C4NP - First Manufacturing & Reliability Data for High-End FlipChip Solder Bumping Based on IBM's C4NP Process

More and more high-end microelectronic devices are being packaged by using solder bumps as the method of interconnect. The two main technologies used are FlipChip in Package (FCiP) and Wafer Level Chip Scale Package (WLCSP). The main difference is that FCiP devices are placed on a substrate which then interconnects to the PC Board (PCB). WLCSP devices connect directly onto the board. There are various solder bumping technologies used in volume production. These include electroplating, solder paste printing, evaporation and the direct attach of preformed solder spheres. FCiP demands many small bumps on tight pitch whereas WLCSP typically requires much larger solder bumps. All these established technologies have important limitations for fine pitch bumping especially when it comes to lead-free solder alloys.

The most commonly used method of generating fine-pitch solder bumps is by electroplating the solder. This process is difficult to control and costly, especially when it comes to lead-free solder alloys. These challenges in the transition to lead-free solder bumping has led the European Union to grant exemptions until 2010 from the ban of lead in certain solder bumping applications. However, the pressure to move to lead-free continues for the entire industry. C4NP (C4-New Process) is a novel solder bumping technology developed by IBM and jointly commercialized by IBM and Suss MicroTec.

C4NP addresses the limitations of existing bumping technologies by enabling low-cost, fine pitch bumping using a variety of lead-free solder alloys. C4NP is a solder transfer technology where molten solder is injected into pre-fabricated and reusable glass templates (molds). Mold and wafer are brought into close proximity and solder bumps are transferred onto the entire 300mm (or smaller) wafer in a single process step. C4NP technology is capable of fine pitch bumping while offering the same alloy selection flexibility as solder paste printing. The simplicity of the C4NP process makes it a low cost solution for both, fine-pitch FC in package as well as WLCSP bumping applications.

This paper provides a first summary of manufacturing and reliability results of C4NP bumped high-end logic devices and how they compare to electroplated lead-free solder bumps. It discusses the relevant process equipment technology and the novel requirements to run a HVM (high volume manufacturing) C4NP process. The paper also talks about the C4NP manufacturing cost model and elaborates on the cost comparison to alternative bumping techniques. The data in this paper is provided by IBM's packaging operation at the Hudson Valley Research Park in East Fishkill, NY.