Isabelle Bord

Novel core-shell nanocomposites for RF embedded capacitors: Processing and characterization

Thin capacitors using new hybrid nanoparticles as dielectric material have been successfully fabricated by a roll-to-roll process. The nanoparticles with a BaTiO3 core and a hyperbranched polyester shell have been synthesized at a filler fraction of approximately 41 wt%. For the first time, dielectric properties of monolithic nanocomposite-based capacitors have been investigated over an extremely wide frequency range from 10Hz to 1.2GHz. A dedicated test circuit has been designed and manufactured to characterize the capacitors at high frequencies directly on the sample. It has been demonstrated that promising resonance frequencies above 600MHz and dielectric constants needed for the existing commercial products can be achieved on the basis of the employed nano-technology. We conclude that hybrid BaTiO3/hyperbranched-polyester nanoparticles have the potential to outperform the existing systems and are suitable for the use as an effective dielectric in embedded radiofrequency (RF) capacitors.

Reliability assessment: New tools for the next generation of packages

Reliability assessment of components, integrated circuits, and microassemblies is clearly identified as a major factor in the on-going development of microelectronics. Since the last decade, the 3-D packaging and interconnections have emerged, and integrated packages have been developed. System-in-package (SIP) has become the principal support for integrated systems. Numerous problems are linked to their decreasing dimensions, the increasing numbers of interfaces (multichips stacked one on top of another), and plastic packages that must tolerate higher temperatures (RoHS). How is the reliability of such components assessed? What are the tools to investigate failure mechanisms in these new packages? This article gives some solutions mixing acoustic analysis, x-ray microscopy, electrical testing, and the use of specific tests points (sensors) placed in the package.