From Display and Pwb to Mcms: Large Panel Manufacturing

Abstract

Considerable manufacturing development is currently aimed at reducing high density Multichip Module (MCM) cost through the use of large panels ( >40 cm x 40 cm) to fabricate many interconnection substrates in parallel. This drive for low cost MCM manufacturing is aided by the growing base of similar panel technology for the Printed Wiring Board (PWB) and Flat Panel display industries. It is toward this experience that the infant large panel MCM efforts are looking. In particular, the MCM Consortium formed by the Electronic Industry Association (EIA) and funded under the federal TRP effort is charged with developing a line of equipment optimized for large panel, fine line manufacture. PWB line definition research into large panels of glass and smooth non-woven laminate at 2-4 mil lines and spaces reveals that present equipment and processes are extendible well beyond commercial PWB product. In contrast, the ultra-cleanliness and spin coating of the silicon integrated circuit technology prove too expensive when scaled from 150mm diameter wafers to 560mm panels. Thus low waste photoresist (and other polymer dielectrics) application methods are needed for large panel manufacture. Similarly, PWB contact photomasking is nearing limits at 2-4 mil feature size, and projection or maskless direct write processes may be needed. Even small hand-held flat panel displays are manufactured from large panels to reduce the cost per display for conductive and dielectric layer deposition and patterning. In addition, as low cost flat displays become larger and improve in resolution, the line pitch and density approach that needed in high density MCMs.