Jul 1, 2003
“Without question, these technological and production capabilities establish Unitive as a leader in the evolution of 300mm technology.” -Daniel Teng, President Unitive Semiconductor Taiwan RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – June 2003-- Sometimes cutting edge technology is simply a result of solving problems for customers. According to Unitive CEO Ken Donahue, the company’s dedication to providing solutions to customers was the initial motivation for bringing up its 300mm electroplated wafer bumping lines.
“Unitive has produced the world’s only advanced packaging foundry turning out electroplated bumped 300 mm wafers, largely in response to a need presented to us by a customer,” Donahue noted. “We now have an end-to-end showcase for the most advanced 300mm equipment and production capability.”

Unitive is the sole outsource foundry bumping service with fabs in both North America and Asia, with locations in Research Triangle Park, NC, and the Unitive Taiwan fab in Hsinchu Science Park.

“This is an important strategic development that positions Unitive to further benefit from the transition to 300mm technology,” said Daniel Teng, president of Unitive Semiconductor Taiwan (UST). Teng estimates the company’s production of 300mm electroplated wafers at 4,000 per month, with eutectic solder, high-lead solder, and lead-free solder. Unitive will also offer passivation technology and plated wiring technology. “Without question, these technological and production capabilities establish Unitive as a leader in the evolution of 300mm technology,” Teng said. “Long-term cost reductions and productivity improvements are the primary advantages of conversion to 300mm wafer production,” noted Dan Mis, Vice President of Applications Engineering at Unitive. “We are succeeding in our efforts to match up technology and supply chain management,” Mis said. “Hence, the impetus to bring up our 300mm fab in Taiwan, facilitating a tighter supply chain onshore-- bumped, tested and packaged in Taiwan.” Electroplating technology is a photo-defined process that can form extremely small bumps and exceptionally tight pitches. “We use traditional semiconductor processing techniques to create photo masks so that we can produce much smaller structures and electroplating in those structures and end up with much finer bump pitches,” said Eric Kung, Director, UST Technology Division. “We are able to produce 125 micron pitches and up, while remaining cost competitive with paste technology and showing clear technological and processing benefits,” Kung said. Electroplating is understood to be extendable and scalable to working on different form factors and materials, Kung added. “Electroplating is the technology of choice, and the marketplace is rapidly accepting and embracing that,” he concluded.

“Unitive's 300mm production line is key to the continued development of the flip chip infrastructure,” said E. Jan Vardaman, President of TechSearch International, Inc. “With many companies planning to use flip chip bumps fabricated with an electroplating process for future products, it is essential to have 300mm capacity for this important technology.” Projected increases in demand for semiconductor commodity products such as high-end memory makers will necessitate the additional capacity and reduced costs that 300mm technology brings to the marketplace. As the world’s leading supplier of electroplated bumping services, Unitive’s expansion to 300mm capability coincides with growing worldwide market demands for electroplated bumping.

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