Advancing packaging solutions using 3D capabilities of ceramic multilayers

Semiconductors are running in Moore's beat bringing out impressively small processor, memory, amplifier and sensor chips. However, their packaging is more often the challenge for developers and system designers. The paper describes requirements and solutions for two advancing 3D chip packages. The first application is a request for a magnetic field sensor in the narrow gap between rotor and stator of electric motors under the influence of temperature, axial and radial load. This LTCC multilayer providing twisted pair wiring and stepped cavities including a lowered bond shelf is 200 microns thin. The second one is a challenging package for a space component with a 7 layer stepped cavity. It enables multi level wire bonding to the < 50 mu m pitch of the detector chip. Beside the large chip the package is carrying multiple soldered or adhesive bonded chips and passive components, the flex and a robust LGA connector. Further reasons for the choice of LTCC were stiffness, high reliability expectations and thermos-mechanical matching to silicon under space conditions.