Future of Packaging and packaging materials

Systems packaging is moving from the bulky and discrete systems of the past to integrated systems of the future with embedded functions from thin film functional components, thin core or coreless packaging substrates and fine pitch interconnections in organic packages. Together with SIP modules, nano IC devices, embedded power sources and user interface, this is expected to lead to multi-functional systems in the short term and malfunction systems in the long run. Some examples, of emerging packaging materials are advanced dielectrics for coreless packaging and low CTE thin core, advanced polymers .such as LCP with low loss, near hermetieity and thermal stability, nanocomposite and nanoscale thin films for embedded capacitors, magnetic nanomatenals based inductors/antennas, NEMS/nanomateriai based chemical and biological sensors, nanostructured materials for high-density chip-package interconnects, Self-Assembled Monolayers for improved electron and heat transport at the interfaces, nanocomposite underfills for high reliability and high electrical performance chip-package electrical connections. Migrating the packaging technologies to nanoscale can lead to integration of the entire bio-wireless-computing system, including active and passive components, into a single package leading to reduced size, reduced interconnect loss due to embedded nature of the active components, increased reliability, reduced power due to lower parasitics and lower cost due to large area processing. This presentation will focus on the status and challenges in materials and ultra thin-film processes for multiple-function fabrication and integration of RF, optical, digital and sensor components for tomorrow's mega-function systems.