A Review on Laser Processing in Electronic and MEMS Packaging

Abstract

The packaging of electronic and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices is an important part of the overall manufacturing process as it ensures mechanical robustness as well as required electrical/electromechanical functionalities. The packaging integration process involves the selection of packaging materials and technology, process design, fabrication, and testing. As the demand of functionalities of an electronic or MEMS device is increasing every passing year, chip size is getting larger and is occupying the majority of space within a package. This requires innovative packaging technologies so that integration can be done with less thermal/mechanical effect on the nearby components. Laser processing technologies for electronic and MEMS packaging have potential to obviate some of the difficulties associated with traditional packaging technologies and can become an attractive alternative for small-scale integration of components. As laser processing involves very fast localized and heating and cooling, the laser can be focused at micrometer scale to perform various packaging processes such as dicing, joining, and patterning at the microscale with minimal or no thermal effect on surrounding material or structure. As such, various laser processing technologies are currently being explored by researchers and also being utilized by electronic and MEMS packaging industries. This paper reviews the current and future trend of electronic and MEMS packaging and their manufacturing processes. Emphasis is given to the laser processing techniques that have the potential to revolutionize the future manufacturing of electronic and MEMS packages.

Joining of Electrodes to Ultra-Thin Metallic Layers on Ceramic Substrates in Cryogenic Sensors

“…In addition to soldering, there are many other technologies involved in the process of microjoining, including solid state bonding, fusion microwelding, solid-state diffusion bonding, diffusion soldering and brazing, resistance microwelding and adhesive bonding [8]. Laser technologies are also applied to produce different types of electrical joints [9][10][11][12].…”

Processing of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes with Femtosecond Laser Pulses

“…[1,2]. Particularly, femtosecond laser assisted nano-joining has received great attention due to its critical role in the technological development of microelectronics, MEMS, and nano-devices among various applications [3,4]. Several studies were performed on the joining of different materials with a laser beam in the form of bulk, as well as powder, at the nano and micron scales [2,[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14].…”

“…The nanoscale welding of MWCNTs for three-second irradiation was attributed to the breaking of C-C bonds and the formation of new graphene layers [26]. Recently, Li and coworkers formed a cross-stacked CNT architecture and reported joining through sp 3 covalent bonding under high pressure and temperature through laser heating [14].…”

Challenges in Three-Dimensional Printing of High-Conductivity Copper

“…The selection of the proper AM process is based on the application, including considerations of material type, part size, complexity, process availability, level of inspection, and validation. The geometric freedom of some AM processes is still somewhat restricted by the need to provide and remove support structures and the difficulties associated with removing the unsolidified material contained in part cavities [1][2][3][4][5]. Three-dimensional (3D) printing of components from pure copper or copper alloy [6,7] is spurring a wide range of applications including high-efficiency electric machines.…”