Smallest 3G Chips

Freescale Semiconductor says that it has developed a 3G chip that is just under 1 inch square in size. The radio-in-package contains all of the electronics required for a 3G mobile phone including memory, power management, baseband, transceiver and RF front end modules.

"The word 'revolutionary' is often overused, but RCP is a truly revolutionary technology," said Morry Marshall, vice president of Strategic Technologies, Semico Research Corp. "RCP will solve several packaging problems that have become ever more severe as ICs have increased in complexity. It is the semiconductor packaging technology of the future."

RCP integrates semiconductor packaging as a functional part of the die and system solution. It addresses some of the limitations associated with previous generations of packaging technologies by eliminating wire bonds, package substrates and flip chip bumps. In addition, RCP does not utilize blind vias or require thinned die to achieve thin profiles. These advancements simplify assembly, lower costs, and provide compatibility with advanced wafer manufacturing processes utilizing low-k interlayer dielectrics.

"Standard semiconductor packaging approaches will soon hit a wall of physical limitations," said Sumit Sadana, senior vice president, Strategy and Business Development, and Chief Technology Officer, Freescale. "RCP is a disruptive technology that overcomes these limitations and sets new industry benchmarks in flexibility, cost and integration density. Its unique capabilities will allow customers to create the smaller, sleeker and more efficient multifunction devices that the marketplace demands."

RCP's exceptional flexibility makes it a virtually universal package technology that is applicable across a large number of applications and materials. It is compatible with advanced assembly technologies such as System in Package (SiP), Package on Package (PoP), and integrated cavity packages."

Posted to the site on 26th July 2006