• Electronics and Telecommunications Trends
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.1-10
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• 2020

Since the 1960s, semiconductor packaging technology has developed into electrical joining techniques using lead frames or C4 bumps using tin-lead solder compositions based on traditional reflow processes. To meet the demands of a highly integrated semiconductor device, high reliability, high productivity, and an eco-friendly simplified process, packaging technology was required to use new materials and processes such as lead-free solder, epoxy-based non cleaning interconnection material, and laser based high-speed processes. For next generation semiconductor packaging, the study status of two epoxy-based interconnection materials such as fluxing and hybrid underfills along with a laser-assisted bonding process were introduced for fine pitch semiconductor applications. The fluxing underfill is a solvent-free and non-washing epoxy-based material, which combines the underfill role and fluxing function of the Surface Mounting Technology (SMT) process. The hybrid underfill is a mixture of the above fluxing underfill and lead-free solder powder. For low-heat-resistant substrate applications such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high productivity, laser-assisted bonding technology is introduced with two epoxy-based underfill materials. Fluxing and hybrid underfills as next-generation semiconductor packaging materials along with laser-assisted bonding as a new process are expected to play an active role in next-generation large displays and Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) markets.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.387-394
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• 2015

A novel interconnection technology based on a 52InSn solder was developed for flexible display applications. The display industry is currently trying to develop a flexible display, and one of the crucial technologies for the implementation of a flexible display is to reduce the bonding process temperature to less than $150^{\circ}C$. InSn solder interconnection technology is proposed herein to reduce the electrical contact resistance and concurrently achieve a process temperature of less than $150^{\circ}C$. A solder bump maker (SBM) and fluxing underfill were developed for these purposes. SBM is a novel bumping material, and it is a mixture of a resin system and InSn solder powder. A maskless screen printing process was also developed using an SBM to reduce the cost of the bumping process. Fluxing underfill plays the role of a flux and an underfill concurrently to simplify the bonding process compared to a conventional flip-chip bonding using a capillary underfill material. Using an SBM and fluxing underfill, a $20{\mu}m$ pitch InSn solder SoP array on a glass substrate was successfully formed using a maskless screen printing process, and two glass substrates were bonded at $130^{\circ}C$.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.706-712
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• 2012

In previous work, novel maskless bumping and no-flow underfill technologies for three-dimensional (3D) integrated circuit (IC) integration were developed. The bumping material, solder bump maker (SBM) composed of resin and solder powder, is designed to form low-volume solder bumps on a through silicon via (TSV) chip for the 3D IC integration through the conventional reflow process. To obtain the optimized volume of solder bumps using the SBM, the effect of the volumetric mixing ratio of resin and solder powder is studied in this paper. A no-flow underfill material named "fluxing underfill" is proposed for a simplified stacking process for the 3D IC integration. It can remove the oxide layer on solder bumps like flux and play a role of an underfill after the stacking process. The bumping process and the stacking process using the SBM and the fluxing underfill, respectively, for the TSV chips are carefully designed so that two-tier stacked TSV chips are sucessfully stacked.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.1152-1155
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• 2013

A cost-effective and simple solder on pad (SoP) process is proposed for a fine-pitch microbump interconnection. A novel solder bump maker (SBM) material is applied to form a 60-${\mu}m$ pitch SoP. SBM, which is composed of ternary Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu (SAC305) solder powder and a polymer resin, is a paste material used to perform a fine-pitch SoP through a screen printing method. By optimizing the volumetric ratio of the resin, deoxidizing agent, and SAC305 solder powder, the oxide layers on the solder powder and Cu pads are successfully removed during the bumping process without additional treatment or equipment. Test vehicles with a daisy chain pattern are fabricated to develop the fine-pitch SoP process and evaluate the fine-pitch interconnection. The fabricated Si chip has 6,724 bumps with a 45-${\mu}m$ diameter and 60-${\mu}m$ pitch. The chip is flip chip bonded with a Si substrate using an underfill material with fluxing features. Using the fluxing underfill material is advantageous since it eliminates the flux cleaning process and capillary flow process of the underfill. The optimized bonding process is validated through an electrical characterization of the daisy chain pattern. This work is the first report on a successful operation of a fine-pitch SoP and microbump interconnection using a screen printing process.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.343-351
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• 2014

For the fine-pitch application of flip-chip bonding with semiconductor packaging, fluxing and hybrid underfills were developed. A micro-encapsulated catalyst was adopted to control the chemical reaction at room and processing temperatures. From the experiments with a differential scanning calorimetry and viscometer, the chemical reaction and viscosity changes were quantitatively characterized, and the optimum type and amount of micro-encapsulated catalyst were determined to obtain the best pot life from a commercial viewpoint. It is expected that fluxing and hybrid underfills will be applied to fine-pitch flip-chip bonding processes and be highly reliable.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.1179-1189
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• 2016

A chemorheological analysis of a no-flow underfill was conducted using curing kinetics through isothermal and dynamic differential scanning calorimetry, viscosity measurement, and solder (Sn/27In/54Bi, melting temperature of $86^{\circ}C$) wetting observations. The analysis used an epoxy system with an anhydride curing agent and carboxyl fluxing capability to remove oxide on the surface of a metal filler. A curing kinetic of the no-flow underfill with a processing temperature of $130^{\circ}C$ was successfully completed using phenomenological models such as autocatalytic and nth-order models. Temperature-dependent kinetic parameters were identified within a temperature range of $125^{\circ}C$ to $135^{\circ}C$. The phenomenon of solder wetting was visually observed using an optical microscope, and the conversion and viscosity at the moment of solder wetting were quantitatively investigated. It is expected that the curing kinetics and rheological property of a no-flow underfill can be adopted in arbitrary processing applications.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.1163-1171
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• 2016

Integration technologies involving flexible substrates are receiving significant attention owing the appearance of new products regarding wearable and Internet of Things technologies. There has been a continuous demand from the industry for a reliable bonding method applicable to a low-temperature process and flexible substrates. Up to now, however, an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) has been predominantly used in applications involving flexible substrates; we therefore suggest low-temperature lead-free soldering and bonding processes as a possible alternative for flex-on-flex applications. Test vehicles were designed on polyimide flexible substrates (FPCBs) to measure the contact resistances. Solder bumping was carried out using a solder-on-pad process with Solder Bump Maker based on Sn58Bi for low-temperature applications. In addition, thermocompression bonding of FPCBs was successfully demonstrated within the temperature of $150^{\circ}C$ using a newly developed fluxing underfill material with fluxing and curing capabilities at low temperature. The same FPCBs were bonded using commercially available ACFs in order to compare the joint properties with those of a joint formed using solder and an underfill. Both of the interconnections formed with Sn58Bi and ACF were examined through a contact resistance measurement, an $85^{\circ}C$ and 85% reliability test, and an SEM cross-sectional analysis.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.55-59
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• 2015

Novel low-volume solder-on-pad (SoP) process is proposed for a fine pitch Cu pillar bump interconnection. A novel solder bumping material (SBM) has been developed for the $60{\mu}m$ pitch SoP using screen printing process. SBM, which is composed of ternary Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu (SAC305) solder powder and a polymer resin, is a paste material to perform a fine-pitch SoP in place of the electroplating process. By optimizing the volumetric ratio of the resin, deoxidizing agent, and SAC305 solder powder; the oxide layers on the solder powder and Cu pads are successfully removed during the bumping process without additional treatment or equipment. The Si chip and substrate with daisy-chain pattern are fabricated to develop the fine pitch SoP process and evaluate the fine-pitch interconnection. The fabricated Si substrate has 6724 under bump metallization (UBM) with a $45{\mu}m$ diameter and $60{\mu}m$ pitch. The Si chip with Cu pillar bump is flip chip bonded with the SoP formed substrate using an underfill material with fluxing features. Using the fluxing underfill material is advantageous since it eliminates the flux cleaning process and capillary flow process of underfill. The optimized interconnection process has been validated by the electrical characterization of the daisy-chain pattern. This work is the first report on a successful operation of a fine-pitch SoP and micro bump interconnection using a screen printing process.