Laser Induced Deep Etching (LIDE) for thin glass opens new perspectives. "With the new LIDE precision process, we are enabling microsystems technology to exploit the full potential of glass," explained Dr. Roman Ostholt, Vice President LIDE at LPKF, in a presentation at the 3D Systems Summit 2019 in Dresden, Germany. The examples ranged from through glass vias to glass embedding and glass capping solutions with almost vertical walls.
Glass substrate for embedding fan-out packages featuring additional micro-structures
Due to its properties, glass is one of the most interesting materials for many areas of Advanced IC and Wafer Level Packaging. For a long time, it was considered very difficult to process. Production-related surface defects have given glass the reputation of being susceptible to brittle fracture and thus at best suitable for simple packaging tasks. "Thanks to Laser Induced Deep Etching technology (LIDE), it is possible for the first time to create deep microstructures in glass without causing microcracks, stresses or other surface defects. Machining is extremely precise and the process is fast. With the use of LIDE-processed glass, even more is possible in heterogeneous integration in advanced IC and wafer level packaging than before".
