Feature Topics

Heterogeneous Integration

High performance systems at lower costs - that is the promise of heterogeneous integration and technologies like chiplet architectures. The bright future for advanced packaging and the novel capabilities and highly integrated solutions that Fraunhofer IZM already has in store can be discovered in our high-end performance packaging map.

Our professionals are specialists for getting chips onto and into circuit boards. They are experts at constructing interposers, stacking chips, and integrating MEMS into systems. They take care of cooling, antenna, and data transmission capabilities. And last, but not least, they translate all of these innovations into design guidelines and guarantee their reliability.

Instructions: Point to the label for each component to discover the many aspects of heterogeneous integration already covered by our Institute. You can click on any topic you are interested in to access more content and find the right contacts in each research group.

Challenges

Traditional systems-on-chip that cram all of the features and functions of a microelectronic system onto a single piece of silicon are reaching the end of their potential in terms of performance, flexibility, and the design effort required. The need for further miniaturization and integration of more electronic functions into systems means that the performance standards expected today cannot be fulfilled. The alternative: heterogeneous integration that combines different technologies in order to create miniaturized high-performance systems. Fraunhofer IZM has developed a range of heterogeneous integration processes, optimized for industry on production-ready high-end hardware.

Mission: Bringing microelectronics into application

We consider ourselves the bridge between the makers of machines, materials, and components and the vanguard of system integration and interconnection technology. As an application-driven research institute, our mission is to understand what each applications requires and needs in terms of technologies, components, and materials and their reliability. We are a registered partner for integration innovations in the preparatory work for the European Chips Act (EuCA).

»High-end performance packaging made by Fraunhofer IZM does more than create solutions for the industries of the future. It is an essential contribution to Europe’s technological sovereignty.«

(Professor Martin Schneider-Ramelow, Institutsleiter Fraunhofer IZM)

High-end performance packaging from wafer to system

Our researchers miniaturize electronic systems, innovate packaging technologies, develop production processes, and pave the way for tomorrow’s microelectronics. We envision the future of electronic packaging with a sense for all the requirements and capabilities already expected of smart electronic systems and their components - be they heat-resistant, long-lasting, custom-shaped, or even stretchable.

High-End

Our high-end hardware and leading-edge laboratory facilities are designed for the stringent requirements of current smart electronic systems and can cover the entire spectrum from backend integration of individual chips or 300mm wafers to full panels and functional substrates.

Performance

Fraunhofer IZM assists businesses around the world with designing, creating, and integrating cutting-edge, robust, and reliable electronic systems to match the unique and diverse requirements of their applications.

Packaging

Our specialists can draw on over 30 years of experience with all past and present packaging technologies to create custom system integration technologies for wafers, chips, or boards.

Services

Research at Fraunhofer IZM means exploring and innovating application-driven, technologically advanced electronic systems and microsystems. The Institute believes in holistic system development that guarantees a long, reliable and functionally secure working life for electronic systems.

Chiplet assembly, hybrid bonding, Si interposer technologies, fan-out wafer level packaging (FOWLP), cryo-packaging, high-bandwidth memory (HBMs) integration, RF characterization, and packaging for 5G / 6G applications are just a selection of the many technologies and services from our portfolio that help advance the technologies of tomorrow. Visit our departments’ pages to discover more of the highlight projects and key technologies in our work.

News

 

REALIZM Blog

Heterogeneous Integration: The future of semiconductor technology

Why is heterogenous integration considered a game changer for the next generation of semiconductor technology? In his interview with RealIZM, Erik Jung, Business Unit Developer at Fraunhofer IZM, gives an insight into the challenges faced by semiconductor manufacturers and research institutes trying to develop and make electronic components and systems with maximum performance.

 

REALIZM Blog

Pioneering tomorrow’s microelectronics: from chiplet integration to cooling – challenges in high-end performance packaging

The future of microelectronics faces exciting developments and important trends. But how will this technological sector develop in the coming years?