Contract microelectronics assembly is all about production, uptime and yield, all of which require production regulation and process control especially for high-precision die attach and wire bond services. Good process control means constantly monitoring to quickly identify the location of any deviation, isolating the issue and removing it, or reworking if the problem is systemic. The feedback loop indicates the successes and faults among any production tasks, materials or even equipment. Any lack in monitoring increases the risk for losing valuable information or track of production builds which can jeopardize schedule, cost and, ultimately, customer satisfaction. Closing this loop and managing contract device assembly details on a day-to-day basis is imperative.
Automated Data Management and Analysis (ADMA) is a unified system that improves all
aspects of process development and assembly life cycle, reducing costs through increased yield and improved resource utilization. ADMA automatically collects data exported from the automated assembly equipment core software and sends it to a centralized analysis application. ADMA then generates graphical and numerical output of the performance data, which can be used for monitoring and further analysis, e.g., with SPC software and component traceability.
All bonder and process data is categorized and stored in time-stamped directories, down to the (ms) for sufficient granularity, allowing for both time- and event-based trending of key variables to maintain a clear picture of process status. Process and equipment performance data can be viewed across multiple applications, multiple locations, multiple machines and multiple platforms of Palomar Technologies equipment.
For example, wafer scale packaging (WSP or wafer level packaging (WPL) ) and the requirement for smaller die populated on wafers are increasing trends in the microelectronics packaging industry today. The continuity of work for WSP production—in conjunction with the feedback loop—becomes essential. A key feature of ADMA is the overall improvement in the supply chain. In a wafer scale packaging process where ADMA is absent, chipped or problematic die have to be manually spotted and removed, or they are otherwise skipped over. With ADMA, not only are these problems located immediately, but they are also mapped, tagged and addressed. In a multiple-shift operation, ADMA software automatically stores the previous work, therefore eliminating duplication. This translates into faster turnaround times and quicker time-to-market for customers.
Download the "Contract Assembly Production, Materials & Equipment Data Tracking & Management" eBook for a deeper dive in ADMA customer case studies and solutions to their contract assembly challenge:
- U.S. optoelectronic device manufacturer startup company
- Challenge: Building an active optical cable application formatted for 6” wafer scale packaging. The company required microelectronics process development and production, but was not ready to commit to purchasing the required range of capital equipment.
- Global MEMS and HB LED device manufacturer
- Challenge: The product was already prototyped but still required three weeks of process development to tailor it to small-scale production. A six-month forecast and purchase agreement was made. At the end of this term, the company’s management decided to shift focus elsewhere. Two years later, the company refocused on this build process with the request to re-start production. Restarting production would be labor intensive and costly.
- USA defense contractor
- Challenge: The organization was tasked with assembling a newly patented Composite Focal Plane Array (CFPA) requiring precision epoxy die attach—video die on an AlNi substrate. A class-1000 clean room space was also required. This project was too small and too specialized for the defense contractor’s current engineering and production environment; yet, it was important enough to make an investment, develop a prototype and begin limited production for feasibility testing in military aircraft. Strict process control documentation was inherent to the project.
- Medical company requiring product-level traceability
- Challenge: The company required product-level traceability after having spent $1M on failed internal development.
Reliable process control is assured with ADMA through the continuous verification of operational data against process documentation and control limits. This also enables multiple equipment sets and applications to be interleave for better time and resource utilization without a sacrifice of quality.
Key Advantages Using ADMA
- Maintenance
- All calibration and diagnostic data are time stamped, centrally analyzed and trended
- Useful for analyzing machine failures and to predict preventative maintenance
- Process Development
- Tying of machine performance to process performance through data storage and analysis
- High-mix/Low-volume OR Low-mix/High-volume
- Comprehensive data management
- Build tracking
- Ramping to production
- Scalable data management and analysis
- Production
- RAM statistics
- Runtime data logging, i.e. PPAC and deformation
- Complete traceability
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Jessica Sylvester
Marketing Communications
Palomar Technologies