The technology used in Apple chips has huge potential!

FCBGA (Flip Chip Ball Grid Array) is a packaging technology that inverts the chip and connects it to the packaging substrate, and then uses ball solder joints to fix the package to the substrate superior. FCBGA first appeared in the early 1990s. In 1997, Intel applied FCBGA packaging technology to processors for the first time, which was an important milestone in the history of FCBGA technology.

Typical flip chip BGA package cross-sectional view

(Image source: Wikipedia)

In 1999, Intel launched the first chip using FCBGA packaging technology, the Pentium III 500 processor. Prior to this, the packaging method of processors was mainly multi-chip module (MCM). MCM integrated multiple chip components into one package. Due to the complex connection lines, MCM packaging method had problems such as mutual signal interference and poor thermal management. In contrast, FCBGA packaging technology flips the chip over and connects the metal pins (bumps) on the back of the chip to metal balls (balls) printed on the package. This packaging method can achieve higher chip density and smaller packaging volume, thereby greatly improving integration and system performance. The launch of the Pentium III 500 processor marked the commercial application of FCBGA technology, which became one of the hot topics in the electronics industry at that time.

As FCBGA technology is gradually improved, manufacturers continue to improve its reliability, especially in solder joint connection, micro-adjustment and housing packaging technology. The advantages of FCBGA packaging technology mainly include:

In general, FCBGA packaging technology has the advantages of high integration, small size, high performance, and low power consumption. FCBGA is suitable for many types of chips. It is often used in high-performance chips such as CPUs, microcontrollers, and GPUs. It is also Suitable for network chips, communication chips, memory chips, digital signal processors (DSP), sensors, audio processors, etc. FCBGA is currently an ideal packaging technology in mobile devices and is widely used in smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.

It is these advantages that make FCBGA one of the mainstream technologies for modern semiconductor packaging. Many large semiconductor companies and electronic product manufacturers such as Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Apple, Samsung, etc. are using FCBGA technology.

As one of the pioneers of FCBGA technology, FCBGA is a packaging technology commonly used by Intel. Today, Intel's Core and Xeon series processors, chipsets, memory chips, wireless network cards and other electronic components all use different types of FCBGA. Packaging technology, such as the Core i9-11900K processor uses FCBGA1700 packaging, the Intel Z590 chipset uses FCBGA1492 packaging, the Optane memory module uses FCBGA1440 packaging, and the Intel AX210 wireless network card uses FCBGA946 packaging. AMD's Athlon XP processor uses FCBGA packaging technology.

It is worth mentioning that FCBGA technology is also used in 3D packaging. The high density and high reliability of FCBGA technology make it very suitable for chip packaging in 3D packaging. In 3D packaging, the top chip and the bottom chip need to communicate through fine electrical connections. This connection is called TSV (Through Silicon Via). FCBGA technology can package the top chip and the bottom chip on both sides of the TSV to achieve electrical connections between them.

In Yole's statistics on advanced packaging technology, FCBGA is one of the most profitable packaging market segments, followed by 2.5D/3D packaging, FCCSP and so on. As an important chip packaging technology, FCBGA's market demand is also growing with the rapid development of mobile devices, smart homes, Internet of Things and other technologies. According to data from market research institutions, the global FCBGA packaging technology market will continue to grow rapidly in the next few years, and the market size is expected to reach more than US$20 billion by 2026. More and more enterprises and R&D institutions are investing in the research and development of FCBGA packaging technology, constantly promoting the innovation and upgrading of FCBGA packaging technology.

The development of FCBGA technology is the result of the collaborative efforts of multiple manufacturers, which have made contributions in packaging technology, connection technology, and thermal management technology. Next, we will mainly talk about the players in the two major fields of packaging technology and substrate in the FCBGA market.

In the field of FCBGA packaging, there are IDM manufacturers such as Intel, Infineon, Micron, and NXP that have conducted a lot of research and development work in this field, as well as third-party technology providers such as ASE, Changdian, and Amkor. Among them, ASE has developed a variety of FCBGA packaging technologies, including CSP (Chip Scale Package) and FPBGA (Fine-Pitch Ball Grid Array); Amkor also has a variety of FCBGA packaging technologies including FCBGA and TFBGA (Thin Fine-Pitch Ball Grid Array). .

In recent years, the rise of domestic manufacturers in the field of CPU, GPU and other high-performance chips has increased the demand for FCBGA packaging technology. In response to market demand, some suppliers with strong technical capabilities and rapid business growth have emerged in China, such as Moore Elite. It is reported that Moore Elite's Wuxi SiP advanced packaging and testing center can provide DPU, HPC, CPU, GPU, high-end servers, high-performance Complete Flip-Chip packaging solutions for ASSP, FPGA and other products, including packaging design, simulation, engineering batch and mass production, its FCBGA production capacity can reach 1KK per month. In addition to FCBGA, Moore Elite can also provide SiP, QFN, WB, FCCSP and other packaging types. Its SiP team has more than 15 years of packaging technology and engineering experience, and has completed SiP development work for major international customers. This is also It brings more choices to small and medium-sized chip companies.

Substrate is also an important support for FCBGA packaging technology. Commonly used substrate materials for FCBGA include printed circuit board (PCB), silicon substrate, and copper substrate. The specific material used depends on the application needs and cost considerations.

Substrate for FCBGA packaging

(Source: Toppan Printing)

In FCBGA packaging, the commonly used carrier board material is ABF (Advanced Build-up Film) carrier board, which is a multi-layer PCB. For most applications, ABF carrier boards are a cost-effective choice that can meet most packaging needs. The characteristic of ABF carrier board is that it is very thin, light and soft, with good thermal conductivity and low dielectric loss, which makes it one of the ideal carrier board materials for FCBGA packaging technology. Throughout the packaging process, the quality and design of the ABF carrier board are crucial to ensuring the quality and reliability of the FCBGA package.

The other two mentioned above are relatively expensive. The silicon substrate can provide a high degree of electrical performance and low signal delay, but is relatively expensive; the copper substrate is a special PCB that uses copper foil instead of standard conductive materials. Copper substrates provide better thermal conductivity and are suitable for applications requiring high power processing.

The world's major substrate suppliers include Toppan Printing and Ibiden in Japan, Unimicro and Nanya in Taiwan, LG Innotek in South Korea, and AT&S and Suzhou Qunce in China. As demand for high-performance chips powering 5G and AI applications continues to grow, leading global companies are aggressively expanding production capacity.

For example, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, a subsidiary of Samsung, has spent approximately 2 trillion won on FCBGA facility expansion in 2022. Samsung Electro-Mechanics estimates that the FCBGA substrate market will grow at an annual rate of 14% over the next five years, reaching US$17 billion by 2026. "The semiconductor packaging substrate market is smaller than the chip foundry business, but its growth potential is much greater," said Ahn Jung-hoon, head of Samsung Electro-Mechanics' packaging support team.

South Korea's LG Innotek announced on February 22, 2022 that the company decided to invest 413 billion won in the "Flip Chip Ball Grid Array (FCBGA)" production line. This is LG Innotek's first investment in the FC-BGA business. LG Innotek previously led the communications packaging substrate market mainly in 5G millimeter wave antenna in package (AiP) and radio frequency system-in-package (RF-SiP). The company has acquired substrate technologies through years of experience in developing AiP and SiP products, and intends to use these technologies in the FCBGA business as well.

In addition to commercial manufacturers, there are also a large number of scientists, engineers, technical experts, etc. Their continuous efforts and innovative spirit have enabled the continuous development and improvement of FCBGA technology, turning FCBGA packaging technology from the initial concept to the one it is now used in various industries. One of the technologies widely used in electronic products.

To sum up, FCBGA technology has experienced rapid development in the past few decades and has become one of the main packaging methods for core electronic components such as processors, memories, and graphics processors. FCBGA technology will also face higher performance and application requirements in the future, especially in the development of 5G communications, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and other fields, FCBGA packaging technology is playing an increasingly important role.

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