nachrichten.idw-online.de, Jan. 15, 2025 –
The Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM announces its active contribution to the APECS pilot line launched as part of the EU Chips Acts. APECS intends to promote the development and integration of chiplet technologies as a means of making Europe's semiconductor industry more competitive.
Fraunhofer IZM is taking over a crucial role in the APECS pilot line with its expertise for the hardware integration of chiplet systems. With its access to individual chiplet components, the Institute can cover the entire process flow needed to create fully functioning systems. Its researchers are working on modern 300mm interposer technologies, high-density substrates, advanced assembly technologies, and the necessary processes for the advanced heterointegration of highly integrated systems. Fraunhofer IZM is establishing itself as a key partner for system-level heterointegration in Europe with several focus innovations.
Creating high-precision integration technologies
Chiplet technology requires highly precise assembly on high-density interposers and printed circuit boards. Fraunhofer IZM will advance innovative solutions for implementing these technologies. For example, silicon-based interposers will reduce the contact pitch from the current 15 micrometers to less than a single micrometer. For circuit boards, so-called „advanced PCBs" promise to also bring the pitch down to the micrometer scale.
To connect chiplets requires efficient interconnection technologies and specialized materials to ensure signal integrity. For the packaging technology, the researchers are pursuing various integration approaches (2D, 2.5D, 3D), where thermal management is crucial to avoid hotspots. In addition, Fraunhofer IZM provides comprehensive test environments to ensure the functionality of the individual chiplets after their integration.
Prototyping substrates
When working with tiny structures at scales down to a single micrometer, specialized substrates are needed for the prototypes that the Institute's partners in science and industry are using to develop and test advanced technologies for artificial intelligence or high-performance computing. To this end, the researchers are refining current technologies that work with organic substrates and putting a new focus on novel materials like glass.