November 15, 2007 – SET, the former SUSS MicroTec device bonder division spun off earlier this year, says that a partnership with CEA Leti has resulted in a new high-accuracy (0.5-micron), high-force (4000 N) device bonder for processing up to 300mm wafers.

The FC300 bonder, the first step in a joint development program between the two (a previous effort brought about the first ever commercially available flip-chip bonder), includes a built-in chamber for collective reflow in a gas or vacuum environment and also features nanoimprinting capabilities, according to the company. It can perform various applications on the same platform with a quick process head reconfiguration. Initially it will incorporate automatic handling of chips, templates and small size substrates, but further development aims to include fully automated handling of wafers up to 300mm.

The tool will be a key component in Leti’s backend process developments, enabling areas including wafer-scale fluxless bump interconnection (thanks to a patented process chamber), vacuum hybridization and sealing, metal and polymer thermo-imprinting for bump molding, microlens processing, and polymer UV imprinting for multiple applications, according to Francois Marion, senior expert packaging and hybridization at CEA Leti, in a statement.

Additional reporting by Advanced Packaging magazine.