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Products in the market generally go through three stages: design, manufacturing, and packaging.Packaging and testing involve cutting qualified wafers produced, wire bonding, and encapsulating them to achieve electrical connections between the chip circuits and external devices, providing mechanical and physical protection for the chips. Additionally, testing tools provided by integrated circuit design companies are used to perform functional and performance tests on the packaged chips.
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Why is packaging and testing necessary?
The significance of packaging and testing is substantial. Obtaining an IC chip involves a long process from design to manufacturing. However, a chip is quite small and thin; without external protection, it can be easily scratched or damaged. Furthermore, due to the small size of the chip, it is difficult to manually place it on a circuit board without a larger casing. This is where packaging and testing technology comes into play.
Packaging serves to place, fix, seal, and protect the chip while enhancing thermal performance. It also acts as a bridge between the internal world of the chip and the external circuit—the contacts on the chip are connected to the pins of the packaging through wires, which in turn connect to other devices via traces on the printed circuit board. Therefore, packaging plays a crucial role in integrated circuits. Below, we will explain the functions of packaging.
1
Protection
The production workshops for semiconductor chips have very strict control over production conditions, including constant temperature, constant humidity, strict control of air dust particle size, and stringent electrostatic protection measures. Bare chips can only remain functional under such strict environmental controls.
2
Support
Support serves two purposes: first, to hold the chip securely for easy electrical connection; second, after packaging is complete, to form a certain shape that supports the entire device, making it less prone to damage.
3
Connection
The role of connection is to link the chip’s electrodes with external circuits. Pins are used to connect with external circuits, while gold wires connect the pins to the chip’s circuits.
4
Heat Dissipation
Enhancing heat dissipation is crucial since all semiconductor products generate heat during operation, and when the heat reaches a certain limit, it can affect the normal functioning of the chip. In fact, the various materials of the packaging can dissipate some heat. However, for most high-heat chips, in addition to using packaging materials for cooling, it is also necessary to consider installing a metal heat sink or fan on the chip for better heat dissipation.
5
Reliability
Any packaging must achieve a certain level of reliability, which is the most important metric in the entire packaging process.
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Types and Processes of Packaging and Testing
Currently, there are thousands of independent types of packaging and testing, and there is no unified system to identify them. Some are named after their design (DIP, flat type, etc.), some after their structural technology (plastic packaging, CERDIP, etc.), some by size, and others by application.
The main processes of packaging are as follows:
The packaging process can generally be divided into two parts. The basic process includes: wafer thinning, wafer cutting, die attachment, molding technology, trimming burrs, cutting and forming, soldering, and coding, etc. Below are the specific steps:
1
Front-end
Back Grinding: The freshly produced wafer undergoes back grinding to achieve the thickness required for packaging. During back grinding, tape is applied to the front to protect the circuit area. After grinding, the tape is removed.
Wafer Saw: The wafer is attached to a blue film, and then the wafer is cut into individual dice, which are then cleaned.
Optical Inspection: Check for defects.
Die Attach: Attach the die, cure the silver paste (to prevent oxidation), and perform wire bonding.
2
Back-end
Injection Molding: To prevent external impacts, the product is encapsulated with EMC (molding material) and then heated to cure.
Laser Marking: Engrave relevant information on the product, such as production date, batch number, etc.
High-Temperature Curing: Protect the internal structure of the IC and eliminate internal stress.
Excess Material Removal: Trim the edges.
Electroplating: Enhance conductivity and improve solderability.
Cutting and Forming Inspection for Defects.
This is the complete process of chip packaging and testing. China has already taken the lead in the world in chip packaging technology, providing a solid foundation for the vigorous development of chips.
Wuxi Qixin Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd. is a high-tech enterprise specializing in the research, development, production, and sales of intelligent production equipment for the chip industry. Established in 2020, it is located in the Wuxi Huishan Economic and Technological Development Zone. The company has received multiple honors, including Wuxi Huishan District Pioneer Talent and Wuxi Taihu Talent, and is a council member of the Wuxi Semiconductor Association. The core members of the company’s R&D team all have over 20 years of experience in semiconductor equipment, possessing rich R&D experience in packaging processes and related equipment industrialization, with multiple national-level technology invention, utility model patents, and software copyrights. The company has long-term industry-university-research cooperation with well-known domestic institutions such as Tsinghua University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The self-developed MGP intelligent chip packaging system, AM fully automatic chip packaging system, TF unit modular chip automatic cutting and forming system, and other intelligent production equipment for chips have all received market recognition and unanimous praise from customers.
Wuxi Qixin Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd. adheres to the values of innovation, efficiency, quality, and integrity, based in Wuxi, with the mission of creating intelligent equipment for China’s independent chip brands, supporting the chip industry, and building smart factories. It aims to become a leader in the chip packaging and testing equipment industry!
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