AUSTIN, TX – Driven by advanced packaging substrate needs, the industry has reached an inflection point in IC substrate manufacturing, according to TechSearch International.

Increasing I/O counts are driving substrate layer counts to more than 20, the firm says. Larger die sizes and multiple die mounted on the substrate are driving the need for larger body sizes, up to 100mm x 100mm.

Some companies use a silicon interposer with multiple redistribution layers to provide the connection between logic and high bandwidth memory. Others use fan-out on substrate with RDLs. Many companies are considering new RDL on organic solutions with 2μm line width and spaces, and Intel is exploring an expanded role for its embedded multi-die interconnect bridge.

Several companies are making investments in fab-like processing equipment for next-generation IC packaging substrates.

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