An alternative format for plastic packaging — Wafer/panel level encapsulation: Its challenges and solutions

Abstract

This work will discourse on the challenges and solutions that a packaging and/or equipment engineer will face during the molding process of 5S (five-sided) and/or 6S (six-sided) packages at a wafer and/or panel level. This form of packaging is known as large format packaging (LFP). Technical solutions and in particular encapsulation assembly are discussed from the viewpoint of drivers of LFP, CLAP design, encapsulation equipment/tool design, encapsulant and moldability. Based on this work, LFP as a packaging solution is a viable option provided that package co-planarity, optimal encapsulant design, and optimized molding process are enforced. The keys are optimization of equipment, tool and molding process control.