Annual revenues for 5G services and products are estimated to reach $250 billion by 2025. No wonder manufacturers are racing to be first to market. These new function-rich 5G products will incorporate more sensors and devices and require a broad range of parts. Assembly will involve more complex steps to accurately locate and join components, control adhesive fillets, create solid interconnects, seal joints to prevent liquid leakage, and more. And their specialized components won’t tolerate the high temperatures, cleaning processes, handling, etc. used in conventional SMT.

At Promex, we solve this challenge for our OEMs by using what we call heterogeneous assembly. We combine SMT with specialized processes such as chip-on-board (COB), flip-chip, precision die-attach, specialized sealing or encapsulation, micron tolerance optical component attach, sealing of liquid joints, geometry control for RF devices, low temperatures (below 100oC), and more.

The fast pace of new 5G product development and production will also send OEMs on the hunt for service providers offering rapid prototyping and quick-turn of IC packages and assembled devices. That’s where our Quik-Pak Division comes in. They can receive your wafer in the morning, backgrind and dice it, prepare the packages, and assemble and ship the finished parts to you that same day.

Quik-Pak also specializes in overmolded plastic Quad-Flat No-Leads (QFN) and Dual-Flat No-Leads (DFN) packages. As QFN/DFN leads are short and made of copper (a very good conductor), they can more easily meet the higher electrical performance requirements of 5G devices. Another Quik-Pak specialty is air cavity QFNs, also known as Open-molded Plastic Packages (OmPP). These packages are sealed with a flat lid (leaving an air gap above the die), as opposed to glopping the die. This lowers wire bond inductance and improves performance, making OmPPs perfect for 5G SiP (system-in-package) and SoC (system-on-chip) designs.

Even if you’re only at the proof-of-concept stage of your new 5G product, contact us. We’ll do a free design review to help you get to production, and to market, faster.