Wafer-level packaging

Okay kiddo, have you ever eaten a cookie before? A cookie is made up of many little crumbs that are stuck together. Similarly, electronic devices like microchips have tiny little parts and components that need to stick together too.

Wafer-level packaging is a way of sticking these little electronic parts together to make a more complete device. It's called "wafer-level" because it's done before the microchips are cut into individual pieces. Think of it like arranging the crumbly cookie dough pieces together before baking them.

First, the microchips are created on a big flat sheet of silicon, called a wafer. Each microchip will have many different parts, like tiny wires and circuits. These parts need to be connected to each other and to the outside world!

That's where wafer-level packaging comes in. A layer of material, like metal or plastic, is put on top of the wafer. Then a special tool called a "dicing saw" cuts through the material and the wafer to separate the individual microchips.

By doing the packaging at the wafer-level, the microchips can be made smaller and more efficient. Plus, it's quicker and easier to package the many little chips all at once on a big wafer. It's like making lots of tiny cookies all on one big sheet before baking them.

So wafer-level packaging helps make our electronics better and more powerful. And just like a lot of things in life, it starts with making a big flat sheet into many tiny little pieces.