What is semiconductor packaging testing?

The semiconductor production process consists of wafer manufacturing, wafer testing, chip packaging, and post packaging testing. Semiconductor packaging testing refers to the process of processing wafers that have passed testing into independent chips according to product models and functional requirements.

The packaging process is as follows: the wafer from the previous process is cut into small chips (Die) through the wafer cutting process, and then the cut chips are glued onto the small islands of the corresponding substrate (lead frame) frame. Then, ultra-fine metal (gold, tin, copper, aluminum) wires or conductive resins are used to connect the bond pads of the chips to the corresponding leads of the substrate and form the required circuit;

Then, the independent chips are encapsulated and protected with plastic shells. After encapsulation, a series of operations are carried out, such as post mold cure, trimming and forming, plating, and printing.

After the packaging is completed, the finished product is tested, usually through processes such as incoming inspection, testing, and packaging, and finally stored and shipped.

The typical packaging process is as follows: cutting → mounting → bonding → plastic sealing → removing burrs → electroplating → printing → cutting ribs → forming → appearance inspection → finished product testing → packaging and shipping.

There are many packaging forms for semiconductor devices, which can be classified into three categories based on the shape, size, and structure of the packaging: pin insertion type, surface mount type, and advanced packaging. From DIP, SOP, FP, PGA, BGA to CSP and then to SIP, the technical indicators are becoming more advanced with each generation.

Overall, semiconductor packaging has undergone three major innovations: the first was in the 1980s, transitioning from pin in packaging to surface mount packaging, which greatly increased the assembly density on printed circuit boards; The second time was in the 1990s with the emergence of ball matrix packaging, which met the market's demand for high pins and improved the performance of semiconductor devices; Chip level packaging, system packaging, etc. are the products of the third round of innovation, which aims to minimize the packaging area.

Semiconductor packaging forms: metal packaging, ceramic packaging, metal+ceramic packaging, plastic packaging (the most common packaging form)