PAC TECH – Packaging Technologies GmbH, a group member of NAGASE & CO., Ltd., manufactures equipment for the microelectronic & advanced packaging industry and is the world’s leading wafer bumping and packaging subcontractor, specializing in electroless under-bump-metallization (UBM) and solder ball placement. PAC TECH is located in Nauen, Germany (HQ), and has 100% subsidiaries PAC TECH USA - Packaging Technologies Inc., in Silicon Valley, USA and PAC TECH ASIA Sdn. Bhd., in Penang, Malaysia.

 

PAC TECH is divided into two unique business units with 200 employees worldwide:

 

Business Unit 1: Advanced Packaging Equipment.

This business unit focuses on manufacturing equipment designed for advanced laser bonding and solder bumping/jetting. The equipment product line consists of solder jetting equipment (SB²-Jet), wafer-level solder ball transfer systems (Ultra-SB²), wafer-level solder rework equipment (Ultra-SB² 300 WLR), laser-assisted flip-chip bonding machines (Laplace) and automatic wet chemical lines for high volume electroless NiAu & NiPdAu bumping (PacLine 300 A50).

The solder ball jetting equipment lines place and reflow 40µm to 760µm solder balls of various lead or lead-free alloys, with a pitch <100 µm. The SB²-Jet product lines offer ball placement rates of up to 10 balls per second.

The laser solder ball jetting is ideal for quick-turn, fluxless, maskless solder balling and solder rework on wetable surfaces suitable for wafer-scale CSP, flip-chip, BGA’s, cLCC’s, optical component attach, MEMs, Hard Disk Drives (HGA, HSA), Camera Modules and 3D packaging. Different machine platforms are available, from low cost equipment for R&D and prototyping (SB²-M, SB²-SM) up to fully automatic machines for high volume production (SB²-Jet).

Besides the systems described above, other equipment for Wafer Level Micro Solder Ball Placement, Laser Marking, Wafer Spin Coating, Wafer Reflow and Flip Chip Bonding are available.

The modular electroless plating equipment offers fully automatic electroless bumping for wafer ranging in size from 4 to 12 inches. Normal output for 5µm nickel and 0.05µm gold plating on to aluminum or copper pads, on an 8-inch wafer is 150 wafer per hour.

 

Business Unit 2: Wafer Level Packaging and Bumping. This business unit offers state-of-the-art wafer bumping and packaging services based on a proprietary electroless nickel under-bump-metallization. The subcontractor services consist of wafer bumping with electroless Ni/Au or Ni/Pd under-bump-metallization for wafer level solder bumping for FC or WLCSP as well as Ni/Pd/Au for wire bonding. PAC TECH also offers AOI, X-Ray inspection, wafer-level RDL, wafer thinning, laser marking, wafer dicing and tape & reel service.

 

Since its founding, PAC TECH has received more than 50 patents for products developed in areas relating to semiconductor interconnection, including wafer bumping, flip-chip, chip - scale packaging and laser bonding technologies. PAC TECH has also formed alliances with companies in the United States, Europe and Asia for licensing, equipment sales, and contract wafer bumping services.

 

In 1995, PAC TECH began operations from its new, permanent headquarters located in Nauen, Germany. This 108,000 square foot facility is designed for cleanroom, subcontractor, wafer bumping with a capacity of 600,000 wafer per year (up to 8 inch) and 450,000 wafer per year (12 inch), as well as equipment design, development and manufacturing.

 

In 2002, PAC TECH USA - Packaging Technologies Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of PAC TECH – Packaging Technologies GmbH, opened its new 10,000 square foot contract wafer bumping facility in the heart of Silicon Valley, California. The facility has a wafer bumping capacity of 600,000 wafer per year (up to 8 inch) and 450,000 wafer per year (12 inch).

 

In February 2006, NAGASE & CO., Ltd., a major Japanese trading and manufacturing company with over 4,500 employees worldwide and sales of over 7,5 billion U.S. dollars, acquired a 60% share of PAC TECH – Packaging Technologies GmbH, which was increased to 74% in 2009. PAC TECH and NAGASE have been working together since 1997. Licensing the PAC TECH process resulted in NAGASE founding ALPHA BUMPING TECHNOLOGY (ABT) in Fukui, Japan. Out of its Fukui facility, NagaseABT offers the electroless NiAu & NiPdAu bumping process for the Japanese market.

 

In September 2008, PAC TECH ASIA Sdn. Bhd., a wholly owned subsidiary of PAC TECH – Packaging Technologies GmbH, opened its new 53,500 square foot contract wafer bumping facility in Penang, Malaysia. 40,000 square feet of the facility floor space is dedicated to manufacturing, much of it in a clean room environment. The facility is equipped with the latest generation of equipment aimed at supporting semiconductor market requirements for low-cost wafer bumping and backend processing. Like the German and Californian facilities, it has a capability of processing 600,000 wafer per year (up to 8 inch) and 450,000 wafer per year (12 inch).

 

PAC TECH is well positioned to improve its position as a global leader in advanced packaging equipment manufacturing, contract wafer bumping services, and turnkey equipment solutions. The new Malaysian facility will soon become PAC TECH’s largest with respect to its total wafer volume and available process capabilities, including backend processing. It is designed to meet the most competitive demands of the market for low cost and high volume production. While a wide range of contract services will be offered at the facility, PAC TECH plans also to begin manufacturing its plating systems and solder ball placement equipment at the site.