July 10, 2006 -- Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, Ltd. and A*STAR's Institute of Microelectronics (IME) have entered into a research collaboration to optimize a range of fine-pitch packaging technologies for copper metallization and low-k dielectric silicon processes at 65nm and below. The research is based on the 65-nm processes developed by Chartered and its joint development partners, IBM, Infineon Technologies and Samsung Electronics Co. In addition to enabling more choices, the Chartered-IME collaboration means designers could potentially benefit from silicon-proven solutions and modeling tools to characterize the impact of fine-pitch package on silicon early in the design development cycle, which should improve manufacturability and back-end-of the-line yield performance. "Our collaboration with IME is aimed at developing industry solutions that give the semiconductor industry a silicon-proven fine-pitch packaging solution," said Dr. Liang-Choo "LC" Hsia, Senior Vice President of Technology Development at Chartered. "With the transition to 65nm, companies are realizing that having a successful backend packaging strategy is a key to realizing volume ramp quickly and meeting time-to-market goals."

To meet technically demanding requirements, the research will utilize a large die, copper/low-k test chip structure that has a fine bump pitch. The work will investigate the package-level reliability and optimize the performance against various fine-pitch packaging technologies. These include high-lead solder bump, copper posts and polymer encapsulation. In addition, modeling tools will be built to capture the correlation between the fine-pitch packaging technologies and test structure stress levels, integrity and performance. Using the modeling results, the impact of under-bump metallurgy on low-k integrity and the compatibility of underfill materials with low-k structures will also be evaluated and characterized.

The Institute of Microelectronics (IME) is a member of Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). Positioned to bridge the R&D between academia and industry, IME's mission is to increase value-add to the electronics industry in Singapore by engaging in relevant R&D in strategic fields of microelectronics; supporting and partnering the electronics industry; and developing skilled R&D personnel. Its key research areas are in integrated circuits and systems; semiconductor process technologies and microsystems, modules and components.