IC Substrate & Carrier Solutions
High-Density Chip-Carrier Architectures for Advanced Packaging
IC substrate carriers bridge the gap between bare die and printed-circuit board, delivering ultra-fine routing, high-reliability materials and precision micro-via architectures. At PICA, we provide IC-substrate carriers designed for compact packaging, thermal stress mitigation and high-frequency interconnects.
Learn more about flex PCB substrates. Read more here.
Why Choose IC Substrate & Carrier Solutions?
• Ultra-Fine Conductors – Typical line/space down to 30/30 µm; R&D builds to 20/20 µm.
• Micro-via Precision – Via diameters as small as 50 µm using laser-defined processes.
• Thermal & Dimensional Stability – Materials with Tg in the 250-300 °C range and X/Y CTE as low as 2-5 ppm/°C.
• Advanced Packaging Applications – Ideal for flip-chip modules, SiP, CSP, SLP, and other high-density integration.
• Early DFM & Material Support – PICA partners with design engineers to define stack-ups, material sets and micro-via architectures from concept to production.
IC Substrate & Carrier Capabilities – Highlights
• Supports line/space geometry of 30/30 µm, and R&D down to 20/20 µm.
• Laser-defined via diameters down to 50 µm.
• High-performance materials: BT resin systems, ceramic substrates, high Tg laminates.
• Low CTE (< 5 ppm/°C) substrates and tight dimensional control for high-reliability packaging.
• Specialist support for flip-chip, SiP, and other advanced packaging formats including substrate-like PCBs (SLP).
• Engineering collaboration from stack-up definition through manufacturing and testing for high-density chip platforms.
Global Design & Manufacturing Support
PICA offers full-lifecycle support—from engineering in the U.S. through advanced manufacturing, with deep expertise in micro-via architecture, substrate material selection and high-density layout. Engaging early in the project allows us to align material sets, define high-performance stack-ups, and ensure manufacturable, high-yield substrate carriers for sophisticated packaging applications.
Benefits of IC Substrate & Carrier Solutions
Miniaturization & Density
Carrier substrates let you route massive I/O counts in a small footprint, enabling compact packages, stacked dies and multi-chip modules.
High-Frequency & Signal Integrity
Ultra-fine conductor routing and high-performance materials support demanding signal/power delivery requirements in RF, compute-intensive and high-speed applications.
Thermal & Dimensional Reliability
With high Tg laminates and low CTE substrates, these carriers maintain structural and electrical integrity under thermal cycling and high-stress packaging conditions.
Integration Flexibility
From traditional PCB form-factors to substrate-like PCBs (SLP), flip-chip and SiP modules, carrier solutions let you bridge chip to board with optimized interconnect architecture.
High-Yield Manufacturability
By defining design rules and materials early, PICA helps reduce risk, improve yield, and support production-ready volumes for advanced packaging.
Markets We Serve with IC Substrate & Carrier Solutions
High-Performance Computing & Server Platforms
Large I/O packages, multi-chip modules and dense chip carriers benefit from the miniaturization and routing density of substrate carriers.
Mobile & Consumer Electronics
Premium smartphones, foldables, wearables and IoT devices require ultra-compact, high-density carriers to support advanced features and form-factors.
Automotive & ADAS Systems
Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), sensor hubs and compute modules depend on reliable packaging with thermal robustness and high signal integrity.
Networking & Telecommunications
5G/6G modules, optical transceivers and high-speed network cards require dense interconnect substrates with controlled impedance and thermal performance.
Aerospace, Defense & Mission-Critical Systems
When reliability, miniaturization and performance are non-negotiable, substrate carriers deliver the interconnect backbone for rugged, high-density modules.
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