A*STAR offers 2.5D through-silicon-interposer MPW service

The Institute of Microelectronics (IME), a research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore, has launched what it says is the world's first 2.5D through-silicon-interposer (TSI) multi-project wafer (MPW) service. According to the organisation, the service is aimed at providing a cost-effective platform to do R&D prototyping and proof-of-concept in 2.5D TSI technology.

Supported by IME's 3D through-silicon-via (TSV) engineering line, the MPW service is presented as a solution for 2.5D TSI R&D prototyping that comes with comprehensive design kits, via and redistribution/bumping technology, as well as packaging and assembly capabilities. By enabling the heterogeneous integration of different functionalities including logic, memory, analogue/RF, photonics, micro-electromechanical systems, devices with more functionality, smaller form-factor and less power consumption can now be realised, noted A*STAR.

The service will enable the academic, research and industrial community to develop 2.5D research test vehicles with leading-edge designs, materials and processes so that they can be applied to products such as smartphones, tablets, networking and sensors and bio-medical applications.

The IME 2.5D TSI MPW platform includes the following modules: leveraging industry standard electronic design automation (EDA) tools to perform 2.5D TSI design, extraction and verification; TSV with critical dimension (CD), e.g. 10-50?m; chip-to-wafer interconnects with micro-bump; front and backside redistribution layers with thin wafer handling (for thickness down to 100?m and below) with bonding and debonding; under-bump metallurgy (UBM); and chip-to-wafer stacking.