Substrate-like PCB shrinks conductor trackwidths to 15µm

Article By : Graham Prophet

The AT&S Toolbox uses technologies such as insulated metallic substrate, flexible PCBs, interposers and chip embedding to deliver substrate-like printed circuit boards.

Austrian PCB design and manufacturing company AT&S has brought together a range of technology options for miniaturisation on all interconnection layers, in a “toolbox” that include embedded component packaging (ECP) together with a range of high-end technologies that can be combined as-needed.

The AT&S Toolbox uses technologies such as insulated metallic substrate (IMS), multilayer, HDI, any-layer, wire-bond-board, flexible PCBs, chip embedding, IC substrates and interposers. For modern SIPs (systems in package), this means that conductor track widths/spacings of 15µm are possible, and significantly less than 10µm for IC substrates. High-end systems such as advanced SIPs and SiBs (system in boards) can be largely combined in modular form with all basic technologies. This makes optimized solutions available for customers and the specific applications.

As an example, the company has started series production of IC substrates in its plant in Chongqing, China, where flip-chip ball-grid-array (BGA) substrates are being produced for use with microprocessors. Flip-chip technology constitutes the basis for the packaging and interconnection technology of high-performance semiconductors used in smartphones, tablets, and PCs on end-user level and in high-performance graphics workstations, servers, and IT infrastructure equipment.

AT&S can produce two new, leading-edge technologies at its site in Chongqing—IC substrates and substrate-like printed circuit boards for high-end applications.