How does heterogeneous integration impact sensors?

For those not familiar with the term, heterogeneous integration (HI) occurs when diverse components are assembled into System-in-Package (SiP) architectures.

Late in 2019, SEMI, the global industry association representing the electronics design and manufacturing supply chain, announced the 2019 release of the Heterogeneous Integration Roadmap (HIR). Prominent examples of the roadmap are wireless and mixed signal devices, bio-chips, power devices, optoelectronics and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) in a single package. The HIR’s scope addresses assembly & packaging, test and interconnect technologies required to meet industry needs over the next 15 years.

Chapter 11 specifically covers MEMS and Sensor Integration with the initial focus of the Technical Working Group (TWG) being inertial sensors. However, ongoing discussions for future releases involve the inclusion of optical sensors, energy harvesting for low power and different types of sensors.

Since Inertial MEMS have sensors and an application-specific IC (ASIC) for digitization of the signals combined into a single package, the packaging approach uses a mature plastic package based on organic substrates to combine the different chips. Increasing integration will mean that a greater portion of the signal path is included in the SiP as sensors become self-contained hubs and nodes.

The roadmap addresses relative performance specifications and recognizes that different applications will drive different integration paths. Identified key applications include automotive/ unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs,) healthcare and navigation: avionics/aircraft/UAVs.

The HIR’s sponsors (the IEEE Electronics Packaging Society (EPS), SEMI, the IEEE Electron Devices Society (EDS), the IEEE Photonics Society and The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME EPPD Division)) request stakeholders interested in contributing to the 2020 HIR to join the effort by visiting the roadmap’s member page.