Amkor Stacking Packages

Electronic News, August 20, 2001

Short of space? How about stacking packages!

Stacking two or more packages that have been fully tested, completed burn-in and been verified as known good devices is possible using Amkor Technology Inc.'s etCSP package configuration, the company (nasdaq: AMKR) claims. Stacked etCSP packages are said to provide reliability and flexibility to designers requiring the extra performance of an extremely thin, multiple-chip system, but who lack space on the motherboard.

"Stacked etCSP designs allow a 'system-in-a-stack' approach to mixing different technologies such as memory, logic and mixed signal in a thin or small form-factor," said David Zoba, Amkor's etCSP product manager. Because the individual packages have already been tested and verified, the system-in-a-stack approach provides much greater flexibility when integrating various devices into an optimized system such as Bluetooth."

A single package has a total height of 0.35mm to 0.5mm, while stacks of two and three packages have mounted heights that range between 0.7mm to 1.0mm and 1.1mm to 1.7mm, respectively. For higher stacks, package thickness depends on the number of printed circuit layers required in the high-density package on the bottom of the stack, according to Zoba.

The initial adoption for the etCSP package was in PCMCIA Type II removable hard disk drives. Stacked etCSP packages are being evaluated for application in MP3 players and memory cards that use high-capacity flash memory devices requiring test and burn-in before stacking to eliminate the risk of device yield loss. Other areas of interest for the stacked etCSP design include cell phone and personal communication applications where features and functions continue to be added without compromising size and weight reduction road maps.

Growing But Thrifty
World SMT rework and repair equipment
revenues
2000  $286.5
2007  $458.3
The EMS industry is expected to spark
strong demand for surface mount
technology (SMT) rework and repair
equipment in coming year. According to a
new analysis by Frost & Sullivan titled,
"World SMT Rework and Repair Equipment
Markets," total revenues reached $286.5
million in 2000 and are projected to
reach $458.3 million in 2007. "EMS
providers, prime customers for SMT
rework and repair equipment, face
intense competition within their field,"
says Frost & Sullivan analyst Raman
Monga. He cautions that "with profit
margins at a minimum, the appeal of
expanding their services can be offset
by the high cost of equipment. SMT
rework and repair equipment markets are
becoming increasingly price conscious."
Note: Table made from bar graph