Page 20 - Chip Scale Review_September-October_2023-digital

Packaging innovation drives inspection requirements

for automotive apps and more

By Olivier Dupont [KLA Corporation]
T he chip packaging challenges

t h a t e m e r g e d i n t h e
development of segments like
mobile and high-performance computing
(HPC) were complex, but the solutions
developed so far are proving to be valuable
to the evolution of chip packaging for the
automotive domain as well—and this is no
coincidence (Figure 1). In-vehicle advanced
driver assistance systems (ADAS) and
infotainment technology are fundamentally
mobile and likewise constrained for power
and space. Yet the compute and graphics
horsepower increasingly required to drive
automotive systems is giving rise to a new
generation of artificial intelligence (AI)-
guided supercomputers on wheels.
L a r g e , s i ng l e - d i e m o n ol i t h i c
designs are struggling to remain cost
competitive for many applications,
i n clu d i ng a d va n c e d a ut omot ive
a p pl ic at io n s. But t he evolut io n
to moder n 2.5 and 3D multi-die,
disaggregated architectures (chiplets, Figure 1: Semiconductor chips play a major role in the evolution of automotive features toward more
systems in package (SiP), etc.) isn’t just advanced capability.
an economics play (Figure 2). Rather, related to their multi-die layouts, for automotive applications today as they
the advanced packaging technologies electromagnetic interference (EMI) evolve to more advanced technologies.
have become essential to overall chip shielding, non-traditional package More traditional packages like quad
performance itself, making it possible shapes, and more, as package geometries flat package (QFP), quad flat no-lead
to outperform monolithic designs in shrink. The lessons learned while package (QFN) and wire bond ball
several dimensions. developing strategies to increase yield for grid array (BGA) continue to be the
SiP and antenna in package (AiP) these packaging types are guiding our dominant automotive packages. They are
integrations introduced quality challenges approach to inspection and metrology highly reliable and very cost-effective to

Figure 2: Evolution of advanced packaging technology.

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