How microSD memory cards are made

As memory cards are increasingly used in mobile phones, mobile phone manufacturers and consumers have higher and higher requirements for memory cards to be slimmer. With this trend, the microSD card with a size of only 15mm×11mm×1mm has successfully climbed to the throne of the sales king of mobile phone memory cards. So how is microSD made?

The production process of microSD is basically like this: the manufacturer purchases the core component of the memory card - the wafer - from the upstream wafer supplier, then cuts and tests it, and then stacks the cut wafers and places them on the substrate together with components such as circuit boards and controllers to package them into finished microSDs.

As the smallest type of memory card, the enviable size advantage will inevitably lead to extremely high technical barriers, and it is not accessible to ordinary people. Currently, there are very few manufacturers in the world that can mass-produce large-capacity microSD cards. There are only a few internationally renowned manufacturers, and the storage industry giant Kingmax is one of them. The company has currently launched a microSD with a capacity of 1GB. Of course, Kingmax's ability to mass-produce microSD cards is not accidental. Its strong technical advantages, good upstream and downstream integration capabilities, and its own packaging and testing factories form a solid foundation. On this basis, Kingmax has the capital to dominate the storage industry!

When it comes to memory cards, the decisive factor for their functions is not the shell, but the flash memory chip hidden behind the scenes, that is, the cut and packaged wafer. Without the flash memory chip, the memory card is like a tree without roots and water without a source, and there is no way to talk about it. This means that in order to have the ability to mass-produce microSD cards, we must first be able to obtain wafers with high-tech processes and ensure the stability and continuity of wafer supply. Kingmax has maintained a good cooperative relationship with major upstream wafer suppliers since its establishment. With the strong support of these suppliers, Kingmax has a solid raw material foundation, which is a prerequisite for a memory card manufacturer to mass-produce and continuously supply microSD cards. With the support of Kingmax's own packaging and testing capabilities, mass production of large-capacity and stable supply of microSD cards is a natural thing. This is a combination of strong upstream and downstream integration capabilities and proprietary packaging and testing capabilities. Only manufacturers that reach this level can seize the initiative and take advantage in the fierce competition for memory cards.

To produce a memory card as small as microSD, wafers are the prerequisite, and packaging and testing technology is the key, just like the finishing touch in the process of painting a dragon. This kind of memory card with a thin appearance and small size can no longer be assembled using the SMT assembly line, which is the method that most memory card manufacturers have, but must be produced using chip-on-board (COB) technology, which means that microSD cards have brought memory cards into a new era of semiconductor packaging. Kingmax is one of the few memory card manufacturers in the world that has a semiconductor packaging and testing plant, and has more than 7 years of BGA packaging experience, which has unparalleled advantages over other memory card manufacturers! More importantly, Kingmax's original PIP patented packaging technology based on TinyBGA is unique in the world. This technology integrates COB and semiconductor packaging production processes, and directly packages the components required for small memory cards (controllers, flash integrated circuits, basic materials, passive computing components) to form finished memory cards. This technology is even more suitable for the production of small memory cards. It is no problem to mass-produce high-capacity microSD cards, and the cards using PIP packaging technology have special properties such as no fakes, complete waterproofness, and pressure resistance and folding resistance.

When producing microSD, stacking technology cannot be ignored. With stacking technology, microSD can be even more powerful and can make great strides towards higher capacity. Due to the size, the chip of microSD card cannot be placed in parallel like SD card, MMC card, etc., but needs to stack two or more chips together and connect them with complex lines. It can be imagined that in such a small volume, stacking chips and serial lines require extremely high technology. If it is not a manufacturer with semiconductor packaging and testing background, it is difficult to perfect this stacking technology. At the same time, due to its advanced stacking technology, Kingmax can use larger SLC wafers to produce large-capacity microSD, making Kingmax microSD 3 times faster than most microSD products on the market made of MLC, reaching 10M/s; at the same time, it can be repeatedly erased and written more than 100,000 times; its lower operating voltage reduces power consumption, extending the battery life while extending the use time.

In addition, the microSD card has irregular protruding corners, which require special machines and technology to cut, which also sets technical barriers for many manufacturers. However, Kingmax's huge investment in equipment and technological innovation breakthroughs have greatly improved efficiency and production capacity, successfully getting rid of the constraints of corner cutting.

After successfully taking advantage of the enhanced entertainment functions of mobile phones to become the king of mobile phone memory card sales, microSD cards have stood out in the memory card market. Many manufacturers are eyeing this huge market, but under the constraints of extremely high technical barriers, only those with their own packaging and testing capabilities and strong upstream and downstream integration capabilities can occupy a place in the fierce competition and build their own storage kingdom!