TRUMPF and SCHMID Partner on High-Speed Chip Production

TRUMPF and the SCHMID Group have partnered on the development of an advanced packaging manufacturing process for next-generation microchips for the global chip industry. The technique, the companies said, will enable manufacturers to increase the performance of high-end electronic components for smartphones, smart watches, and AI applications.

In advanced packaging, manufacturers combine individual chips on silicon components known as interposers. TRUMPF and SCHMID have developed a combined laser-etching process to allows these interposers to be made of glass, TRUMPF said.

Christian Weddeling, business development manager for TRUMPF, said because the cost of glass used for advanced packaging in the semiconductor industry is significantly cheaper than silicon, the process will help enable manufacturers to reduce production costs and make increase device affordability for customers.

The two companies use a wet chemistry approach, which TRUMPF said shortens process times by a factor of ten. The extreme level of precision is necessitated by the thickness of the glass, which is between 100 µm and 1 mm thin. To create connections on the interposer, manufacturers have to drill holes through the glass, creating so-called through-glass vias. Manufacturers often have to create millions of holes in a panel to make the desired connections. In the collaboration, however, an ultrashort pulse laser from TRUMPF selectively changes the structure of the glass, which is then treated with an etching solution. The desired holes are created at the specified locations and then filled with copper to form the conductor tracks, TRUMPF said.

The method is additionally expected to have near-term applications, in the production of chips for consumer electronics such as smartphones, TRUMPF said.