Analysis of World Markets and Trends for System-in-Package (SiP)

Frost & Sullivan, May 2007, Pages: 41

This Frost & Sullivan research service titled Analysis of World Markets and Trends for System-in-Package (SiP) Technology discusses the trends in these markets and provides a market analysis of SiP technology as well as a detailed comparison of SiP and SoC. The research service also discusses major market dynamics including industry challenges, market drivers and restraints, and the competitive environment.

- Executive Summary
-- Overview
--- Introduction
--- Competitive Scenario
-- Major Research Findings
--- Market Forecasts
--- Conclusions

- System-in-Package (SiP) - Definitions
-- Technology Definitions
--- System-in-Package (SiP)
--- Technology Classification of SiP
--- System-on-Chip (SoC) versus SiP

- Total System-in-Package (SiP) Market
-- Market Overview
--- Introduction
-- Industry Trends
--- Market and Technology Trends
-- Market Dynamics
--- Industry Challenges
--- Market Drivers
--- Trend Toward Miniaturization and Higher Performance
--- Overall System Cost Reduction
--- Reduced Time-To-Market
--- Simplification of Product System Board Design and Assembly
--- Increased Flexibility
--- Market Restraints
--- Large Capital Investments
--- Slow Rate of Technology Acceptance and Reliability Issues
--- Lack of Industry Infrastructure
-- Competitive Analysis
--- Competitors
--- Distribution Structure
--- Key Application Markets

- Technology and Application Analysis
-- SiP - Market Analysis
--- Total SiP Market - Unit Shipment and Revenue Forecasts
--- Analysis by Application
--- Analysis by Package Type

- Appendix
-- Decision Support Database
--- Semiconductor Market
--- PDA Sales
--- Digital Camera Sales

SiP Technology Attracts Interest as a Potential Alternative to SoC Technology

System-in-package (SiP) technology is gaining importance in the semiconductor packaging industry because of its potential to address the design and test challenges of the earlier system-on-chip (SoC) technology. With its significantly higher flexibility compared to SoC, SiP can combine multiple semiconductor technologies and reuse intellectual property (IP) from numerous sources, allowing designers to overcome integration difficulties without compromising on individual chip technologies. One of the major trends observed in SiP is the ability to stack die vertically 3D or horizontally side-by-side, allowing the provision of multiple die in a single package. Another rising trend is the integration of different types of devices such as passive and active components inside substrates.

The availability of known good die (KGD) and die testing are among the key challenges facing the SiP industry. Since SiP combines die from multiple vendors whose definitions of KGD vary and test methods are different, obtaining a KGD does not necessarily ensure its functioning in a multi-chip environment. Going forward, the introduction of technologies such as package-on-package (PoP) and package-in-package (PiP) is likely to help overcome these challenges. In other important trends, the attempts being made by several manufacturers to integrate baseband functions of cell phones such as the baseband engine and memory with numerous passives are likely to shift the routing complexity from the motherboard to the SiP substrate. "This move is expected to significantly reduce motherboard complexity and cost," notes the analyst of this research service. "The transmit and receive sections are also expected to be integrated in the near future, but due to the complex nature of RF circuits these sections are likely to be integrated last."

SiP Technology Set to Achieve Widespread Adoption

SoC has proven to be a feasible option when the product cycle is sufficiently long and plentiful resources in terms of time and money are available. In fact, in some cases where the product volumes are large, a SoC approach can be significantly less expensive than SiP. However, this also depends on whether the non-recurring engineering costs can be recovered and the lengthy times do not pose any issues, given that the market is constantly changing in terms of new products and features.

On the other hand, SiP is likely to be the most apt solution for products that place great importance on time-to-market, flexibility, functionality, and cost. At present, applications such as cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and wireless products are the major markets driving the growth of the technology, but there are several challenges to be overcome before the technology achieves widespread adoption. "Nevertheless, in terms of unit volume, SiP has experienced wider adoption than any other previous multi-packaging technologies," says the analyst. "The continuous demand for systems and subsystems with higher functionality, enhanced performance, smaller size, and lower cost is fast driving SiP technology to become an alternative solution to SoC."

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