Benchmarking of Qualification Methodologies for New Package Technologies and Materials

In common industrial practices, new integrated circuit (IC) package technologies are qualified using procedures and test conditions based on experience with the most similar technology previously qualified. While previous experience is important to consider, it cannot be the only criterion. Relying too much on experience may result in overlooking new failure modes and/or new wear out mechanisms. Current test standards may not capture the reliability risk in the new package or may overstress the technology in the new package. On the other hand, lack of understanding of the assembly processes, application environments, and use conditions of all potential end-users versus targeted end-users poses challenges when developing the appropriate reliability test plan for new package technologies/materials. With shorter development cycle time and more frequent introduction of new package technologies, a thorough qualification methodology is necessary to identify reliability weaknesses and prevent reliability escapes during the qualification of new package technologies and materials.Therefore, iNEMI conducted two industry surveys to assess potential gaps in common package qualification practices. The surveys were made available to the entire electronics supply chain, from device users to device suppliers, fabless device suppliers, design houses, package suppliers (OSAT), and fab suppliers. The surveys covered such topics as new package materials, new package technologies, end-user concerns, test conditions, new application spaces, and new qualification requirements. This paper discusses the findings generated from the survey results and presents the roadmap for developing a methodology for qualifying new package technology to address the gaps identified in the survey’s responses.