Major economies rely on semiconductor supplies to fuel the high-tech innovation they hope to keep at the forefront of prosperity. It's no surprise, then, that they want to foster a healthy domestic semiconductor industry to secure their position and address concerns about transportation, supply chains, and the environment.
The semiconductor industry is currently valued at over $500 billion worldwide. The EU has indicated its intention to invest in advanced semiconductor technologies to increase the proportion of the world's semiconductors produced within its borders, which currently stands at 10%. Having already pledged €145 billion for digital projects, it aims to foster industrial partnerships and approve further funding.
Any shift in semiconductor manufacturing location will likely occur through a combination of expanding existing facilities and constructing new ones. Currently, the largest wafer manufacturing companies are independent specialists located in the Far East that work with semiconductor companies worldwide. Their customers include factory-less chip design companies and semiconductor original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). In addition to having their own manufacturing facilities to handle diverse processes or geometries, these OEMs often collaborate with independent partners to manufacture specific product lines or leverage specialized capabilities such as advanced process nodes or packaging technologies.
Geographic Diversification:
The geographic diversification of semiconductor manufacturing will occur through cooperation between OEMs, independent manufacturers, and governments to create long-term strategies, share the investment burden, and reap the benefits in the form of technological advancements, economic development, and environmental protection through reduced transportation. One example is TSMC's announcement that it will build a 5nm wafer manufacturing facility in the US in 2020 with the collaboration of the US government. The facility is expected to produce 20,000 wafers per month and cost over $5 billion to establish, with total investment reaching $12 billion over the next decade.
Of course, semiconductor manufacturing encompasses a wide range of skills, from device design at the beginning of the IC product lifecycle to wafer fabrication and subsequent processing, including wafer testing and packaging. All of this can occur in the same factory. Alternatively, bare wafers or dies can be sent to other facilities specializing in packaging individual devices or assembling modules, such as power or memory modules.
In order for production to be distributed more equitably, globally, in order to better serve customers and reduce environmental impact, it is necessary for equipment suppliers to be able to provide the capabilities that manufacturers need and support equipment and processes in various locations.
Semiconductor Packaging Demands
Regarding packaging, companies, including semiconductor OEMs, independent factories, packaging and module specialists, and also surface mount assemblers, need access to advanced back-end capabilities such as precision wire bonding, wafer and die bonding, die uniqueization and trimming, and molding.
Yamaha Motor Robotics has already established its capabilities in wafer and die handling for back-end processes, with a selection of high-precision flip-chip fixers and hybrid mounters that increase productivity and reduce packaging costs by combining multi-die handling with high-speed surface mount placement.
Over the past two years, the company has expanded its investment in back-end capabilities by combining its own surface mount and robotics technologies with Shinkawa's clamping expertise and Apic Yamada's package molding and encapsulation know-how. This integration has created Yamaha Robotics Holding Co., Ltd. (YRH), a new entity with expertise across the entire spectrum of semiconductor packaging processes, bringing Yamaha's one-stop-shop philosophy to the back-end market. The new company could leverage Yamaha's European network to provide local sales and support for cutting-edge automation as demand for local packaging capabilities in Europe is expected to grow.
Back-End Processes and Solutions:
The product portfolio encompasses wafer and flip chip fixing, with equipment offering accuracy up to ±5µm in XY and ±0.5° in θ (3-sigma) and incorporating advanced features such as a dual-head design with unique servo-drive technology that saves space and increases productivity.
Wafer fixers offer flexibility with support for face-down and face-up fixing, thin wafer handling, and support for 2.5D and 3D stacking. Supported processes include non-conductive paste thermal compression bonding (TCB-NCP), non-conductive film bonding (TCB-NCF), heat compression and capillary filling (TC-CUF), and standard and fan-shaped wafer packaging (FO-WLP). The Shinkawa FPB-1w NeoForce Package Bonder (Figure 1) processes NCP/NCF/TC-CUF, C2 and C4, and FO-WLP, with automatic product type switching.
There are also wire fixing machines that offer positional accuracy of 2µm and high speeds of up to 45ms/2mm, along with high-precision bump fixing using technologies that ensure consistent quality and control for various standard wafer sizes. The UTC5000NeoCu wire fixing machine can handle wires from 18-70µm in diameter and offers user convenience through features such as inert gas control via form selection and templates that simplify process optimization.
Figure1. FPB-1w NeoForce. Multi-process encapsulation sealer
Furthermore, the range includes modular molding systems (Figure 2) for processes such as compression molding, transfer molding, injection molding, and encapsulation for packaging integrated circuits and components, as well as for modules such as automotive ECUs. Precision tool stamping technology is also available for high-number, fine-pitch guide frames. These same capabilities enable the company to offer cutting and forming pads for cutting and bending guides.
Figure 2. High-performance molding system
Through the development of processes such as low-temperature ultrasonic bonding, which is fast and eliminates thermal stress on components and materials, the portfolio also includes equipment for encapsulating specific product types, for example, crystal components such as temperature-controlled oscillators (TCXOs) and surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters, as well as LEDs and CMOS integrated circuits.
The precision dispensing systems in this range can handle various processes, including dispensing LED fluorescent materials, fillers, and adhesives for assembling crystal devices for frequency control applications. Solutions for high-precision, high-speed assembly of raw crystals, curing of low-particle adhesives, inspection and testing of encapsulations, simultaneous frequency tuning of multiple crystals, and TCXO temperature testing provide a comprehensive suite of capabilities for crystal device encapsulation and testing.
Yamaha has already launched a range of flip-chip mounters, including the YSB55w flip-chip mounter, which has an accuracy of ±5μm and capabilities including simultaneous pickup of 8 chips and simultaneous transfer that allow a placement speed of 13,000 UPH
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In July 2021, Yamaha introduced a major upgrade to its hybrid range that combines back-end chip fixing and surface component assembly. The new machine, the YRH10 (Figure 3), increases production capacity by 50% compared to the previous generation and boosts placement accuracy to ±15μm, thanks to new features including a multi-nozzle head, accelerated wafer swaps, and improved thermal compensation.
Figure 3. The YRH10 hybrid flip-chip fixer and surface mounter launched in 2021.
When combined with Shinkawa's UTC5000NeoCu conductive wire fixing system, the YRH10 has demonstrated a complete assembly process for MEMS microphone production. This process includes positioning and fixing the MEMS chip and ASIC to the substrate, interconnecting the two chips using conductive wire fixing, and attaching the metal cap of the package.
The YRH10 has also been combined with Yamaha's YSM10 high-speed modular placement machine for power module assembly. The two machines handle placing the IGBT chips onto the direct-bond copper (DBC) substrate, mounting the substrate onto the module's thermal base plate, applying the solder preforms for chip and substrate bonding, and attaching the associated sensors and controllers.
Conclusion:
Increasing the share of semiconductor manufacturing in Europe can bring economic, logistical, and environmental benefits by shortening supply chains and localizing access to next-generation integrated circuits. Government initiatives have been announced, seeking the participation of industrial partners. In addition to investment in design and manufacturing facilities, chip and module packaging capabilities are also needed. Yamaha's investment in back-end automation technologies, through the creation of Yamaha Robotic Holdings, provides European manufacturers with advanced solutions.
Article provided by Yamaha Robotics SMT Section
