Integrated passive devices

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This single-in-line package contains four resistors. Each resistor is connected to the first four respective pins, while the last pin is common to all of them 4xR network.jpg
This single-in-line package contains four resistors. Each resistor is connected to the first four respective pins, while the last pin is common to all of them

Integrated passive devices (IPDs), also known as integrated passive components (IPCs) or embedded passive components (EPC), are electronic components where resistors (R), capacitors (C), inductors (L)/coils/chokes, microstriplines, impedance matching elements, baluns or any combinations of them are integrated in the same package or on the same substrate. Sometimes integrated passives can also be called as embedded passives, [1] [2] and still the difference between integrated and embedded passives is technically unclear. [3] [4] In both cases passives are realized in between dielectric layers or on the same substrate.

Contents

The earliest form of IPDs are resistor, capacitor, resistor-capacitor (RC) or resistor-capacitor-coil/inductor (RCL) networks. Passive transformers can also be realised as integrated passive devices like by putting two coils on top of each other separated by a thin dielectric layer. Sometimes diodes (PN, PIN, zener etc.) can be integrated on the same substrate with integrated passives specifically if the substrate is silicon or some other semiconductor like gallium arsenide (GaAs). [5] [6]

Description

IPDs (IPCs) Single SMT chip solutions for Bandpass, Lowpass, HighPass, and other combinations based on LC, RC etc. integrated networks on a ceramic substrate Integrated Passive Components.gif
IPDs (IPCs) Single SMT chip solutions for Bandpass, Lowpass, HighPass, and other combinations based on LC, RC etc. integrated networks on a ceramic substrate
Integrated passives (resistors and capacitors) on high resistive silicon substrate coated by thick silicon dioxide Passives1.jpg
Integrated passives (resistors and capacitors) on high resistive silicon substrate coated by thick silicon dioxide
Active IC flipped as face down on the integrated passive substrate enabling 2D integration Active IC flipped as face down on the integrated passive substrate enabling 2D integration.png
Active IC flipped as face down on the integrated passive substrate enabling 2D integration
Example of RF IPD balun on Glass Substrate RF IPD Balun on Glass.png
Example of RF IPD balun on Glass Substrate

Integrated passive devices can be packaged, bare dies/chips or even stacked (assembled on top of some other bare die/chip) in a third dimension (3D) with active integrated circuits or other IPDs in an electronic system assembly. Typical packages for integrated passives are SIL (Standard In Line), SIP or any other packages (like DIL, DIP, QFN, chip-scale package/CSP, wafer level package/WLP etc.) used in electronic packaging. Integrated passives can also act as a module substrate, and therefore be part of a hybrid module, multi-chip module or chiplet module/implementation. [7]

The substrate for IPDs can be rigid like ceramic (aluminumoxide/alumina), layered ceramic (low temperature co-fired ceramic/LTCC, high temperature co-fired ceramic/HTCC), [8] glass, [9] and silicon [10] [11] coated with some dielectric layer like silicon dioxide. The substrate can be also flexible like laminate e. g. a package interposer (called as an active interposer), FR4 or similar, Kapton or any other suitable polyimide. It is beneficial for the electronics system design if the effect of the substrate and the possible package to the performance of IPDs can be neglected or known.

Manufacturing of IPDs used include thick [12] and thin film [13] [14] technologies and variety of integrated circuit processing steps or modifications (like thicker or different metals than aluminum or copper) of them. Integrated passives are available as standard components/parts or as custom designed (for a specific application) devices.

Applications

Integrated passive devices are mainly used as standard parts or custom designed due to

The challenge of custom IPDs compared to standard integrated or discrete passives however is the availability time for the assembly and sometimes also the performance. Depending on the manufacturing technology of integrated passives high capacitance or resistor values with a required tolerance may be hard to meet. Q value of coils/inductors might also be limited by the thickness of the metals available in the implementation. However new materials and improved manufacturing techniques like atomic layer deposition (ALD) and understanding manufacturing and control of thick metal alloys on large substrates improve capacitance density and Q value of coils/inductors. [16]

Therefore in prototyping and small/medium size production phase standard parts/passives are in many cases the fastest way to the realization. Custom designed passives can be considered to be used after careful technical and economical analysis in volume manufacturing, if time-to-market and cost targets of the product(s) can be met. Therefore integrated passive devices are continuously technically and economically challenged by decreasing size, improving tolerances, improving accuracy of assembly techniques (like SMT, surface-mount technology) of system motherboards and cost of discrete/separate passive devices. Going forward discrete and integrated passives will complement each other technically. Development and understanding of new materials and assembly techniques are a key enabler for both integrated and discrete passive devices.

Fabrication

IPDs on a silicon substrate

IPDs on a silicon substrate are generally fabricated using standard wafer fabrication technologies such as thin film and photolithography processing. For avoiding possible parasitic effects due to semiconductive silicon high resistive silicon substrate is typically used for integrated passives. IPDs on silicon can be designed as flip chip mountable or wire bondable components. However to differentiate technically from active integrated circuit (IC) technologies IPD technologies may utilise thicker metal (for higher Q value of inductors) or different resistive (like SiCr) layers, thinner or different higher K (higher dielectric constant) dielectric layers (like PZT instead of silicon dioxide or silicon nitride) for higher capacitance density than with typical IC technologies.

IPDs on silicon can be grinded — if needed — below 100 μm in thickness and with many packaging options (micro-bumping, wire bonding, copper pads) and delivery mode options (as wafers, bare dies, tape & reel).

Integrated Passive Device versus Discrete Surface Mount Devices (SMD) Integrated Passive Device solution versus Surface Mount Device (SMD) solution.png
Integrated Passive Device versus Discrete Surface Mount Devices (SMD)

3D passive integration in silicon is one of the technologies used to manufacture Integrated Passive Devices (IPDs), enabling high-density trench capacitors, metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors, resistors, high-Q inductors, PIN, Schottky or Zener diodes to be implemented in silicon. The design time of IPDs on silicon depends on complexity of the design but can be made by using same design tools and environment what is used for application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or integrated circuits. Some IPD suppliers offer full design kit support so that System in Package (SiP) module manufacturers or system houses are able to design their own IPDs fulfilling their specific application requirements.

History

In early control system design it was discovered that having same value of components makes design easier and faster. [17] One way to implement passive components with same value or in practice with smallest possible distribution is to place them on the same substrate near to each other.

Earliest form of integrated passive devices were resistor networks in the 1960s when four to eight resistors were packaged in form of Single-in-line package (SIP) by Vishay Intertechnology. Many other type of packages like DILs, DIPs etc. used in packaging integrated circuits even customised packages are used for integrated passive devices. Resistor, capacitor, and resistor capacitor networks are still widely used in systems even though monolithic integration has progressed.

Today portable electronic systems include roughly 2–40 discrete passive devices/integrated circuit or module. [18] This shows that monolithic or module integration is not capable to include all functionality based on passive components in system realisations, and variety of technologies is needed to minimize logistics and system size. This is the application area for IPDs. Most — by number — of the passives in electronic systems are typically capacitors followed by number of resistors and inductors/coils.

Many functional blocks such as impedance matching circuits, harmonic filters, couplers and baluns and power combiner/divider can be realized by IPDs technology. IPDs are generally fabricated using thin, thick film and wafer fabrication technologies such as photolithography processing or typical ceramic technologies (LTCC and HTCC). IPDs can be designed as flip chip mountable or wire bondable components.

Trends towards applications with small size, portability and wireless connectivity have stretched various implementation technologies to be able to realize passive components. In 2021, there were 25 - 30 companies delivering integrated passive (including simple passive networks and passives on various substrates like glass, silicon and alumina) devices worldwide.

See also

Related Research Articles

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An integrated circuit (IC), also known as a microchip, computer chip, or simply chip, is a small electronic device made up of multiple interconnected electronic components such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors. These components are etched onto a small piece of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Integrated circuits are used in a wide range of electronic devices, including computers, smartphones, and televisions, to perform various functions such as processing and storing information. They have greatly impacted the field of electronics by enabling device miniaturization and enhanced functionality.

In computer engineering, a logic family is one of two related concepts:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mixed-signal integrated circuit</span> Integrated circuit

A mixed-signal integrated circuit is any integrated circuit that has both analog circuits and digital circuits on a single semiconductor die. Their usage has grown dramatically with the increased use of cell phones, telecommunications, portable electronics, and automobiles with electronics and digital sensors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solid Logic Technology</span> IBM hybrid circuit technology introduced in 1964

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electronic component</span> Discrete device in an electronic system

An electronic component is any basic discrete electronic device or physical entity part of an electronic system used to affect electrons or their associated fields. Electronic components are mostly industrial products, available in a singular form and are not to be confused with electrical elements, which are conceptual abstractions representing idealized electronic components and elements. A datasheet for an electronic component is a technical document that provides detailed information about the component's specifications, characteristics, and performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lead (electronics)</span> Electrical connection consisting of a length of wire or a metal pad

In electronics, a lead or pin is an electrical connector consisting of a length of wire or a metal pad that is designed to connect two locations electrically. Leads are used for many purposes, including: transfer of power; testing of an electrical circuit to see if it is working, using a test light or a multimeter; transmitting information, as when the leads from an electrocardiograph are attached to a person's body to transmit information about their heart rhythm; and sometimes to act as a heatsink. The tiny leads coming off through-hole electronic components are also often called pins; in ball grid array packages, they are in form of small spheres, and are therefore called "balls".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hybrid integrated circuit</span> Type of miniature electronic circuit

A hybrid integrated circuit (HIC), hybrid microcircuit, hybrid circuit or simply hybrid is a miniaturized electronic circuit constructed of individual devices, such as semiconductor devices and passive components, bonded to a substrate or printed circuit board (PCB). A PCB having components on a Printed Wiring Board (PWB) is not considered a true hybrid circuit according to the definition of MIL-PRF-38534.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Integrated circuit design</span> Engineering process for electronic hardware

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">System in a package</span> Electronic component

A system in a package (SiP) or system-in-package is a number of integrated circuits (ICs) enclosed in one chip carrier package or encompassing an IC package substrate that may include passive components and perform the functions of an entire system. The ICs may be stacked using package on package, placed side by side, and/or embedded in the substrate. The SiP performs all or most of the functions of an electronic system, and is typically used when designing components for mobile phones, digital music players, etc. Dies containing integrated circuits may be stacked vertically on the package substrate. They are internally connected by fine wires that are bonded to the package substrate. Alternatively, with a flip chip technology, solder bumps are used to join stacked chips together and to the package substrate, or even both techniques can be used in a single package. SiPs are like systems on a chip (SoCs) but less tightly integrated and not on a single semiconductor die.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electronic circuit</span> Electrical circuit with active components

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thick-film technology</span>

Thick-film technology is used to produce electronic devices/modules such as surface mount devices modules, hybrid integrated circuits, heating elements, integrated passive devices and sensors. Main manufacturing technique is screen printing (stenciling), which in addition to use in manufacturing electronic devices can also be used for various graphic reproduction targets. It became one of the key manufacturing/miniaturisation techniques of electronic devices/modules during 1950s. Typical film thickness – manufactured with thick film manufacturing processes for electronic devices – is 0.0001 to 0.1 mm.

A semiconductor package is a metal, plastic, glass, or ceramic casing containing one or more discrete semiconductor devices or integrated circuits. Individual components are fabricated on semiconductor wafers before being diced into die, tested, and packaged. The package provides a means for connecting it to the external environment, such as printed circuit board, via leads such as lands, balls, or pins; and protection against threats such as mechanical impact, chemical contamination, and light exposure. Additionally, it helps dissipate heat produced by the device, with or without the aid of a heat spreader. There are thousands of package types in use. Some are defined by international, national, or industry standards, while others are particular to an individual manufacturer.

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Passivity is a property of engineering systems, most commonly encountered in analog electronics and control systems. Typically, analog designers use passivity to refer to incrementally passive components and systems, which are incapable of power gain. In contrast, control systems engineers will use passivity to refer to thermodynamically passive ones, which consume, but do not produce, energy. As such, without context or a qualifier, the term passive is ambiguous.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to electronics:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Co-fired ceramic</span> Integrated circuit package made out of fired ceramic material

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Glossary of microelectronics manufacturing terms

References

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