Nov 13 2007
Infineon Technologies, a leading supplier of semiconductor and system solutions, and Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. (ASE), the world’s largest semiconductor packaging and test company, today announced a partnership to introduce semiconductor packages with a higher integration level of package size with an almost infinite number of contact elements. This new package form achieves a 30-percent reduction of dimension compared to conventional (lead-frame laminate) packages.
Semiconductor pattern sizes are continuously shrinking to permit the implementation of more complex and efficient semiconductor solutions. Although the chip becomes smaller, the need for adequate connection space has imposed physical constraints on package shrinkage.
Infineon has now succeeded in extending the benefits of Wafer-Level Ball Grid Array (WLB) technology – namely, cost-optimized production and enhanced performance features – by a new technology, embedded WLB (eWLB). All operations are performed highly parallel at wafer level, as with WLBs, signifying concurrent processing of all the chips on the wafer in one step. To promote these advantages, Infineon and ASE have forged a partnership uniting the technology developed by Infineon with the packaging know-how of ASE in a license model.
"We are pleased Infineon has selected ASE as their IC packaging partner of choice in the introduction of this dynamic and leading-edge technology," stated Dr. Ho-Ming Tong, Chief R&D Officer, ASE Group. "Through this collaboration, we believe Infineon will significantly benefit from ASE’s packaging expertise and global market leadership, and we look forward to playing a part in their success."
“We will use our development to set the stage for future package generations and are responding to future market demands and keeping Moore’s Law in mind. As smaller pattern sizes and increasing performance require new, innovative approaches,“ said Prof. Dr. Hermann Eul, member of the Management Board of Infineon Technologies AG and head of the Communications Solutions Business Group. “Our trend-setting package technology sets the benchmark in integration level and efficiency. Together with ASE, we pave the way to providing the industry and end consumers with a new generation of energy-efficient, high-performing mobile devices.”