Zuken upgrades packaging tool

Zuken USA has launched two new functionalities to Package Predictor, its automated solution for Advanced IC Packaging: Package Substrate Feasibility and Package Re-use Automation.

These new features provide packaging designers of single or multiple packages in the food and beverage industry with insight into critical trade-offs that affect the downstream process.

Packaging Re-use assists engineers in determining whether using an existing design is practical, as well as suggesting the most advantageous die I/O placement, thereby allowing a designer to re-use an IC. Package Predicator's methodology ensures that semiconductor designs are tailored for a given package, reducing the redundant task of designing unneeded custom packages, resulting in shorter development schedules and lowered costs.

The Package Substrate Feasibility is supported by a graphical environment that assists in importing die definitions, examining chip to AP relationships, strategically assigning nets, defining design rules, wire-bond fan-out, and construction of power rings and exploring the complexities of a breadth of packaging technologies, including Flip-Chip, CSP, MCM and Stacked-DIE.

"Our ability to provide package re-use and feasibility automation gives engineers a very quick way of determining if an existing, new or family of ICs can be used with existing surplus package parts, as well as help engineers achieve a four to one time reduction from current methods,"​ commented Les Ammann, Director AP Technologies, Zuken​ USA. "The ability to determine minimum layers needed and the development of a realistic netlist for a device can help reduce time from seven to one from current methods. This process allows users to quickly run trade off analysis between wire bond and flip chip technologies with a given IC."​

Zuken is one of the world's leading providers of professional software solutions for the design of PCB/MCM/IC packages and systems. The company is the market sector leader in Japan and has offices throughout Europe and the USA. It is a global organization employing over 1000 people and the company is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.