Arizona State University and Deca Technologies to Pioneer North America’s First R&D Center for Advanced Fan-Out Wafer-Level Packaging

Advanced packaging advances next wave of innovation in global chips manufacturing

TEMPE, Ariz. – March 19, 2024 – Arizona State University (ASU) and Deca Technologies (Deca), a premier provider of advanced wafer- and panel-level packaging technology, today announced a groundbreaking collaboration to create North America’s first fan-out wafer-level packaging (FOWLP) research and development center.

The new Center for Advanced Wafer-Level Packaging Applications and Development is set to catalyze innovation in the United States, expanding domestic semiconductor manufacturing capabilities and driving advancements in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, automotive electronics and high-performance computing.

The center will combine state-of-the-art advanced-packaging technology, equipment, processes, materials, expertise and training, fostering the development of new capabilities from proof of concept to pilot scale. ASU is the first university implementation of Deca’s M-Series™ fan-out and Adaptive Patterning® technologies under the Microelectronics Commons, a network of regional technology hubs coordinated to deliver on projects requested by the Department of Defense as part of the CHIPS and Science Act, the federal legislation which aims to expand America’s global leadership in microelectronics.

The new center will include integration with the university’s MacroTechnology Works center at ASU Research Park in Tempe and will provide enhanced capability that will advance projects within the ASU-led Southwest Advanced Prototyping (SWAP) Hub, part of the Microelectronics Commons.

“This is at the heart of the next generation of innovation in microelectronics and everything it enables,” said Zak Holman, vice dean for research and innovation for ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. “Deca has developed a unique technology, and ASU brings extraordinary capacity that will provide the resources to leverage Deca’s technology in ways that will be a differentiator for the work we are doing together through the SWAP Hub.”

The initiative also offers a workforce-development opportunity with ASU faculty and students engaging in the work being done, providing training for the growing number of technicians who are needed domestically, including in metro Phoenix, which is home to Intel, TSMC, Amkor and other companies.

In collaboration with Deca, ASU is committed to establishing onshore access to these advanced-packaging capabilities. This entails acquiring, installing and implementing a comprehensive set of process and metrology equipment at the facility, capable of accommodating both 200mm and 300mm device wafer formats, as well as 300mm M-Series molded fan-out wafers, providing unparalleled flexibility for a diverse range of customers and applications.

“With the industry’s leading fan-out technology1 as a foundation, we’re excited about the possibilities this new center brings to Arizona as well as the broader U.S. semiconductor industry,” commented Tim Olson, Deca’s founder and CEO. “Through ASU and Deca’s collaboration, unprecedented access for industry, academia, government and others opens the door to accelerate innovation and bolster U.S. technology leadership.”

Deca’s first-generation M-Series FOWLP is widely adopted in leading smartphones around the globe. The Gen 2 M-Series including Adaptive Patterning technology brings unprecedented scaling to higher densities for heterogeneous integration and chiplet applications.

About Deca Technologies

Deca is a leading provider of advanced-packaging technology to the semiconductor industry with M-Series fan-out and Adaptive Patterning. Deca has a growing list of industry-leading partners working on technology transfer and license agreements to gain access to the proven structures, processes, materials, equipment, design systems and know-how of the industry’s No. 1 volume fan-out technology. Starting with the highest quality and reliability in Gen 1 aimed at smartphone applications, and moving on to the growth of Gen 2 for chiplets and heterogeneous integration, Deca’s technologies are emerging as key industry standards for the future. For more information, visit www.thinkdeca.com. 1M-Series is the highest-volume fan-out technology, with over 5 billion devices in the field.

About Arizona State University

Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American Research University, creating an institution that is committed to access, excellence and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. As the prototype for a New American University, ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and it assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of the communities that surround its campuses. For more information, visit asu.edu. For more information about ASU’s work in microelectronics, visit microelectronics.asu.edu.