Silicon sandwich to go [system-in-package technology]

System-in-package (SiP), brings together a mix of different process technologies into equally small IC-style packages. In addition to semiconductor devices such as bipolar transistors, MOSFETs and diodes, a wide range of other electronic components can now be fabricated on silicon. These include inductors, capacitors and polysilicon resistors. This article outlines the wafer processing required for SiP implementation. It examines chip stacking, wire-bonding, and flip-chip assembly. Replacing multichip solutions in an ever-increasing number of applications, SiPs are the future components from which tomorrow's feature-rich consumer products will be built.