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92 I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2026 D ES I G N E R 'S N OT E B O O K T he electronics industry has experienced a re- naissance in semiconductor package technol- ogy, driven by the need to maximize electronic product functionality while minimizing the area re- served for component mounting and interconnects. Passive surface mount components are rela- tively small, while the packaged semiconductor die is significantly larger than the tiny die element it encases. The plastic-packaged semiconductor, although suitable for use on PCBs, is far too bulky for those developing electronics that require minia- turization: new product introduction systems for physically stressful operating conditions, such as aeronautics, military ordinance, and space missions. For these applications, design engineers needed to abandon the plastic-encapsulated lead-frame- packaged semiconductor and use only bare, uncased die elements. So, companies began to quickly and economically develop modular hybrid system-level products with commercially available uncased die, implementing the same assembly methods used for packaged semiconductors and wire-bond technology. This category of products became known as a multi-chip module (MCM). What is a Multi-chip Module? This generic electronic assembly method integrates two or more bare (uncased) semiconductor die and BY V E R N S O L B E RG, C O N S U LTA N T Flip-Chip to Chiplets The Evolution of System-Level Packaging Figure 1: Ceramic-based multi-chip (system-in-package) module. (Source: PR Newswire)