Munich, Germany-based Suss MicroTec AG has said it has formed a Controlled Collapse Chip Connect - New Process (C4NP) business based on its joint technology agreement with IBM.
The agreement dates back to September 2004 and allows for the development and commercialization of IBM’s next-generation, 100 percent lead-free semiconductor packaging technology.
Suss said development and manufacturing of C4NP equipment based on the licensed IP from IBM is under way. C4NP is an alloy-independent, low cost, fine pitch wafer bumping process.
As an increasing number of chips require flip-chip packaging to meet cost and performance requirements, wafer level solder bumping is growing at a faster pace than the semiconductor industry. In addition, environmental legislation in Europe and Japan has put increasing pressure on semiconductor manufacturers to produce 100 percent lead-free devices.
Suss said the C4NP equipment set is being designed and built within its existing manufacturing operations and is to be integrated at its US headquarters in Waterbury Center, Vt., with the first C4NP beta line to be installed this year at the Hudson Valley Research Park within IBM’s microelectronic division packaging operation.
Although Suss believes integrating the C4NP equipment toolset in the U.S. is critical because it is working very closely with IBM’s engineering teams, it recognizes that the biggest market opportunities are in Asia, Japan and Europe, with Asia playing the leading role in semiconductor packaging followed by Japan and Europe leading the way to 100 percent lead-free packaging, the company further said.
“A significant portion of wafers manufactured today are bumped,” explained Emmett Hughlett, C4NP business manager at Suss, in a statement. “The industry wide need for lower cost bumping technologies and 100 percent lead-free capability has triggered our decision to form a separate business field here at Suss.
“Running C4NP as a separate business field with its own dedicated teams for product development, marketing and sales as well as applications support will provide the necessary resources to quickly bring C4NP technology to our customers,” Hughlett added.
Suss is to present the current status of C4NP at the “Advanced Packaging Conference” during next week’s Semicon Europa Conference in Munich.
