Advanced Packaging Technologies Research Articles

Design and Analysis Challenges of 3D Multi-Chiplet Heterogenous Architectures

As demands accelerate for increasing density, higher bandwidths, and lower power, many IC design and packaging teams are taking a close look at vertical stacking multiple chips and chiplets. This technology, called 3D-IC, promises many advantages over traditional single-die planar designs. Some are using the term ‘More-than-Moore’ to describe the potential of this new technology. Integration by stacking die and using advanced packaging technologies allows designers to cram more functionality into much smaller form factors, while improving performance and reducing costs. Whether you are an ASIC designer or package designer, you can expect several new design and analysis challenges when transitioning from the world of single die architectures to the world of More-than-Moore. This presentation will describe many of these new challenges facing design teams as they transition to the world of multi-chiplet 3D architectures, both on the die side and the packaging side of design. Additionally, novel solutions to many of these challenges will be presented.

Advanced Packaging Capabilities at Intel

Heterogeneous Integration (HI) is undeniably the vehicle to drive continued advances in Compute and Communications. Advanced Packaging Architectures today provide unprecedented levels of Heterogeneous Integration in Client, Server and Discrete Graphics. Intel committed to a vision of developing heterogeneously integrated leadership products using advanced packaging technologies to match the functionality of a monolithic SOC and more….. We continue to scale our Advanced Packaging Technologies Roadmap. Federal Engagements in multiple programs (e.g. SHIP) allowing Intel to drive design and prototype diverse configurations for U.S. Government / and Defense Industrial Base; USG/DIB partnering critical for HI advancements.

Advanced Fanout Embedded Bridge Packaging Technology for Chiplets Integration

The increasing amount of data from all sectors driven by digital transformation is raising a problem of operational and storing cost of the data. Meanwhile, the exponential cost leaps of silicon scaling, the unfordable increasing of Si die size over reticle limit and unsustainable computer energy exceeding the world’s energy production have created an inflection point for semiconductor industry. It has driven the development of More-Than-Moore to augment increased device and system performance. Chiplets integration provides more flexible mix-and-match systems to accelerate performance and power efficiency. It is driving the development of advanced packaging technology to enable heterogeneous chiplets integration with separate designs and different manufacturing process nodes within a single package for yield improvement, IP reuse, performance and cost optimization, as well time to market reduction. Several advanced packaging technologies have been developed and used widely to integrate multi-chips with fine line/space interconnections, such as 2.5D Si TSV interposer, Fanout RDL (re-distribution layer) and EMIB (Embedded Multi-die Interconnect Bridge). Different packaging technologies have different sweet spots to fulfill various applications depending on the device design and performance requirements. In ASE, we have developed and introduced FOCoS (FanOut Chip on Substrate) chip first (FOCoS-CF) and FOCoS chip last (FOCoS-CL) technologies by using RDL interconnect for chiplets integration. However, due to the inherent fanout RDL process limitation, it has hit the bottleneck to manufacture RDL with higher layer counts (> 6 layers) and finer Line/Space (L/S < 1um/1um) for the applications that require high density die to die connections, high input/output (I/O) counts and high-speed signal transmitting. In this paper, a new FOCoS technology named as FOCoS embedded Si bridge (FOCoS-B) has been developed for high density die to die interconnect with RDL L/S < 1um/1um chipets integration for HPC application. The FOCoS-B packaging technology enables the USR (Ultra Short Reach) interconnection between die to die by embedded a small Si die in fanout RDL interposer. The small Si die play an interconnection bridge role between chiplets with L/S 0.8um/0.8um. Two FOCoS-B test vehicles (TVs) will be introduced in this study. One TV named as TV-1 is integrated by two chiplets of 1 ASIC die and 1 HBM2e with 1 Si bridge die to form a fanout module, which it is subsequently assembled on a FCBGA package with body size of 40x30mm2. Another TV listed as TV-2 is composed of two identical fanout modules, which are assembled on one FCBGA substrate with body size of 78x70mm2 in MCM (multi-chip-module) arrangement. The fanout module for TV-2 is integrated by 1 ASIC and 4 HBM2e with 4 bridge dies. TV-2 will have total 10 chiplets (2 ASICs and 8 HBM2e with 8 Si bridge dies). The process flow for FOCoS-B will be illuminated. The process DOE and the impact on warpage will be discussed. Furthermore, the reliability validations on two TVs will also be demonstrated. Finally, the comparison on warpage among different FOCoS solutions (FOCoS-B, FOCoS-CL and FOCoS-CL) for chiplets integration have been presented. The results indicated that the material selections and property compatibilities among the multi-layer stacked structures (Si die, RDL, Molding compounds, Underfill) play critical roles in warpage control in FOCoS-B processes. The package warpage of FOCoS-B and FOCoS-CL has showed similar behaviors. FOCoS-CF showed slightly high package warpage than that of FOCoS-B. The results also revealed that FOCoS-B has provided a wide choice and flexibility for multi bridge dies integration successfully for HPC application.

Effective Macroscopic Thermomechanical Characterization of Multilayer Circuit Laminates for Advanced Electronic Packaging

Laminate substrates in advanced IC packages serve as not only the principal heat dissipation pathway but also the critical component governing the thermomechanical performance of advanced packaging technologies. A solid and profound grasp of their thermomechanical properties is of crucial importance to better understand IC packages’ thermomechanical behavior. This study attempts to introduce a subregion homogenization modeling framework for effectively and efficiently modeling and characterizing the equivalent thermomechanical behavior of large-scale and high-density laminate substrates comprising the non-uniform distribution and non-unidirectional orientation of tiny metal traces. This framework incorporates subregion modeling, trace mapping and modeling, and finite element analysis (FEA)-based effective modeling. In addition, the laminates are macroscopically described as elastic orthotropic or elastic anisotropic material. This framework is first validated with simple uniaxial tensile and thermomechanical test simulations, and the calculation results associated with these two effective material models are compared with each other, as well as with those of two existing mixture models, and direct the detailed FEA. This framework is further tested on the prediction of the process-induced warpage of a flip chip chip-scale package, and the results are compared against the measurement data and the results of the whole-domain modeling-based effective approach and two existing mixture models.

Enabling Co-Design of 3D Heterogeneous Packages

The days of ‘throwing it over the wall’ are over. Heterogeneous Integration (HI) is ushering in a new era of electronic product design with collaboration at its core – one that lives or dies on seamless interaction between analog/digital IC teams and package design teams. The use of advanced packaging technologies to combine smaller, discrete chiplets into one system-in-package (SiP) not only pushes the need for more advanced multi-die packaging, it makes packaging part and parcel of the process. And in doing so, it significantly reduces dependance on Moore’s Law at a time in which building an advanced monolithic system-on-chip (SoC) has become prohibitively expensive. For many tech companies, Moore’s Law no longer represents the best technical nor economical path to designing a product. And for a great many of those companies, HI presents a solution – SiPs close to the SoC form factor but with far lower overall cost, greater yield and perhaps most importantly, faster time to market. While SiP as a packaging concept has been around for decades, the recent tsunami of designs that have adopted HI is truly a disruptive change. This presentation will outline some potential solutions to the challenges design teams face when pivoting from monolithic IC design to 3D heterogenous package design.

Innovative HDPE Composites Enriched with UV Stabilizer and Diatomaceous Earth/Zinc Oxide for Enhanced Seafood Packaging and Antimicrobial Properties.

The fisheries industry encounters distinct packaging challenges, including the need to protect perishable seafood from rapid spoilage caused by UV radiation while allowing for reuse. This study tackles these issues by introducing advanced high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites enhanced with a UV stabilizer and inorganic fillers, such as diatomaceous earth/zinc oxide (DZ). Our investigation explores the transformative effects of weathering on these pioneering composites, evaluating shifts in mechanical, physical, thermal properties, and sub-zero temperature stability. Incorporating a UV stabilizer alongside DZ within the HDPE matrix significantly enhances mechanical performance and weathering resilience. These enhancements extend the longevity of seafood packaging while preserving product quality. Moreover, our findings reveal a substantial breakthrough in antimicrobial properties. The inclusion of DZ, with or without a UV stabilizer, results in an impressive up to 99% enhancement in antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. This discovery not only bolsters the protective attributes of HDPE packaging but also presents a compelling case for the development of active packaging materials derived from DE/ZnO composites. This study bridges the gap between packaging and seafood quality, introducing advanced polymeric packaging technology for seafood products. It highlights the mutually beneficial link between packaging improvements and ensuring seafood quality, meeting industry needs while promoting sustainability.

Thermo-compression Bonding Assembly Technology

With the slowing of Moore’s law heterogeneous integration and assembly became important drivers of the performance of semiconductor packaging. This “More than Moore” approach enables higher functional density and higher bandwidth packages. At the same time, heterogeneous integration drives an aggressive interconnect pitch roadmap, pushing the limits of Advanced Packaging technologies. Flip chip with mass reflow has been the main assembly technology for fine pitch interconnect. However, the need for even finer pitch and higher packaging density was not compatible with the limitations imposed by the mass reflow process, therefore requiring new interconnect technologies. Local reflow flip chip via thermocompression bonding (TCB) overcomes limitations due to CTE-mismatch and warpage. Meanwhile, TCB based on solder micro-bumps became a well-established and cost effective fine-pitch interconnect process and Cu to Cu Hybrid Bonding is emerging as a technology for the future. Normal TCB typically requires the application of flux and post-bond flux cleaning as any flux residue can result in post mold package reliability issues, even for ‘no-clean’ flux materials. Post-bond flux cleaning, however, becomes more and more difficult for increasing die size and with bump pitch and stand-off height shrinking even further. K&S has developed and demonstrated a flux-less TCB process for large and high-density interconnect die that utilizes in-situ Formic Acid (FA) vapor application for copper and solder oxide reduction. This process eliminates the need for flux and, therefore, there is no need for the tedious and time-consuming cleaning of the post bond flux residue. The FA process delivers nearly the same productivity as a conventional flux based TCB process. The FA delivery system can be integrated on our high-accuracy C2S and C2W TCB tools, leveraging the existing HVM TCB infrastructure and extending its application space from ~35µm towards ultra-fine pitch applications around 10µm. Hybrid bonding created a lot of attention over the last years as this bump-less technology allows for long-term pitch scalability, possibly even down to 1µm. Hybrid bonding, however, requires a more complex process flow which relies on pristine die and target wafer surfaces as well as front-end level cleanliness conditions. Accordingly, the advantages and cost of Flux-less TCB as compared to Hybrid bonding should be explored in more detail. TCB can be viewed as an extension of flip chip. Using the existing assembly and metrology infrastructure as well as the existing die and substrate design layouts will be attractive to subcons. As a result, the overall cost and time to market should be much lower. An activity-based cost model has been developed along with SavanSys comparing flux-less TCB and Hybrid bonding. We present results on the process cost as well as the overall package cost as a function of die size and yield. In summary, flux-less thermo-compression bonding should be considered for ultra-fine pitch applications. We have demonstrated pitch capability below 30µm and believe that a pitch of 10µm may be possible. Other applications that formic acid vapor TCB enables are large module bonding (50 X 50 mm, 70 X 70 mm) and Cu to Cu interconnects.

Using M-Series with Adaptive Patterning to shrink PCB systems into System-In-Packages

Traditional system-level design typically includes several Integrated Circuits (IC’s) that get individually packaged and implemented onto a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). This PCB includes the required support circuitry for the IC’s to complete the full system design. This architecture creates a system that is far larger and more power intensive than a single package. It also suffers from greater bandwidth and signal integrity limitations. To counter these shortcomings, many companies are migrating away from PCB to System-in-Package (SiP) designs. In a SiP design, these chips are integrated into a single package along with all the supporting passive devices. The die of the package may be configured through vertical stacking or lateral interconnects to improve design density. For semiconductor companies that design both the IC’s and the system-level PCB, there is an emerging trend in which the existing PCB designs are reused and re-purposed to generate a new SiP design. This allows for companies to leverage known-good design data to create a smaller form factor, higher density package, while requiring fewer engineering design hours. While the prominent solution for SiP designs has been laminate substrates, as the demand for further density scaling and heterogeneous integration grows, advanced packaging technologies are being leveraged. Using a fan-out RDL based solution can accommodate increased interconnect density and reduced layer count as compared to a laminate substrate. Deca’s Adaptive Patterning® technology ensures companies are able to manufacture fan-out wafer-level packages (FOWLP) with the highest possible yield. This paper details the benefits of migrating from PCB to package level integration as well as how utilizing Adaptive Patterning® technology further benefits this migration with increased density and performance as compared to traditional packaging technology

Addressing Challenges in Dual Sided SiP Thermal Budget

System-in-Package (SiP) has been adopted as the mainstream advanced packaging technology in many consumer applications including 5G smartphones, tablets, wireless earbuds, smart wearables, etc. Heterogeneous integration, smaller form factor, better electrical performance, lower cost of assembly and faster time to market are the key differentiators of SiP as compared to conventional packaging techniques. In applications such as 5G mobile RF Front-End (RFFE) and Antenna-in-package (AiP) modules, dual sided SiP is the popular approach which brings even higher level of integration and smaller form factor. However thermal warpage control is a significant challenge during two times of solder reflow processes for the front and back sides of the package, especially if one side is with underfill and mold materials which have significant CTE mismatch to the substrate and dies, causing delamination failures and yield losses. This study examines the novel solution of reducing thermal budget with the use of a low temperature solder paste material based on SnBiAg alloy in ultra-fine pitch Type 6 solder powders. It allows a minimal peak reflow temperature of only 170 °C that effectively reduces warpage of dual sided SiP substrates. Solder alloy and paste properties and solder joint microstructures are examined in detail for tests including fine-pitch printing and component soldering, thermal aging test on different substrate finishes, thermal cycling test and mechanical drop test for reliability performance.

Heterogeneous Integration with 3D Packaging

The next generation of competitive integrated devices demand increased device density, higher memory bandwidth, reduced global interconnects, increased energy efficiency (with higher performance), and a smaller footprint. With the slowdown in Moore’s law and the advancements in chiplet architectures, which are now recognized as fundamental to enabling the continued economically viable growth of power efficient computing, advanced packaging technologies and architectures are becoming more critical to enabling Moore’s Law’s next frontier through heterogeneous integration. In this presentation, we will cover the advanced package architectures being enabled by AMD to enable power, performance, area, and cost (PPAC) improvements as well as enable heterogeneous architectures. The direct Cu-Cu bonding technology used in AMD 3D V-Cache architecture will be detailed and compared to industry standard 3D architectures.

Advanced Packaging: Enabling Moore’s Law’s Next Frontier Through Heterogeneous Integration

With chiplet architectures becoming mainstream, and recognized as fundamental to enabling the continued economically viable growth of power efficient computing, advanced packaging technologies and architectures are becoming more critical to enabling Moore’s Law’s next frontier through heterogeneous integration. In this tutorial, we will cover the advanced package architectures being enabled by AMD to enable PPAC (power, performance, area and cost) improvements as well as enable heterogeneous architectures. The direct Cu- Cu bonding technology used in AMD’s 3D VCache architecture will be detailed and compared to industry standard 3D architectures for PPAC benefits. Other technologies that are being enabled to advance high performance computing architectures will also be previewed.

Nanotwinning-assisted structurally stable copper for fine-pitch redistribution layer in 2.5D/3D IC packaging

The redistribution layer (RDL) is crucial for fanning out circuits and for 2.5D/3D IC packaging. As device density increases, RDL CD/pitch must shrink. During RDL circuit fabrication, the etching process is necessary to remove the exposed sputtered Cu seed layer and Ti barrier layer. Unfortunately, this process unavoidably etches and roughens the Cu surface of the RDL. As the post-plating resting time (q-time) increases, the Cu surface oxidizes, resulting in even worse surface roughness after etching. This roughness causes contact resistance and electromigration issues when the RDL linewidth shrinks. This paper presents a composite Cu structure that combines fine grains and nanotwins, which is structurally stable and can effectively resist surface damage even after extended periods, offering a promising solution for achieving finer RDL in advanced packaging technologies with a longer electromigration lifetime than regular coarse-grain lines.

Food Packaging Innovation to Extend Shelf Life and Reduce Food Waste in a Leading Company in Indonesia

This research investigates the impact of food packaging innovations on shelf life extension and food waste reduction within a leading Indonesian food company. Employing a quantitative approach, the study incorporates a diverse sample of products subjected to various packaging technologies. Descriptive and inferential statistics reveal a statistically significant increase in shelf life by 50% and a substantial reduction in food waste by 40%. Consumer surveys underscore positive perceptions, with 80% expressing a preference for sustainable packaging. Economically, a 15% reduction in costs associated with product losses supports the business case for innovative packaging. These findings contribute empirical evidence to the discourse on sustainable food systems, emphasizing the practical effectiveness and economic viability of advanced packaging technologies.

Soft-template-assisted bottom-up fabrication of tunable porosity monolithic copper film for interconnection in microelectronics

Background: Third-generation devices offer superior attributes, necessitating advanced packaging materials for harsh operating environments. Incorporating 3D porous architectures to increase the reaction area further enhances the reaction rate, making transient liquid phase bonding an ideal interconnection process. Methods: Fabrication of monolithic porous Cu films using a bicontinuous microemulsion (BME) as a dynamic soft template is reported. The BME phase consists of interconnected three-dimensional networks of aqueous and oil phases, separated by surfactants and cosurfactants. This unique structure enables the selective electrodeposition of Cu exclusively within the aqueous region, preventing any unwanted reactions in the oil phase. Tunable porosity in the monolithic Cu film is achieved by adjusting the water to oil phase ratio in the BME. Significant findings: The Sn-plated porous Cu films exhibit low-temperature reflow capability while still maintaining high service temperatures. The utilization of the BME soft template offers a promising approach for fabricating monolithic Cu films with tunable porosity, providing flexibility in controlling the compositions and performance of interconnections. The compatibility of the BME with existing wafer deposition techniques makes it a viable and scalable solution for mass production. The electrodeposition of monolithic Cu arrays on Cu pillars demonstrates its potential applicability in advanced packaging technologies.

Copper Sintering Pastes with Various Polar Solvents and Acidic Activators.

Devices in the developing semiconductor market require high density, high integration, and detailed processing. Conventional wire bonding is inappropriate for fine-sized devices, and connected wires can be damaged by heat generation and external physical impact. Soldering is also used in advanced packaging technologies. However, disturbances and overhead joints can occur during bonding. Thus, sintering has been extensively utilized to overcome these drawbacks. Sintering pastes are pressurized and bonded, resulting in stable bonding during sintering. In this study, the composition of the Cu sintering material was examined using diverse additives and solvents. We manufactured sintering materials comprising Cu (1 μm), a solvent [methanol (MeOH), ethanol (EtOH), or ethylene glycol (EG)] and an acidic additive (benzoic acid, phthalic acid, or hexanoic acid). After the sintering process, the mechanical and electrical characteristics were compared to determine the optimal composition and bonding conditions. The optimum ratios between the acid and solvent were 4:6 (MeOH and EtOH) and 2:8 (EG) due to the high viscosity and effective long-term storage. All samples using EtOH as the solvent exhibited the highest sintering performances. The aromatic and carboxylic groups substantially improved the sintering performance and increased the electrical conductivity. Based on the O1s/Cu2p ratio (2.23%), the best sintering composition was EtOH/PA, which showed the highest electrical conductivity (ca. 104 S/m) and strength (34.0 MPa). The sintering process using various additives and solvents can be helpful to determine the sintering conditions while maintaining the electrical properties.

ILP-based Substrate Routing with Mismatched Via Dimension Consideration for Wire-bonding FBGA Package Design

With the rapidly growing demand for system-level integration, package substrates have become one of the most important carriers in semiconductor industry. Fine pitch ball grid array (FBGA) packaging is a widely used technology thanks to its relative cost-effectiveness compared to other advanced packaging technologies. In addition, it is also widely used in space-constrained applications, such as mobile and handheld devices. These packaging substrate interconnections are usually customized by layout engineers taking many complex and stringent design rules into consideration. However, fully net-by-net manual design for FBGA is time-consuming and error-prone. In this article, we propose an integer linear programming (ILP)-based router for wire-bonding FBGA packaging design. Our ILP formulation not only can handle design-dependent constraints but also take the problem of mismatched via dimension into account, which is caused by the mechanical processes and greatly increases design complexity. In addition to the ILP formulation for substrate routing, three optimization stages and several ILP constraint reduction techniques are also developed to boost the run time of ILP solver. Experimental results indicate that the proposed framework can achieve high routing completion rates, which could effectively reduce the cycle time of substrate layout design. In addition, in combination with the proposed optimization strategies, 278× speedup can be achieved compared to the ILP constraint optimized router.

Cu-Based Thermocompression Bonding and Cu/Dielectric Hybrid Bonding for Three-Dimensional Integrated Circuits (3D ICs) Application.

Advanced packaging technology has become more and more important in the semiconductor industry because of the benefits of higher I/O density compared to conventional soldering technology. In advanced packaging technology, copper-copper (Cu-Cu) bonding has become the preferred choice due to its excellent electrical and thermal properties. However, one of the major challenges of Cu-Cu bonding is the high thermal budget of the bonding process caused by Cu oxidation, which can result in wafer warpage and other back-end-of-line process issues in some cases. Thus, for specific applications, reducing the thermal budget and preventing Cu oxidation are important considerations in low-temperature hybrid bonding processes. This paper first reviews the advancements in low-temperature Cu-based bonding technologies for advanced packaging. Various low-temperature Cu-Cu bonding techniques such as surface pretreatment, surface activation, structure modification, and orientation control have been proposed and investigated. To overcome coplanarity issues of Cu pillars and insufficient gaps for filling, low-temperature Cu-Cu bonding used, but it is still challenging in fine-pitch applications. Therefore, low-temperature Cu/SiO2, Cu/SiCN, and Cu/polymer hybrid bonding have been developed for advanced packaging applications. Furthermore, we present a novel hybrid bonding scheme for metal/polymer interfaces that achieves good flatness and an excellent bonding interface without the need for the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process.

Research on Surface Morphology of Gold Micro Bumps Based on Monte Carlo Method.

In advanced packaging technology, the micro bump has become an important means of chip stacking and wafer interconnection. The reliability of micro bumps, which plays an important role in mechanical support, electrical connection, signal transmission and heat dissipation, determines the quality of chip packaging. Surface morphological defects are one of the main factors affecting the reliability of micro bumps, which are closely related to materials and bonding process parameters. In this paper, the electrodeposition process of preparing gold bumps is simulated at the atomic scale using the Kinetic Monte Carlo method. The differences in surface morphology and roughness of the plated layer are studied from a microscopic perspective under different deposition parameters. The results show that the gold micro bumps prepared by electrodeposition have better surface quality under conditions of lower deposition voltage, lower ion concentration and higher plating temperature, which can provide significant guidance for engineering applications.

Research Progress of Electroplated Nanotwinned Copper in Microelectronic Packaging.

Copper is the most common interconnecting material in the field of microelectronic packaging, which is widely used in advanced electronic packaging technologies. However, with the trend of the miniaturization of electronic devices, the dimensions of interconnectors have decreased from hundreds of microns to tens of or even several microns, which has brought serious reliability issues. As a result, nanotwinned copper (nt-Cu) has been proposed as a potential candidate material and is being certified progressively. Firstly, the physical properties of nt-Cu have been widely studied. Notably, the higher thermal stability and oxidation resistance of the (111) texture causes nt-Cu to maintain excellent physical properties under high-temperature serving conditions. Secondly, recent works on the electrolyte and electroplating processes of nt-Cu on wafer substrates are summarized, focusing on how to reduce the thickness of the transition layer, improve the twin density, and achieve complicated pattern filling. Thirdly, nt-Cu can effectively eliminate Kirkendall voids when it serves as UBM or a CuP. Additionally, the high (111) texture can control the preferred orientation of interfacial intermetallic compounds (IMCs) at the Cu-Sn interface, which should be helpful to improve the reliability of solder joints. nt-Cu has superior electromigration resistance and antithermal cycling ability compared to ordinary copper RDLs and TSVs. Above all, nt-Cu has attracted much attention in the field of microelectronic packaging in recent years. The preparation-performance-reliability interrelationship of nt-Cu is summarized and displayed in this paper, which provides a solid theoretical basis for its practical applications.

Linking microbial contamination to food spoilage and food waste: the role of smart packaging, spoilage risk assessments, and date labeling.

Ensuring a safe and adequate food supply is a cornerstone of human health and food security. However, a significant portion of the food produced for human consumption is wasted annually on a global scale. Reducing harvest and postharvest food waste, waste during food processing, as well as food waste at the consumer level, have been key objectives of improving and maintaining sustainability. These issues can range from damage during processing, handling, and transport, to the use of inappropriate or outdated systems, and storage and packaging-related issues. Microbial growth and (cross)contamination during harvest, processing, and packaging, which causes spoilage and safety issues in both fresh and packaged foods, is an overarching issue contributing to food waste. Microbial causes of food spoilage are typically bacterial or fungal in nature and can impact fresh, processed, and packaged foods. Moreover, spoilage can be influenced by the intrinsic factors of the food (water activity, pH), initial load of the microorganism and its interaction with the surrounding microflora, and external factors such as temperature abuse and food acidity, among others. Considering this multifaceted nature of the food system and the factors driving microbial spoilage, there is an immediate need for the use of novel approaches to predict and potentially prevent the occurrence of such spoilage to minimize food waste at the harvest, post-harvest, processing, and consumer levels. Quantitative microbial spoilage risk assessment (QMSRA) is a predictive framework that analyzes information on microbial behavior under the various conditions encountered within the food ecosystem, while employing a probabilistic approach to account for uncertainty and variability. Widespread adoption of the QMSRA approach could help in predicting and preventing the occurrence of spoilage along the food chain. Alternatively, the use of advanced packaging technologies would serve as a direct prevention strategy, potentially minimizing (cross)contamination and assuring the safe handling of foods, in order to reduce food waste at the post-harvest and retail stages. Finally, increasing transparency and consumer knowledge regarding food date labels, which typically are indicators of food quality rather than food safety, could also contribute to reduced food waste at the consumer level. The objective of this review is to highlight the impact of microbial spoilage and (cross)contamination events on food loss and waste. The review also discusses some novel methods to mitigate food spoilage and food loss and waste, and ensure the quality and safety of our food supply.