UTAC Celebrates two Billion Copper Clip Devices Shipped

­UTAC, the leading provider of semiconductor assembly and test services, has further underlined its strength in advanced power packaging solutions by achieving a major commercial milestone – the shipping of two billion devices that feature a copper (Cu) clip to enhance thermal performance. 

Cu clip packages are key to high-performance power semiconductor products as they enable elevated power densities and increased switching frequencies compared to packages using conventional wire bond interconnects. The technology allows reduction of static resistance (RDS(on)) while improving heat dissipation.

UTAC has pioneered this technology and, as a result, the company’s Cu clips are now adopted by many of the world’s leading semiconductor companies. The technology is effectively used in demanding power applications sometimes using multiple die such as in telecommunication infrastructure, data centers, servers and automotive, where reliability and performance are critical. 

UTAC first started offering Cu clips within its semiconductor packaging service in 2017, and since then has seen a number of significant milestones achieved due to the obvious benefits of the technology. By 2019, 500 million units had shipped and in March 2021 (four years after launch) the milestone of shipment of one billion units was reached. In another 18 months (October 2022) a further billion units had shipped, bringing the total to two billion units shipped.
UTAC started out with just a couple of key customers in the beginning. Currently, the number of customers utilizing Cu Clip line has increased significantly with a steady pipeline of new products. 

“We are proud to achieve this two-billion-unit milestone for our Cu clip-based packaging in just five years from initial launch,” says Dr John Nelson, President & CEO of UTAC. “With many new applications requiring high performance semiconductors that can deliver efficiency and excellent thermal performance, we anticipate ongoing growth in shipment rates. This will primarily be driven by emerging applications such as 5G communications, cloud computing and electric vehicles. Therefore, we will continue to make substantial R&D investments in this area.”

One result of this R&D investment is the new wettable flank version of the QFN Cu clip product. This meets the automotive industry requirement for easy inspection of solder joints and as a result has gained the all-important AEC-Q100 approval, thereby expanding the packages available to UTAC clients in the automotive business.