Fan‐Out Wafer and Panel Level Packaging Market and Technology Trends

Since 2000, there has been a widespread adoption of wafer‐level packaging (WLP), in which most of the packaging and testing is accomplished in full wafer form. From 2008 to 2009, ASE installed a 200 mm production line for fan‐out wafer‐level packaging (FO‐WLP) based on embedded wafer level ball grid array but subsequently stopped production in 2012 because the market at that time was not big enough to maintain manufacturing activities. A new wave of FO‐WLP innovations followed, with newcomers entering the supply chain. It was inevitable for FO revenue to experience a decline in 2020, reflecting the COVID‐19 effect on mobile and consumer applications. Panel level packaging process can produce more FO because of the high panel area usage ratio. Panel makers entering the FO game are struggling to achieve high‐end products with good line and space and high reliability, though this is the sweet spot for fan‐out panel‐level packaging.