(APEX) Advanced semiconductor Packaging with nEXt generation laser drilling

The semiconductor industry introduced heterogeneous integration with advanced 2.5D/3D wafer-level packaging to respond to Moore's Law's deviation from historical scaling trends, enabling the production of next-generation chips for various applications. However, the increased density and finer pitch of die-to-die interconnections in such advanced packaging present new challenges. The industry anticipates a doubling of I/O density every two years, potentially reaching 100 billion contacts per wafer by 2030\. This shifts the cost pressure from manufacturing transistors to testing them, particularly with custom-made test probecards. These probecards, essential for identifying Known-Good-Die, use highly precise laser-drilled ceramic guideplates but struggle with increasing density and finer features. Current laser drilling technology has limitations, hindering its ability to create the microscopic holes required for next-generation probecards, thereby threatening the semiconductor test roadmap. APEX aims to develop highly innovative laser-drilling technology for affordable fine-pitch probecards, leveraging advanced state-of-the-art laser technology to meet the industry's evolving requirements.