Apple R1 Adopts TSMC’s Latest Package
Author: Dick James
In keeping with Apple’s habit of using TSMC’s advanced packaging capability, the new R1 chip in the Apple Vision Pro is packaged in an integrated fanout multichip (InFO-M) package manufactured by TSMC; the first time Apple has adopted this technology.
TSMC has not widely publicized InFOM, giving most attention to other variants such as InFOPoP (package-on-package) and InFOoS (on substrate). The former is in every iPhone, and the latter is targeted at large package, high-performance computing (HPC) and is a multichip package technology.
To quote TSMC, “InFOoS leverages InFO technology and features higher density 2/2 µm redistribution layer (RDL) line width/space to integrate multiple advanced logic chiplets for 5G networking application. It enables hybrid pad pitches on SoC with minimum 40 µm I/O pitch, minimum 130 µm C4 Cu bump pitch and >2X reticle size InFO on >65 x 65 mm substrates.”
With the large reticle size, InFOoS is clearly unsuitable for a mobile application such as the Vision Pro. InFO-M reportedly also has high-density RDLs, but TSMC has not published any dimensions. Consequently, InFOM has been a bit of a mystery, and our packaging analysts were keen to look at its use in the R1.
