the alignment and flipping of a die onto the substrate. This reflow procedure reduces the standoff, or space between the die and substrate, and improves the wettability of the solder. Reflow soldering or thermosonic bonding is frequently used to accomplish the reflow.
- Encapsulation – Filling the spaces between the die and the substrate is the process of encapsulation. The encapsulant fills the area between the bumps by gently depositing it along the die’s edges and flowing over the space created by the die and substrate. To finish the encapsulation process, further deposition is done on the die’s edges. Among the many functions of the underfill material is to improve mechanical strength and dependability.
Integration with Advanced Packaging Solutions
- Wafer-level Packaging – Wafer Level Packaging is the art of packing a chip device, while it’s still part of wafers. In the area of assembly packaging, this technology is a huge success. It is anticipated that spending on waver-level packing and assembly equipment will total 2.03 billion dollars in 2017.
To make small electronic devices, e.g. sensors in the Internet of Things applications or mobiles more compact and efficient, WLP plays an important role by reducing the size and weight of a chip package. WLP is an affordable option because of its integrated wafer dicing services and optimized processes. Advanced flip chip packaging techniques use wafer-level packaging methods to seek higher efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
- Redistribution Layers (RDL) – An additional crucial element of sophisticated flip chip packaging is including redistribution layers (RDL) in the package architecture. The process of creating a layer for chip pin redistribution on the active chip side is known as the redistribution layer (RDL). Chip pins can be moved around to any feasible location on the chip using RDL. The die pads that support traditional wire bond technology and are situated in the chip’s perimeter can be reallocated to any part of the chip’s surface to serve as its “redistribution pins” by use of RDL technology. RDL works as an enhancer for flip chip packages making them idyllic high-density applications such as data centers, 5G infrastructure, and AI.
- Multi-Die Integration – The paradigm of multi-die design, where big designs are divided between a series of small dies and often referred to as chipsets or tiles, has been adopted by chip designers to cope with process node constraints. The rapid adoption of Multidie Systems for Flip Chips is set to transform the semiconductor industry into a revolution that will unlock even more performance and change applications shaping our lives by making it possible to use them widely.
- System-in-Packaging – The power and promise of System-in-Package (SiP), a package or module housing a complete electronic system or sub-system that is integrated and downsized through IC assembly technologies, are being quickly unleashed by the drive towards semiconductor downsizing and integration. System-in-package (SiP) integration is the integration of all system modules into a single package, made possible by improved flip chip manufacturing that goes beyond individual dies.
Recent Advances in the Flip Chip Technology
- SET launched a new product in the flip chip bonding industry, “NEO HB”. SET’s most recent flip-chip bonder is intended for mass production, boasting a post-bonding precision of +/- 1 μm (3 sigmas) in both stand-alone and fully automation modes. With its exceptional accuracy, adaptability, and rapid cycle time, the NEO HB is an ideal fit for hybrid or direct bonding (HB) procedures.
- Luminus Devices Inc. with the launch and immediate availability of MP-3030-110F flip-chip LEDs, has made it possible to create lighting solutions with the highest levels of efficacy, brightness, and general durability. Because of the flip-chip architecture, there is no wire bond, which increases dependability. It also has improved sulfur resistance, making it suited for strong performance in harsh lighting environments and outdoor horticulture applications alike.
- Skyworks Solutions, Inc., a pioneer in high-performance analog semiconductors allowing a wide range of end markets, revealed multiple wireless networking products integrating flip-chip packaging.
- The Zavus Xtreme Pixel (XP) Flip Chip COB MicroLED display has been introduced by Jupiter Systems. The newest model in the company’s lineup of 21:9 ultra-wide displays is the huge, seamless, customizable display solution. The 21:9 form factor Zavus XP from Jupiter offers a customizable variety of seamless displays with a 5K resolution that starts at 165 inches diagonally in 0.7mm ultra-fine pitch and goes up to 281 inches diagonally.
Conclusion
In the end, traditional wire interconnections can be replaced with a direct and effective bond between chips and substrates thanks to flip chip technology. It provides an excellent choice for a wide range of applications, from consumer electronics to automobiles and aeronautics, due to its ability to improve thermal management, reduce signal delay, and allow more component densities. To meet the growing demand for smaller, faster, and more effective electronics, it is expected that Flip chip technology will play a major role in determining the future of silicon packaging.
Source:
https://www.researchnester.com/reports/flip-chip-market/5690
