Advanced Packaging in Semiconductor Manufacturing Nanometer-Precise Motion: Precision Control As A Key Technology

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Aerotech GmbH

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Wuxi InfiMotion Technology Co., Ltd.

The lines between wafer fabrication and package integration are disappearing. With the rise of advanced packaging, the backend is becoming a domain of high precision—and thus a strategic key factor in semiconductor production. Aerotech contributes to the efficiency enhancement and advancement of modern advanced packaging processes with high-precision motion control technology.

The boundaries between front-end and back-end processes in semiconductor manufacturing are increasingly blurring. What were once two separate worlds are merging into a highly integrated manufacturing process with the advent of advanced semiconductor packaging. New architectures such as fan-out wafer-level packaging (FOWLP), 2.5D/3D IC stacks, heterogeneous integration, or system-in-package (SiP) demand a level of precision previously reserved exclusively for front-end lithography. For manufacturers, this means: only those who consistently automate their processes and master them down to the nanometer scale can compete in the next generation of chip manufacturing.

"These new methods and architectures require a level of precision previously reserved exclusively for the front-end," explains Justin Bressi, Business Development Manager at motion control specialist Aerotech. "The packaging process is now an integral part of system performance and functionality. To remain economically scalable, it requires advanced automation systems with precise motion control."

Advanced Packaging As A Response to New Integration Requirements

For a long time, packaging was considered merely a protective and connecting layer—a final, comparatively robust stage of chip production. This changed with the rise of data-intensive applications, high-performance computing (HPC), AI systems, IoT devices, and automotive electronics. Advanced semiconductor packaging makes it possible to integrate multiple dies—individual semiconductor chips cut from a silicon wafer—from different process nodes into a single, functionally coordinated package. This eliminates bottlenecks in electrical design, increases energy efficiency, and reduces manufacturing costs.

This shifts tolerances, which once lay in the micrometer range, into the nanometer range. Processes such as hybrid bonding or die-to-interposer assembly require six-dimensional alignment—in X, Y, Z, as well as the three rotational axes. Even the smallest deviations can impair electrical performance or render entire batches unusable.

"In many cases, simple, low-precision pick-and-place robots are no longer sufficient," says Justin Bressi. "Manufacturers need advanced systems that enable dynamic control and positional stability at the nanometer level." Only in this way can the balance between precision and throughput be achieved—a key requirement for aligning economic returns with process reliability.

Taiwan As the Epicenter of Change

Hardly any region represents the transformation of packaging as much as Taiwan. The world's largest foundry operator, TSMC, is significantly driving development with its Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate technology (CoWoS). For decades, the focus of Taiwanese manufacturers was on front-end production—packaging was outsourced to OSAT service providers (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly & Test).

With the new architectures, this has changed: to better control quality, yield, and performance, leading producers are increasingly bringing packaging expertise in-house. "This growing level of vertical integration allows for better control over the entire supply chain," says Justin Bressi. "This is crucial to meet the demanding specifications of modern chips for HPC, AI, and highly integrated modules."

This shift also creates room for innovation. Since many emerging processes lack standardized equipment, foundries and local machine builders are working closely together to develop customized tools and subsystems. Aerotech is involved in this collaboration, providing precise motion control systems that operate reliably in cleanrooms and ultra-high vacuum (UHV) environments.

Precision, Dynamics, And Stability—Key Requirements for Motion Systems

The core requirement of advanced semiconductor packaging is positioning accuracy in the nanometer range, combined with high dynamics and mechanical stability. Hybrid bonding, for instance, requires precise control of forces in the range of just a few millinewtons to ensure a reliable connection without damaging delicate structures.

"These processes are simply not possible or scalable without devices that rely on state-of-the-art motion control systems for critical process steps," emphasizes Justin Bressi.

To achieve this level of precision, Aerotech relies on technologies such as air-bearing axes, vibration-optimized servo drives, and force-controlled feedback loops that virtually eliminate geometric error motions. Integrated sensors and active compensation enable position deviations of just a few nanometers (Fig. 1+2).

At the same time, motion dynamics play a critical role. In high-volume packaging lines, the system must execute rapid step-and-recovery movements without sacrificing precision. Advanced controllers—such as Aerotech's motion control platform Automation1—enable this through aggressive servo tuning and model-based feedforward controls, which minimize dynamic errors during high accelerations (Fig. 3).

Another important criterion is force control. Especially during die stacking or wafer-to-wafer bonding, the exact adherence to the applied force determines the success of the connection. Through integrated force feedback, the defined force can be precisely maintained, reducing rejection rates and increasing process repeatability.

Robust Systems for Demanding Environments

In addition to precision and dynamics, the systems must withstand the specific conditions of semiconductor manufacturing. Cleanrooms and vacuum chambers require low-vibration, low-particle, and thermally stable components. To address this, Aerotech combines passive and active isolation systems with thermal compensation strategies. This reduces internal heat loads and compensates for undesirable drift movements.

This makes precision motion systems mission-critical subsystems within process tools—they directly contribute to yield, process reliability, and system availability. "Precision motion is no longer an auxiliary function," Justin Bressi is convinced. "It is a core technology that determines the performance of the entire production line."

Cooperation As An Innovation Driver

Since many packaging processes are new and non-standardized, strategic collaboration between chip manufacturers and equipment suppliers plays a key role. Bringing packaging capabilities in-house shortens the feedback loop between design, R&D, and manufacturing—a decisive advantage in an environment of constant technological change.

"Through close collaboration with equipment manufacturers, chip producers can jointly develop customized tools and processes needed for new technologies, for which no standard solutions currently exist," explains Justin Bressi. Aerotech is involved as a partner in such development projects, providing the motion platforms that make the process precisely controllable.

The benefits are mutual: manufacturers gain from specifically tailored systems, while Aerotech gains early insight into new process requirements—a knowledge advantage that flows back into product development.

Motion Control As An Enabler of the Next Semiconductor Generation

Advanced semiconductor packaging is pushing the boundaries of what is possible in semiconductor manufacturing. In light of the slowing of Moore's Law, it is the key lever to further increase computing power, energy efficiency, and integration density. However, as chip complexity grows, so does the importance of precise, stable, and reproducible motion processes.

"Advanced packaging extends the boundaries of what is possible in semiconductor manufacturing," summarizes Justin Bressi. "To capitalize on these opportunities, chip manufacturers must work closely with their technology partners—and motion control is an indispensable component of success."

Glossary: Key Terms

• 2.5D/3D-IC: Multilayer chip architectures where semiconductor chips are either placed side by side on an interposer (2.5D) or stacked on top of each other (3D).
• Advanced Semiconductor Packaging (ASP): Umbrella term for modern packaging technologies that integrate multiple chips into a single package to enhance performance, energy efficiency, and integration density.
• CoWoS (Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate): Packaging technology developed by TSMC, where chips are placed on wafers and subsequently mounted onto a substrate.
• Die / Dies: Individual semiconductor chips cut from a wafer. Multiple dies can be integrated together into a single package or stacked to enable complex system functions.
• FOWLP (Fan-Out Wafer-Level Packaging): Packaging process in which a chip is expanded with additional I/O connections before wafer singulation.
• Heterogeneous Integration: Combination of chips with different technologies, process nodes, or materials in a single package.
• Hybrid Bonding: Precision process for directly connecting chips or dies to substrates with extremely high accuracy and controlled applied force.
• SiP (System-in-Package): Integration of multiple electronic functions—such as processor, memory, and sensors—in a single package.
• Wafer: Thin, disk-shaped silicon plate on which integrated circuits are manufactured. After processing, individual dies are separated from the wafer.

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Wolfram Wiese is a PR specialist editor at PRX Agency for Public Relations in Stuttgart, Germany.

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