The CHIPS for America R&D programs will support the growth of advanced packaging technology domestically.
The Biden-Harris administration has announced a plan to enhance the United States’ capabilities in advanced packaging, crucial for the production of cutting-edge semiconductors. This initiative, part of the Department of Commerce’s CHIPS for America program, includes a significant investment of around $3 billion for the National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP). The first funding opportunities for this program are expected to be released in early 2024, aligning with the administration’s focus on innovation and maintaining U.S. leadership in new research areas.
CHIPS for America has published a document titled ‘The Vision for the National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program’ to detail the vision, mission, and objectives of this initiative under the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act. The NAPMP is one of four R&D programs under CHIPS for America, aiming to create an innovation ecosystem to ensure American semiconductor fabrication facilities produce the world’s most advanced technologies.
Advanced packaging is an innovative design and manufacturing approach that combines multiple chips with different functions into compact two- or three-dimensional packages. This technique is essential for achieving the smaller and denser configurations required by the latest semiconductors.
It demands a collaborative effort from professionals across various disciplines, including chip designers, materials scientists, engineers, and measurement scientists, as well as access to advanced packaging facilities. Currently, the U.S. has limited capacity in both conventional and advanced packaging.
The development of these advanced packaging capabilities is critical for the U.S. to maintain its technological edge and economic security. The CHIPS for America R&D programs will support the growth of this technology domestically, which will then be deployed in manufacturing facilities, including those receiving CHIPS manufacturing incentives.
The $3 billion program focuses on several key areas, including establishing an advanced packaging piloting facility, workforce training programs, and funding projects that concentrate on materials and substrates, equipment, tools and processes, power delivery, thermal management, photonics, connectors, chiplet ecosystems, and co-design for various functionalities.
The recent publication aims to provide the packaging community with more detailed insights into the NAPMP vision, ahead of the upcoming funding opportunities. The first of these opportunities, focusing on materials and substrates, is anticipated in 2024, with more announcements on other investment areas to follow.
