SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif., July 1, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Carsem, a leading provider of turnkey packaging and test services to the semiconductor industry, announced today that they have been shipping production volumes of a variety of packages using copper wire bonds.
Carsem has qualified a number of customers in a variety of packages and metallization types using its new copper wire bond process. Using die supplied by partner Integrated Device Technology (IDT), Carsem has produced millions of units in various package types including MLP's (Micro Leadframe Packages).
"Key benefits of using copper wire are higher current capability compared to gold wire, smaller bond pads requirements which allows smaller wire diameters and the cost effectiveness of copper wire which can be a major savings compared to gold wire," stated Oliver Davis, Carsem's Director of Marketing
"Over a year ago, IDT recognized that copper was gaining traction as an interconnect material in semiconductor packaging. The clear advantages copper had over gold helped convince us and our customers of the strategic benefits we would receive by making the transition from gold to copper," said Mike Hunter, Vice President of Worldwide Manufacturing for IDT. "We are pleased that our partnership with Carsem has resulted in our ability to deliver high quality and reliable products."
"Carsem has been developing Cu bonding off and on for the past six to seven years," stated L.W. Yong, Carsem's CTO. "Initially we focused primarily on power products, however with technological advancements in the bonding equipment and materials, coupled with the increasing price of gold, Carsem has re-focused on standard IC's particularly MLP. Working with IDT, we have successfully bonded Al pad thicknesses of a minimum 6K Angstroms on fine pad pitches, with high pin counts and long wire spans.
"We are now shipping millions of these products. This has allowed us to fine tune the Cu wire bonding process while learning more about the materials, equipment and process controls needed to achieve consistency in process capability, quality and yields. We are now confident that Cu will be able to achieve a performance similar to gold under production conditions."
Dave Comley, Carsem's Group Managing Director added, "We recognized the need for alternatives to gold wire-bonding that would be cost effective without compromising performance. This is why we invested in our copper bonding program. Our Cu bonding program combined with our support teams further expands our ability to service current customers as well as attract and develop relationships with new customers in the future."
Carsem is the winner of several industry awards and is recognized worldwide as a pioneer in the assembly and test industry. The company has a large package portfolio that includes the Micro Leadframe (MLP), System-in-Package (SiP), Flip Chip On Leadframe (FCOL(tm)), and Small Scale Lan Grid Array (SSLGA), which are commonly used for high performance telecommunications and wireless applications. Carsem also provides turn-key test services using their mixed signal, digital, analog and RF tester platforms.
About Integrated Device Technology (IDT)
With the goal of continuously improving the digital media experience, IDT integrates its fundamental semiconductor heritage with essential innovation, developing and delivering low-power, mixed signal solutions that solve customer problems. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., IDT has design, manufacturing and sales facilities throughout the world. IDT stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Stock Market(r) under the symbol "IDTI." Additional information about IDT is accessible at www.IDT.com.
About Carsem
Carsem is a leading provider of turn-key packaging and test services to the semiconductor industry, and offers one of the widest ranges of package & test portfolios in the world. To meet the growing demands of the telecommunications and wireless markets for smaller, faster, thermally-efficient devices, Carsem's portfolio includes several advanced technologies, such as the Micro Leadframe Package (MLP), Small Scale Ball Grid Array (SSBGA), Flip Chip On Leadframe (FCOL(tm)), and a System-in-Package (SiP) capability. Carsem also offers a full range of turnkey test services for RF, mixed-signal, linear, digital and power devices. Our factories maintain world-class quality standards having achieved SAC Level 1, ISO-9001, ISO-14001, QS-9000, TS16949 certifications, and are supported with a global network of sales and engineering support offices. Carsem is a member of the Hong Leong Group with factories located in Ipoh, Malaysia, Suzhou, China and sales offices across the USA, plus the UK and Taiwan. Carsem, Inc. sales headquarters is located at 269 Mt. Hermon Road, Suite 104, Scotts Valley, CA 95066, phone (831) 438-6861, fax (831) 438-6863, web site: www.carsem.com.