It is not uncommon to see several different kinds of back-end assembly machines operating within close proximity to one another on a packaging assembly cleanroom anywhere in the world. The reasons for this stem from the fundamental need to use the best possible tools for the highest yield and reliability possible.
Since Palomar Technologies acquired SST International (now SST Vacuum Reflow Systems) in 2015, we have been working to fuse together these advanced packaging technologies into a single solution for our customers. As a result, Palomar’s Innovation Centers in California, Singapore, and the UK operate in a similar format as any typical packaging assembly clean room. Because Palomar offers high precision die attach, Au/Au ball-wedge bonding, en-masse void-free die attach and hermetic sealing, along with additional supporting equipment including pull/shear testing, thermal curing oven, plasma cleaning, CSAM, X-ray and 3-D measurement in one place, we have the ability to use these combined technologies as part of our normal packaging assembly process.
In this blog, we will look at one example of semiconductor packaging that utilizes a range of technologies to complete the entire packaging assembly process.
Case No. 1: High-reliability LED packaging
In a relatively straightforward LED assembly packaging process, the process is as follows:
TIP: The vacuum reflow oven was introduced to this process because the LED tended to “swim” around when attempting this same step with the die bonder. While it is possible that the die bonder could have managed to operate effectively with the swimming, the reliability and yield of the device certainly would have suffered later, not to mention potentially introducing problems downstream with wire bonding. With the heat generated by the high-reliability LEDs, a true void-free attach is the best solution to go with – if you have the tool, use it.
Other applications that can be a good match for this combined technology include pump lasers, IR microbolometers, and aerospace complex hybrids as well. We share this information to encourage you to consider all the options that are available when designing your packaging process.
Download the Palomar 3880 Die Bonder Data Sheet: | Download the Palomar 8000i Wire Bonder Data Sheet: | Download the SST 5100 Vacuum Reflow Oven Data Sheet: |
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Rich Hueners
Vice President, Global Sales & Marketing
Managing Director, Palomar Technologies (SE Asia) Pte Ltd