everyone is working on rambus rdram
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Shinko and FormFactor, Inc. Announce Industry's First Complete Wafer-Level Back-End Process for Semiconductors
Wafer on Wafer (WOW) Technology Initially Being Developed to Allow Rambus Licensees Manufacturing Direct RDRAMs to Deliver Assembled Modules
TOKYO, Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- FormFactor, Inc. and SHINKO Electric Industries Co., LTD (''SHINKO'') today announced at Semicon Japan a partnership to develop and introduce the semiconductor industry's first wafer-level back-end process called WOW, for Wafer On Wafer. The WOW process encompasses sort, burn-in, low-speed test, and high-speed test, all performed on a complete wafer. The WOW process also defines a reliable, low-cost module assembly practice.
''Industry analysts have been concerned for a few years that Moore's Law scaling might fail for economic reasons, before it fails for technical reasons'', said Dr. Igor Khandros, President and CEO of FormFactor, Inc. ''With the breakthroughs embodied in WOW technology, we enable Moore's Law scaling, historically beneficial on the front-end of semiconductor manufacturing, to extend into the back-end processes,'' i.e., package, assembly, burn-in, and test.
For much of 1998, SHINKO and FormFactor have been developing the infrastructure required to bring the WOW process to market. ''We will continue to cultivate additional relationships with equipment makers and DRAM manufacturers, to broaden the WOW infrastructure, enabling low cost wafer level back-end processing.''
''SHINKO supplies package and assembly services to some of the most quality and cost sensitive IC makers in the world. Many of these IC companies have asked SHINKO to analyze CSP (chip-scale package) alternatives, and to help come up with a scalable, low-cost solution'', said Sugio Uchida, Executive Managing Director of SHINKO. ''We are pleased to work with FormFactor on the WOW technology, and believe it represents the best candidate yet for low cost production of memory module applications.''
Though the WOW technology is initially being developed to support Rambus® Direct RDRAM™ and synchronous DRAM memory modules, in the future, the WOW process will be extended to other applications, like flash memory for cellular phones or digital cameras.
SHINKO has licensed the WOW process technology from FormFactor and will provide capacity for production volumes in late 1999. FormFactor is developing wafer-level interface systems to support burn-in and final test operations. The two companies will build sample quantities of customer devices in the WOW process starting in the first quarter of 1999.
In existing CSP (Chip Scale Packaging) back-end flows, conventional back-end processes are performed on singulated die and significant handling, tooling and equipment costs are incurred as manufacturing volumes increase. Unlike conventional back-end processes, the FormFactor WOW solution performs all the back-end steps at the wafer level.
Also in contrast to existing CSP alternatives, the FormFactor WOW solution addresses the total process of sort, burn-in, test, and module level assembly. Taken together, WOW exploits the inherent advantages of wafer level processing and a complete back- end solution, and provides significant cost savings, when compared to conventional CSP back-end methods.
The WOW process leverages FormFactor's patented MicroSpring™ contact technology to enable processing on the wafer. The Microspring contact is attached directly to the wafer, creating an integrated die contact requiring no conventional device package. The Microspring contact provides improved reliability and electrical performance over CSP alternatives, enabling high-performance DRAM and Rambus Direct RDRAM modules. The Microspring contact also enables burn-in and final test with FormFactor developed wafer-level interface systems.
Founded in 1993, FormFactor, Inc. is a private company located in Livermore, CA. |
