Rudolph collaborates with Asia OSAT on development and characterization of stacked packaging processes

FLANDERS, USA: Rudolph Technologies Inc., a leading provider of process characterization equipment and software for wafer fabs and advanced packaging facilities announced that it is partnering with a major semiconductor assembly and test services manufacturer to provide its inspection and metrology capability in the development of stacked packaging processes.

The process uses silicon interposer technology, sometimes referred to as 2.5D IC, as an intermediate step toward full blown 3D ICs.

"We are pleased to be partnering with one of the industry leaders in the development of stacked packaging 3D IC technology," said Rajiv Roy, Rudolph’s vice president of business development and director of back-end marketing. "The NSX System will measure via depth, inspect for defects and provide 3D metrology of solder bumps. Rudolph is collaborating with several leading-edge companies in the assembly and test sector, and we believe this effort will help to ensure the continued successful development of our NSX Systems for 3D IC applications."

Roy adds, "We were selected for this development project because we were able to meet the customer’s current specifications, and they are willing to work with us to make adjustments to the NSX System as we move forward with this project."

Silicon interposer technology allows manufacturers to stack multiple chips to improve performance and increase the computing power in a small volume. It is particularly attractive to makers of cell phones and other handheld devices who must combine various chips with different functionality in a small space.

The silicon interposer provides high density, short path signal routing between the stacked chips without requiring drastic changes in the design and manufacture of the chips themselves.

“This is an important step toward full-blown 3D ICs,” Roy continued. “There are still a number of hurdles, however, such as lack of standards and high manufacturing costs for through-silicon-via based 3D ICs in high volume.” Silicon interposer technology allows manufacturers to roll out production-worthy devices without the through-silicon-via standards in place, and without the need to modify existing devices already in production.

Rudolph’s NSX Series Macro Defect Inspection Systems help to reduce the manufacturing costs and time-to-market of integrated circuits. Their high throughput and high repeatability are well established in high-volume applications throughout the device manufacturing process.

The NSX System, equipped with Discover Defect Analysis and Data Management software, quickly and accurately detects yield-inhibiting defects, providing quality assurance and valuable process information.