When DEK’s revolutionary VectorGuard® stencil technology was introduced six years ago, the company pledged ongoing engineering investments to deliver foil designs to serve countless next-generation applications. Living up to this promise, DEK’s latest advance, VectorGuard Platinum™, was introduced last week at Semicon West and its ingenuity earned a prized Advanced Packaging Award.

Pushing beyond the limits of conventional stencil technology, VectorGuard Platinum draws on micro-stencil, electroformed fabrication techniques to deliver stencils capable of addressing the challenges of advanced packaging applications that require unprecedented aperture and web spacing dimensions. Enabling extremely fine geometries and exceptionally high yields, VectorGuard Platinum technology successfully meets the demands of ball grid arrays (BGAs), direct chip attach, flip chip and wafer-level applications.

“VectorGuard not only offers the inherent flexibility and quick changeover afforded by the system’s unique technology, but the Platinum capability now also enables this versatility at the uppermost range of advanced semiconductor packaging processes,” comments Karen Moore-Watts, Global Marcom Director at DEK. “We are delighted that the distinguished judging panel has recognized the process-enabling advances afforded by VectorGuard Platinum and have honored the technology with an Advanced Packaging Award.”

With a MEMS-based fabrication process as its core, the precision of VectorGuard Platinum enables apertures of 20 µm on 50 µm pitch, while also delivering outstanding thickness uniformity. The unique manufacturing process of the Platinum foils guarantees exceptionally smooth sidewalls for extremely efficient paste transfer, which is essential for high-yield, ultra fine pitch advanced packaging applications. Other characteristics and benefits of VectorGuard Platinum stencils include low internal stress and high hardness to eliminate stencil deformation, and superior control of surface roughness to ensure accuracy, uniformity, quality and tightly controlled deposits for both pastes and adhesives.

“Packaging specialists can now enjoy the VectorGuard advantages of quick product changeover, unmatched tension control, simplified storage and ease-of-use while pushing materials deposition accuracy, repeatability and uniformity to new levels,” concludes Moore-Watts. “We sincerely thank the organizers of the Advanced Packaging Awards for rewarding VectorGuard Platinum’s superior performance.”