Amkor Technology’s announcement to build a high-volume facility in the US, as well as the award winner announcements for the IBAS RESHAPE program, indicate that advanced packaging is indeed coming onshore in the US. Let’s take a closer look.
Amkor Announces US Advanced Packaging and Test Facility
Amkor Technology is the only US-headquartered OSAT with advanced packaging technology capability and high-volume manufacturing experience, although up to now it has had no manufacturing capability in the US.
Amkor has just announced plans to build an advanced packaging and test facility in Peoria, Arizona.
Amkor plans to invest approximately $2 billion and employ approximately 2,000 people at the new facility. Amkor states that upon completion,”… this will be the largest outsourced advanced packaging facility in the US”. Amkor’s announcement clearly signals intent to become part of an on-shore American advanced packaging ecosystem. The City of Peoria AZ, the Arizona Commerce Authority, and government authorities support the project.
Amkor has acquired approximately 55 acres of land with the intent to build a state-of-the-art manufacturing campus with more than 500,000 square feet of clean room space. The first phase of the manufacturing plant is targeted to be ready for production within the next two to three years. Amkor plans to provide high volume, leading-edge technologies for advanced packaging and testing of semiconductors to support critical markets such as high-performance computing, automotive, and communications.
Amkor announced that they are working closely with key customer Apple and will package and test chips produced for Apple at the nearby TSMC fab. When the new facility opens, Apple will be its first and largest customer.
Amkor has applied for CHIPS funding. Acquiring these funds will be critical to Amkor’s project moving forward.
This project would become the most significant investment in advanced packaging in America.
TSMC has stated that “…Amkor has been a strategic OSAT partner to TSMC for many years,” and that “TSMC applauds Amkor for investing in the future of the semiconductor industry with us in Arizona. We share Amkor’s excitement for its significant investment and the value this facility will bring to TSMC, our customers, and the ecosystem.”
IBAS RESHAPE Awards Winners Announced
For previous details on the IBAS Re-shore Ecosystem for Secure Heterogeneous Advanced Packaged Electronics (RESHAPE) program see IFTLE 547 and IFTLE 568.
Micross Wins IBAS RESHAPE Contract
Micross Components has announced that it has received an award under the IBAS Cornerstone RESHAPE program with a ceiling value of $134.3 million. The award was made through the Department of Defense (DoD) to develop trusted, pure-play, and open-access advanced packaging capabilities and capacity for low-volume/high-mix production of secure 2.5/3D Advanced System Integration and Packaging (ASIP) solutions.
Located in Raleigh, NC, Micross AIT has been providing wafer-level production services on 200mm and smaller wafer formats in various substrate materials (Si, SiGe, GaN on Si, glass) in an agnostic and non-captive facility for over 25 years.
The Micross effort will focus on Back End of Line (BEOL) processes for 300mm wafer diameter capabilities aimed at low volume, high mix, secure manufacturing capabilities “…that all Defense Industrial Base companies can design into their next-generation applications, ensuring access and availability to a U.S. microelectronics ecosystem that enables secure and comprehensive components and system integrations”.
The IBAS Cornerstone RESHAPE award includes options for additional Advanced Packaging manufacturing capabilities, which would further augment Micross’ production capabilities and accelerate throughput.
Micross stated that “…The Cornerstone RESHAPE award enhances Micross Advanced Interconnect Technology (AIT), a Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA) Trusted Source for post-processing services and the premier domestic wafer-level packaging provider, with the addition of 300mm wafer processing capabilities and the expansion of 200mm wafer production capacity.”
Micross indicated that “This award ensures domestic and secure access for the most advanced wafer-level interconnect and advanced packaging techniques on wafers from all foundries, including state-of-the-art nodes. Micross continues to drive wafer-level, advanced packaging, and test technologies to reduce device size, weight, and power consumption, enabling optimization and qualification of the most advanced high-reliability microelectronics for all of our customers, especially the Department of Defense and our warfighters.”
Osceola County (FL) / Bridg / Skywater win IBAS RESHAPE Contract
For previous details on the relationship between Osceola County FLA, Bridg and Skywater see IFTLE 516.
Osceola County has been awarded a five-year IBAS RESHAPE contract by the Department of Defense with a spending ceiling of $120 million. The contract offers options for an additional $169 million, potentially resulting in a total award of $289 million.
Osceola County will contract with BRIDG and SkyWater to implement the award. The BRIDG-led activities focus on chip design and processes while the Osceola County / SkyWater-led activities will focus on offering domestic advanced packaging services. Both of these capabilities are required for the advanced packaging of microchips.
The county and SkyWater will agree for SkyWater to execute all aspects of the initial award of up to $120 million and create fan-out wafer-level packaging manufacturing capabilities. Additional details about SkyWater’s program and the technology being developed at the Center for Neovation will be released upon the fully executed contract with the county
For all the latest on Advanced packaging developments stay linked to IFTLE………….
