Ultrathin WLFO

ABSTRACT NANIUM’s Fan-Out Wafer-Level Packaging technology WLFO (Wafer-Level Fan-Out) is based on embedded Wafer-Level Ball Grid Array technology eWLB of Infineon Technologies [1]. Since it’s invention almost 10 years ago, it became the leading technology for Fan-Out Wafer-Level packages. The WLFO technology is based upon the reconstitution of KGD (known good die) from incoming device wafer, independent of wafer diameter and material, to recon wafer format of active semiconductor dies or other active/ passive components separated by mold compound applied through compression molding on a temporary mold carrier. The resulting recon wafer can be processed in standard wafer processing equipment. One of the challenges for the future of semiconductor packaging is reduction of the board level volume real estate occupied by each component. With the drive towards lower profile end user devices incorporating large display area and battery life the three dimensional available for semiconductor packages is diminishing. It is well known that WLFO single die packaging but even more significant system integration enables the shrinkage of the XY footprint of the package through flexible very dense heterogeneous system-in-package integration [2]. But one of the disruptive advantages of the substrate-less WLFO technology is to also permit significant reduction of the overall package height (Z). A total package height for a BGA package including solder balls <500um and for a LGA package with solder land pads only <300um is achievable today, and further development towards even thinner packages is on the way.