With today's ever increasing need for larger bandwidth in telecommunications, datacom, aerospace and defense applications, packaging challenges continue to grow. As the frequency at which the packages are required to operate increases, the wire itself becomes one of the larger problems. Although the impact of first-level interconnect (wire bonding) is fairly well understood, minimizing its influence on circuit performance can be interesting, to say the least.

Operating frequencies are rising faster than technology stocks, and soon it will be commonplace to manufacture circuits that operate in the 50 to 100 GHz range. At some point alternative solutions will have to be examined. This forcing function is not a generation away, but closer to five years. Until then, the challenge of solving today's (and some of tomorrow's) problems with today's technology remains. Fine ribbon wire first-level interconnects are a major part of the solution.

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