Thursday, March 5th, 2009
Amkor Technology announced today that it will introduce its next generation package on package (PoP) platform at the IMAPS Device Packaging Conference next week in Scottsdale, AZ. Again begging the question, “Who needs TSV?” this this new PoP platform uses Amkor’s proprietary through mold via (TMV)(TM) interconnect technology to get to 3D IC stacking. {Blog update, Amkor’s Lee Smith provided the correction that TMV is package-level technology that is indepedent of TSV, see BetaBlog 090316.}
As first shown last year at ECTC, TMV allows scaling of the PoP stacked interface to 0.4mm pitch along with larger silicon area within an existing package footprint in support of emerging high density memory architectures. Expanding on the company’s BGA and CSP technologies, this new package supports flip chip, wirebond, stacked die and passive integration within the bottom package for increased integration and design flexibility. Package warpage is also reportedly reduced. Nominal final package thickness is 1.24 mm, based on a 250 µm thick TMV layer and a 400 µm thick cap over the wire-bond stack (see figure).
Through mold via (TMV) package-on-package (PoP) technology using wire bonds, TSV option not shown (source: Amkor Technology)
“Amkor has been investing in the building blocks of our TMV approach for a number of years and we are pleased to bring this powerful new technology to market,” commented Tim Olson, senior vice president of R&D and emerging technologies for Amkor. “We have successfully passed our internal qualification and are making preparations to support our ramp into production. We have also initiated the JEDEC registration process to facilitate industry standardization.”
The company has not publicly disclosed the TMV process flow, but the sloped via sidewalls are key to allowing the use of solder balls as the conductor fill. Using 0.4mm pitch 2-row stacked interfaces with a 10mm flip chip, TMV allow for 961 bottom balls and 232 interconnect balls within a 13mm package body size. The company says that this stacked interface will scale with solder ball pitch densities to 0.3mm or below. –E.K.