Abstract:
We live in an analog world. Advances in sensors, amplifiers, converters and data processing form the building blocks that enable the Internet of Things. These technologies give us greater access to the things in our lives. Where are our things? And what are they doing? Rather than monitor the vibration in an oil pipeline by driving to a local gauge or hard wiring that gauge to a central control room, we might now attach a small module with vibration sensors, a micro-processor, RF radio and energy harvesting. Adding algorithms, applications, and security, we can monitor the health of the steam pipe remotely on our smart phone. Similarly, our doctors might have remote, real-time access to our vital signs measured from a patch with an optical sensor, accelerometer, micro-processor and RF radio communicating through our smart phone to a secure Cloud.
While a host of engineering skillsets must combine to enable IoT (e.g., device design and algorithm development), Packaging plays a critical role in developing a useful product. Packaging sometimes even dictates the IC form factor and interconnect. This presentation will focus on the evolution in IC packaging from yesterday’s monolithics and MCMs to today’s SiP & Modules to tomorrow’s fully integrated Solutions that are enabling the IoT wave.
Our things may not be neatly assembled into sheet metal enclosures plugged into a wall within an environmentally controlled room. IoT packaged solutions don’t necessarily reflow mount to a PCB. IC package engineers are being asked for solutions in certain colors in a family of sizes. Our fine pitch, low power ICs need to interconnect to carriers that then integrate into sub-assemblies and housings convenient to us and the way we use our things. The use of flexible substrates are often adopted on and around the body in true 3D. Two commonly available flex technologies are pattern plated and printed. Plated has the capability for fine pitch interconnect, while printed can support the cost/size requirements of, for instance, crossing our chest between ECG sensing nodes. Printed flex line/space and via technologies today don’t allow the same levels of integration. There is a real opportunity for our industry here. Rigid substrates and PCB are also playing a key role. Large discretes, batteries, antennas, and non-IC energy harvesters are being integrated with our ICs on boards all within mechanical housings that conform to our things.
These integrated solutions for IoT have led to investment in new design and simulation tools and capabilities, new at least to IC package engineers. Injection moldings, sheet metal stamping and castings are being assembled with our ICs. This complexity of packaging, variations in interconnects and often increased number of interfaces and bond layers raise reliability and FA challenges that we have not faced in IC development. The inability to utilize our tried and true theories, like Coffin-Manson, is just a start to the challenges we face. Who cares if we can’t pass MSL? What happens when we spill Coca Cola on our things?