TechSearch International president Jan Vardaman served as co-author on a study from IPC that provides a thorough, data-driven analysis of the global semiconductor and advanced packaging ecosystem. The study, An Analysis of the North American Semiconductor and Advanced Packaging Ecosystem, highlights the role of advanced packaging in driving innovation in semiconductor designs.

The IPC report makes the case for congressional appropriations of more than $50 billion to support U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, while also underscoring the need to expand advanced packaging capabilities to support the increased production of chips. At a time when the semiconductor supply chain is facing immense pressure, increasing silicon production without bolstering domestic advanced packaging capabilities is likely to lengthen the semiconductor supply chain, as chips will still have to be sent abroad for packaging and assembly into finished products.

Access to the report is free to all.

The Worldwide Assembly & Test Facility Database is a comprehensive data file that tracks over 670 back-end facilities of IDMs (Integrated Device Manufacturers) and outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing (OSAT) manufacturers globally. This database provides access to and insights into global assembly & test facilities in China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The report highlights packaging technology offerings by manufacturing location.

Details include:

• Plant site technology capability, including Wafer Sort, Final Test, Tape and Reel
• Packaging assembly service offered, such as BGA, Leadframe packages (like QFP, QFN, SO), and Advanced packaging offerings, defined as flip chip bumping and assembly, fan-out and fan-in wafer level packaging (WLP), through silicon via (TSV), 2.5D and 3D capability.
• New in the 2024 edition: Advanced packaging offerings and Automotive certification status.

Key Highlights

• More than 150 new facilities compared to 2022 report
• The world's top 20 OSAT companies in 2022 with financial comparison to 2021. Preliminary comparisons to 2023 are also provided and will be updated after the reporting cycle is complete
• More than 200 companies and over 670 total back-end facilities
• More than 325 facilities with Test capabilities
• More than 100 facilities offering FN
• More than 85 bumping facilities, including more than 65 with 300mm wafer bumping capacity
• More than 90 facilities offering WLCSP technology
• More than 130 OSAT facilities in Taiwan, more than 150 in China, and more than 60 in Southeast Asia
• More than 50 IDM A&T facilities in Southeast Asia, about 45 in China, nearly 20 in Americas, and more than 12 in Europe
• More than 30% of global factories offer advanced packaging capabilities in one of the following areas: flip chip bumping and assembly, fan-out and fan-in wafer level packaging (WLP), through silicon via (TSV), 2.5D and 3D

Features

• Manufacturing site information
• Packaging technology capabilities
• Plant site applications capabilities
• Type of services offered
• Manufacturing specialization by facility

Benefits

• Gain insight to worldwide IDM assembly/test and OSAT facilities capabilities and expertise
• Understand key packaging capabilities and technologies by IDM and OSAT
• A tool to identify new business opportunities and assess competition
• Empower your market research with verified, validated, and credible information

TECHCET and TechSearch International, in cooperation with SEMI, authored the 10th edition of the Global Semiconductor Packaging Materials Outlook, a comprehensive market research study that examines semiconductor packaging technology trends and their impact on the packaging materials markets. The report quantifies the packaging materials markets by segment and by region, highlights new opportunities for emerging package form factors, defines supplier market share, and presents market forecasts through 2027.

Global Semiconductor Packaging Materials Outlook is
an essential business tool for anyone interested in the plastic packaging materials arena. Packaging materials directly affect the performance, reliability and cost of semiconductors, and advancements in packaging materials technology offer the potential for significant improvement across all these areas.

Features

• Technology trends
• Regional market size
• Five-year market forecast
• Supplier market share
• Market size in revenue and units
• Capacity and utilization trends
• Supply chain issues

Benefits

• Gain insights to worldwide packaging material technology trends, market size, and market forecast
• Understand key package offerings and technologies
• Use benchmark data to validate business opportunities and assumptions

Condensed Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Semiconductor Packaging
• Substrates
• Leadframes
• Bonding Wire
• Mold Compounds
• Liquid Encapsulates
• Die Attach Materials
• Solder Balls
• Wafer Level Package
• Plating Chemicals
• Summary and Conclusion
• Appendices

Wafer level packaging (WLP) is often the most cost-effective approach for achieving miniaturization. However, using wafer level packaging for the wrong applications can be needlessly expensive. The significant differences between printed circuit board interconnect design rules and semiconductor interconnect design rules must be resolved by the package, and this presents unique challenges for wafer level packaging.

If miniaturization is not required, a wire bond package is usually the most cost-effective packaging approach. However, a modified wafer level packaging approach called fan-out wafer level packaging is one option that overcomes the traditional WLP I/O restrictions. In many cases, fan-out wafer level packaging or flip chip packaging is the lowest cost solution for applications requiring a moderate number of I/Os with some package size constraints.

This paper compares the total packaging cost of the following four technologies:

• Wire bond packaging
• Flip chip packaging
• Fan-in wafer level packaging
• Fan-out wafer level packaging

The analysis is accomplished using a comprehensive activity based cost model for each of the four package technologies. All wafer preparation activities (bumping for flip chip, wafer mounting, backgrind, dicing, etc.), fabrication activities (redistribution layer creation, inner layer processing, build-up layer processing, drilling, surface finish, testing, singulation, etc.), and assembly activities (die bonding, wire bonding, underfill, mold compound, lid attach, solder ball attach, etc.) are modeled and verified using multiple industry sources.

After successful collaboration on cost models for Wafer Level Packaging, Flip Chip, Wire Bond, and other technologies, SavanSys Solutions and TechSearch International released a cost trade-off model for 2.5D and 3D packaging technologies. While there are still technical barriers to high volume adoption of 2.5D and 3D packaging solutions, cost remains a primary obstacle. The question is not whether 2.5D and 3D stacks can be built, but rather which applications are appropriate for these technologies based on cost/performance.

The 2.5D & 3D Packaging Cost Model covers the total cost and yield from fabrication of the wafer to complete assembly, for both 2.5D and 3D applications. The user is able to edit a variety of parameters, including TSV and interposer characteristics, supplier specific inputs, and die preparation details. For parameters not known or specified, the model will estimate it based on other user entries and the latest industry knowledge. A detailed cost break down of the total process cost is generated for each analysis, allowing the user to pinpoint the exact steps in the process flow that contribute to cost. In addition, detailed manipulation of the process flow is available, allowing the user to disable or enter specific values for process steps.

• SavanSys develops the model software
• TechSearch helps with model calibration

Wafer level packaging (WLP) is often the most cost-effective approach for achieving miniaturization. However, using wafer level packaging for the wrong applications can be needlessly expensive. The significant differences between printed circuit board interconnect design rules and semiconductor interconnect design rules must be resolved by the package, and this presents unique challenges for wafer level packaging.

If miniaturization is not required, a wire bond package is usually the most cost-effective packaging approach. However, a modified wafer level packaging approach called fan-out wafer level packaging is one option that overcomes the traditional WLP I/O restriction. In many cases, fan-out wafer level packaging or flip chip packaging is the lowest cost solution for applications requiring a moderate number of I/Os with some package size constraints.

This paper compares the total packaging cost of the following four technologies:

• Fan-in wafer level packaging
• Fan-out wafer level packaging

• Flip chip packaging

• Wire bond packaging

The analysis is accomplished using a comprehensive activity based cost model for each of the four package technologies. All wafer preparation activities (bumping for flip chip, wafer mounting, backgrind, dicing, etc.), fabrication activities (redistribution layer creation, inner layer processing, build-up layer processing, drilling, surface finish, testing, singulation, etc.), and assembly activities (die bonding, wire bonding, underfill, mold compound, lid attach, solder ball attach, etc.) are modeled and verified using multiple industry sources.

• SavanSys develops the model software
• TechSearch helps with model calibration

In addition to performing our own teardowns of leading-edge system products, TechSearch International also markets teardown reports from Total Process Solution Study Group (TPSS) in Japan.