1. Purpose and scope
New package technologies often need new tool types or existing tools pushed to new limits: die-to-wafer and wafer-to-wafer bonders with fine alignment, thermocompression bonders, plating tools for fine pillars, lithography for fine redistribution lines on large or warped substrates, grinders and debonders for thin wafers, plasma dicing, inspection for voids and bond interfaces, and metrology for height, overlay and warpage. Tool capability and lead time can set the schedule of the whole development.
The purpose of this stage is to choose tools on evidence, install them, prove they meet their requirements on product-like material, match tools that run the same step, and release them to the pilot line with maintenance, spares, data collection and fault detection in place. The stage runs alongside module development: evaluation results feed module work, and module work sharpens the tool requirements.
In scope: equipment requirements, evaluation and demonstration, selection, purchase, installation, acceptance, matching, measurement system analysis, maintenance plans and the pilot line equipment release. Out of scope: recipes and process windows, which belong to module development, and volume capacity installs, which follow in the capacity ramp.
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