Adopted for both mobile phone and consumer electronics applications, Fan-Out Wafer Level
Packaging (FO-WLP) is the most innovative, advanced packaging technology today.
Analysing patent status is the key to understanding the business situation.

ANALYSIS OF ThE PATENT PORTFOLIO’S TECHNICAL CONTENT
After several years of specific analysis for customers, Yole Développement has decided to publish its first analysis concerning the technical contents of patents. This first study focuses on the FO-WLP area, a new packaging technology which is changing the patent landscape for semiconductor packaging across a wide range of application spaces. Yole Développement has developed a specific methodology to conduct this analysis (described below), mixing our technical and business knowledge with classical access to the patent database.

A FEW COMPANIES WITH MANY PATENTS, MANY COMPANIES WITh A FEW PATENTS
A complex patent landscape: 10 companies dominate the FO-WLP IP space, but more than 120 organizations have patents in this field, representing 232 relevant patent families and 231 related patent families (in total, Yole Développement has identified more than 1,000 patents). This analysis provides an Excel file database of all relevant patents, enabling a multi-criteria search. The criteria are the same as those used for the technological segmentation:

• Patent information
  • Patent publication number
  • Title
  • Abstract
  • Assignee/applicant
  • Inventors
  • Priority date
  • Patent family relationships
• FOWLP structure criteria
  • FOWLP toolbox detail or improvement (die placement, bonding, encapsulation, carrier
  • de-bonding, passivation, RDL, bumping,singulation)
  • Additional elements to the original process
• Chip orientation
• Carrier shape
• Architecture details
  • 2D structures
  • MCP
  • 3D structures
  • PoP
  • PiP
  • Stacked dies
  • Use of vertical interconnects
  • TSV
  • TMV
  • Technology used
  • eWLB
  • RCP
  • PBP
  • Other
• Packaged devices

 
It is also interesting to note the varying size of the players involved in this area.We find large companies like TSMC, as well as start-up /small players like Megica.The FO-WLP IP space was studied from several different angles, and our analysis provides information regarding patents filed by every kind of player, including the most recent assignees.

 
This complete description of the patent landscape is included in the first part of the analysis, and provides all the background materials for the FO-WLP patent landscape analysis.The analysis provides a complete summary of the patent landscape, including the patents’ geographic origins, company or R&D organizations that were granted the patents, historical data on when the companies applied for patents in the last 20 years, the patent inventor(s), expiration status, R&D collaborations,and more.

DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE TOP10 FO-WLP PATENT ASSIGNEES
The analysis also offers an in-depth look at the patent portfolio of each of the TOP 10 patent assignees, including Infineon, ACE, Tessera, Samsung, Freescale, StatsChipPac, ASE, Amkor and STMicroelectronics.
For each of these companies, the analysis provides a comprehensive study of the patent portfolio, highlighting the following points:

• Company patent portfolio evolution
• Countries of deposition and patents’ origin
• Top inventors
• Process flow developed by the company (for commercially available devices)
• Technical segmentation of each patent portfolio
• Patent portfolio analysis for each manufacturing process step and architecture
• Main technical innovations
• Which patents are used in production today, and which patents exist to prepare the future generation of FO-WLP technologies (multi dies, panel scale FO-WLP, PoP FO-WLP, TMV, etc.)
• Remaining challenges for the company from Yole Développement’s perspective

In addition, the analysis highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each company’s patent portfolio and the developments currently implemented by each company.

A UNIQUE METHODOLOGY OF ANALYSIS
Based on requests to Micropatent,Yole Développement has developed a unique methodology (described in the sample) for defining a technical segmentation of the patent landscape, and determining which patents are the most innovative, either for future implementation or for use in current production. By mixing its technical knowledge, business acumen and patent research, Yole Développement is able to provide unique evaluation and added value via this analysis.

KEY FEATURES OF THE ANALYSIS

WHO SHOULD BE INTERESTED IN THIS ANALYSIS

• Executives of device makers and advanced packaging companies wanting to review the FO-WLP business and understand the major patent evolutions that could impact the industry in the short, medium and long term
• The technology and R&D teams of IDM, fabless and assembly service provider companies looking to glean knowledge from the current FO-WLP patent landscape
• End-users keen to understand the FO-WLP patent landscape before using it in their own systems or devices
• The technology team of equipment and materials manufacturers involved in FO-WLP and desiring a complete picture of the patent situation, and any blocking patents

 
INDEX OF COMPANIES MENTIONED IN THE ANALYSIS
Advanced Chip Engineering (ACE), Infineon Technologies, Samsung, STATS ChipPac, Tessera, Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE), Freescale, Semiconductor, Micron Technology, Megica, Qimonda, Amkor Technology, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (TSMC), STM, Fujitsu, Hynix Semiconductor, Agency For Science Technology & Research (ASTAR), Broadcom, NX P, Renesas Electronics, Xintec, Hitachi, Sony, Analog Devices, Flip Chip Technologies, IMEC, Jiangyin Changdian Advanced Packaging (JCAP), Mediatek Inc, Motorola, Nippon Steel, United Microelectronics Corp (UMC), Advanced Interconnect Solutions, Advanced Micro Devices, ChipMOS Technologies, IBM, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), King Dragon International,National Hybrid, Nepes, Schott, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), Shinko Electric Industries, Siliconware Precision Industries, Sumitomo, Bakelite, Toyota Industries, Unisem Holdings, Visera Technologies, Yamaha, Yupei Technology, Agilent Technologies Inc, Altera, Apic Yamada, Aptina Imaging Corporation, Atmel, Cambridge Silicon Radio, Casio Computer, China WLCSP, Chipbond Technology Corporation, Cypress Semiconductor, Daimler Benz, Deca Technologies, Easetech Korea, Epic Technologies Inc, Epworks, Express Packaging, Systems, Fairchild Semiconductor, Fineart Technology, Formfactor,Fujikura, Georgia Tech Research, Ibiden, Invensas, IPdia, Kingston Technology, Kyocera Chemical, LSI Logic, Marvell, Maxim Integrated Products, Microasi Inc, Miji Electronic, Mitsubishi Electric, Nanonexus Inc, National University Of Singapore, NEC Electronics, Oerlikon, Panasonic, Petari Incorporation, Philips,Powertech Technology, Princo, Prisma Fibers, Qualcomm, Ricoh, Salmon Technologies, Sharp, Silicon Storage Technology, Texas Instruments, Thin Film, Module, Toppan Printing, Toray Advanced Materials Korea, Toshiba, Triquint Semiconductor, Tsinghua University, Ultratech Inc, Universiteit Gent, US National,Institutes of Health (NIH), Verigy (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Waters Technologies, Westinghouse Electric.

• Introduction
• Methodology for patent screening and analysis
• Objectives of this report
• Search strategy for FOWLP IP analysis
• FOWLP roadmap
• IP landscape analysis:
  • TOP 10 patent assignees for FOWLP technologies
  • Landscape overview in 2012
  • Evolution of the major assignees for FOWLP
  • Recent assignees for FOWLP
  • Top Inventors
  • Top academics and R&D centers
  • FOWLP WIPO application status
  • Legal status distribution of all relevant patents
  • FOWLP patents expiration status
  • Main collaborations
  • List of all assignees (125 companies)
• Analysis of the FOWLP pa tents filed by the key players:
  • For each company, the following analysis has been done
  • Company profile
  • Patent evolution in the last 10 years
  • Description of the technology under development or in production
  • Process flow and related patent currently used
  • Countries of deposition
  • Top inventors
  • Patent mapping and analysis per process steps and new architectures
  • Companies included in the analysis:
  • ACE
  • Amkor Technologies
  • ASE
  • Freescale
  • Infineon
  • Samsung
  • ST
  • Statschippac
  • Tessera
• Key patent analysis
  • Methodology used for the identification
  • Identification of the key patents
  • Description and analysis of each of the key patent
  • Specific analysis of the new FOWLP architectures
• Cross link analysis
• Conclusion & appendix