Cleaner Cuts for Semiconductor Packaging

The semiconductor packaging industry faces numerous manufacturing challenges in the production of next generation designs for advanced, miniaturized, microelectronic devices. The singulation of multiple circuits produced on a single substrate into individual devices is a standout example of this. In many instances, the cutting requirements for singulation already surpass the capabilities of mechanical cutting. Specific examples are system‐in‐package (SiP) circuitry used in wrist‐worn devices and the fingerprint sensors found in many phones, tablets or even smart watches. This leaves laser cutting as the only viable method, and both nanosecond and picosecond lasers are currently employed for these processes. This article compares these two approaches, and provides some detail on the characteristics and implementation of USP picosecond lasers for both SiP and fingerprint sensor singulation.