Thin film polymeric materials in microelectronic packaging and interconnect

Polymeric materials in the form of thin film insulating layers are finding increased application in a variety of microelectronic applications. The SIA IC roadmap shows the industry moving towards thin film polymers vs conventional SiO/sub 2/ dielectric for on chip interconnect. Photo polymers are being used as stress buffer/passivation layers on top of Si and GaAs chips and to redistribute peripheral pads on chips to area array bumps. Thin film materials are also being used to route interconnect on laminate, ceramic and silicon substrates; interconnect passive components; form optical waveguides for short haul optical interconnect and serve as planarization and alignment layers in flat panel displays.