WHAT IS IC ASSEMBLY?

IC assembly is the first processing step after wafer

fabrication and singulation that enables ICs to be
packaged for systems use. IC assembly is defined as
the process of electrically connecting I/O bond pads on
the IC to the corresponding bond pads on the package.
The package in this case can be a single chip package,
a multichip package, or a system level board.
Such an assembly process involves three interfaces:
(1) metallurgical bond pad interface on the IC;
(2) metallurgical bond pad interface on the package; and
(3) electrical interconnection between these two interfaces.
Figure 1 illustrates the three primary interfaces.

Wafer Saw
Because die thickness can impact several
downstream process steps, a wafer is first thinned
to appropriate thickness from 2-25mils before
dicing.
The wafer saw, consisting of a blade embedded with
diamond particles that rotates at a very high speed,
passes through the wafer at boundaries between die
known as saw streets, which are established during
wafer fabrication. The dicing machine is
programmed to drive the saw blade through the saw
streets at a defined spindle speed, saw rate, and
depth, separating the wafer into individual die.

Die Bonding
From the wafer saw process, die travel to die bonding,
depending on their end use. The separated die are lifted off
the release tape and fastened to a carrier frame of copper,
alloy 42, palladium, ceramic, or an organic laminate
substrate, depending on the type of package to be
assembled. In this article, we use leaded copper packages
most often as representative examples.
In today's high-volume manufacturing (HVM) factories, a
frame can be single-site processed as a discrete unit
throughout assembly or as a matrix of hundreds of units,
batch-processed to achieve economies of scale. The frame
material can differ, but in most HVM factories, units are
processed in batches to achieve quality control and cost
goals.

 An automated mechanism removes the die from the release tape by

pushing it up and into a collected vacuum pick-up tool, which holds it and
places it on the frame. During this process, the die is oriented to identify
the first bonding location, a metallized pad on the surface of the die
where it can be electrically connected to the package. The die-attach
machine then dispenses a paste, film, or solder adhesive in a pattern that
holds the die to the frame.
The frames, which are approximately 2 in. x 8 in. and may hold a few to
several hundred individual die, are placed into magazines and cured
before being moved to the next step, wire bonding. Individual magazines
are placed in a clean, dry, air or nitrogen oven and then heated, allowing
the paste (or other material) to cure and complete the adherence of the
die to the frame. Curing temperatures, which may be as high as 200C,
and duration times, ranging from one minute to one hour, depend on the
product, the materials being used, and the product's end-use. This is a
bulk-processing step in which multiple magazines are placed in an oven
at one time.

Wire Bonding
Wire bonding is by far the most prevalent form of
interconnection employed in the assembly of ICs
today, input/output (I/O) densities and parasitic
considerations are driving the need for flip chip
bonding in many high-end applications.
After wire bonding, another sample optical
inspection should be performed. Line operators
look for missing or nonsticking wires, and perform
several destructive tests on a representative
sample of units. Individual nonconforming units
are marked for removal at a later process step.

MOLDING
Mold compound protects the device mechanically and environmentally
from the outside environment. Transfer molding is used to encapsulate
most plastic packages.
Mold Compounds
Mold compounds are formulated from epoxy resins containing inorganic
fillers, catalysts, flame retardants, stress modifiers, adhesion promoters,
and other additives. Fused silica, the filler most commonly used,
imparts the desired coefficient of thermal expansion, elastic modulus,
and fracture toughness properties.
Most resin systems are based on an epoxy cresol novolac (ECN)
chemistry though advanced resin systems have been developed to
meet demanding requirements associated with moisture sensitivity and
high temperature operation. Filler shape impacts the loading level of the
filler.

 Transfer Molding
Transfer molding is used to encapsulate leadframe based
packages and some PBGA packages. This process involves the
liquidification and transfer of pelletized mold compound
in a mold press. The liquidification results in a low viscosity
material that readily flows into the mold cavity and completely
encapsulates the device. Shortly after the transfer
process into the mold cavity, the cure reaction begins and
the viscosity of the mold compound increases until the resin
system is hardened. A further cure cycle takes place outside
the mold in an oven to ensure the mold compound is
completely
cured.

DEJUNK AND DEFLASH

The dejunk process removes excess
mold compound that may be
accumulated on the leadframe from
molding.
Media deflash bombards the package
surface with small glass particles to
prepare the leadframe for plating
and the mold compound for marking.

LEAD FINISH
The lead finish allows for the mechanical and electrical
connection
between the package and the printed circuit board.
Leadframe based packages most commonly use tin-lead
solder plating as the final lead finish. Nickel-palladium finishes
are also available.
During the plating process the leadframe strip goes through
a series of steps involving pretreatment, rinse, plating, drying,
and inspection. Process baths are carefully monitored
for chemical composition and plating parameters such as
voltage, current density, temperature, and time. Appearance,
solderability, composition, and thickness are key quality
items for plating. tool-

TRIM AND FORM

Trim and form is the process where
the individual leads of
the leadframe are separated from
the leadframe strip. First,
the process involves the removal of
the dambar that electrically
isolates the leads. Second, the leads
are placed in tool-

 Hermetic Packaging
By design, a hermetic seal prevents
gases and liquids from entering the
package cavity where the die is
mounted. Because of the package
materials, hermetic packages are able
to withstand higher temperatures
than equivalent plastic packages.