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PCB Assembly Equipment and Tools
News Release from: DEK
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 01 March 2005
Conference paper recognised with award
DEK's work as part of the Blue Whale project has been commended by the SMTA for its contribution to European microelectronics research.
DEK's work as part of the Blue Whale project has been commended by the SMTA for its contribution to European microelectronics research, underlining the merits of high accuracy mass imaging for wafer level bumping applications The SMTA presented its award for "Best International Paper" at the SMTA Conference 2004 to the paper, jointly authored by DEK technical managers with researchers at the Technical University of Berlin, which presented important wafer level research undertaken as part of Blue Whale
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 28 May 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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The paper includes DEK's solution for applying solder balls to 6in diameter wafers that are only 150um thick.
These are much thinner and more delicate than standard wafers, which required enhancements to DEK's standard solder ball attach process for conventional chip scale packaging.
In addition to allowing applications using very thin wafers, DEK's work has also shown it is possible to deposit solder balls as small as 250um diameter on a pitch of 400mm, setting a new benchmark for resolution when depositing solder balls for semiconductor applications.
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The project, which is part funded by the EU, aims to develop next generation wafer-level packaging for handheld applications in a LAN environment (Blue Whale).
The objective is to create a miniaturised SoC comprising analogue radio and digital microprocessor and, separately, a power amplifier enabling operation up to the maximum 100m range of Bluetooth, within highly miniaturised packages.
To achieve this, the consortium targeted using wafer-level packaging with external interconnects to both sides of the wafer.
This called for extensive research into via-in-via and via rerouting, particularly to enable optimal physical location of the power amplifier connections.
DEK's experience in wafer bumping and solder ball attach provided expertise to solve the difficult packaging challenges when using these technologies within a highly miniaturised outline.
DEK's Mark Whitmore and Michael Staddon led DEK's research and cowrote the paper with researchers from the Technical University of Berlin and Fraunhofer Institute of Reliability and Microintergration (IZM).
"The Blue Whale project breaks new ground by targeting wafer-level packaging throughout, to ensure the smallest possible overall dimensions and thereby grow markets for handheld communication devices", explained Whitmore.
"The paper co-authored by DEK presents breakthrough research into via technologies as well as solder ball attach on to 6in diameter wafers of only 150um thickness".
"These are very delicate wafers that demanded enhancements to our standard tooling for high accuracy mass imaging".
"DEK's standard composite stencil technology proved able to meet the requirements for accuracy as well as providing a standoff to clear predeposited flux on the surface of the wafer".
DEK also evaluated the feasibility of wafer level bumping by depositing solder paste.
"We have considerable experience of applying both techniques to wafer bumping, which allowed us to evaluate the most appropriate solution for this application", added Staddon.
"Bearing all the requirements in mind, solder ball attachment provided the best solution".
"I am very pleased that the SMTA has recognised the value of this research not only in the wireless application space targeted by Blue Whale but to highly miniaturised end-user products generally".
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