Cost Comparison of Fan-out Wafer-Level Packaging to Embedded Die Packaging

Abstract Fan-out wafer-level packaging (FOWLP) and embedded die packaging offer similar advantages over traditional packaging technologies. For example, both packages can be quite thin since the die is placed early in the manufacturing process and the package is fabricated around the die. This is in contrast to traditional packaging technologies, in which the package is fabricated first, and then the die is placed on top of the package. This results in a thicker package compared to fabricating the package around the die. Due to the ongoing miniaturization market requirements, thinner packages are becoming increasingly important. Both FOWLP and embedded die packaging also provide the capability of placing multiple die and passives in a single package. This capability can have both size and performance benefits since the interconnect distance between the embedded components is shorter. In this paper, the cost and cost drivers of FOWLP and embedded die packaging technologies will be compared. Activity based modeling will be used to characterize the cost of each activity in the two manufacturing flows.