HanWool Semiconductor will pursue technical cooperation with Japan's Murata, the No. 1 company in the global multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) market, on mounter equipment for high-performance MLCC manufacturing processes.
HanWool Semiconductor said on the 18th that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Murata to cooperate in the field of mounter equipment for high-performance MLCC manufacturing processes. The agreement was pursued to respond to rising demand for high-reliability MLCCs driven by the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) servers, data centers and the electric vehicle market.
Through this agreement, the two companies plan to jointly review the feasibility of developing mounter equipment for high-performance MLCC manufacturing processes, performance improvements, and process applicability. They will also conduct step-by-step technical consultations on initial evaluations and sample verification, optimization of equipment operating conditions, and quality stabilization measures.
The scope of cooperation also includes advancing automation functions, data-based process analysis, and reviewing the potential to improve equipment performance. Based on future evaluation results, they also plan to review the possibility of concluding supply and purchase contracts.
MLCCs are electronic components that stabilize current flow and reduce signal interference, and are used in most electronic devices such as smartphones, servers and automobiles. In particular, demand for high-performance, high-reliability MLCCs is rapidly increasing with the spread of AI servers and electric vehicles. The industry notes that AI servers require far more MLCCs than general servers, and that about 10,000 to 18,000 MLCCs are installed in a single electric vehicle.
HanWool Semiconductor is a corporation that develops inspection and automation equipment used in semiconductor, electronic component and display manufacturing processes. Based on machine vision, ultra-precision transfer technology and ultrasonic nondestructive testing technology, it has expanded its MLCC inspection equipment and process equipment businesses.
The company said it expects this collaboration to provide an opportunity to apply its high-speed, high-precision mounter equipment technology and AI-based process analysis capabilities to the production processes of a global MLCC leader.
A HanWool Semiconductor official said, "With the expansion of AI servers and the automotive electronics market, MLCC production processes demand higher levels of precision and productivity," adding, "Through this agreement, we plan to validate our process equipment technology competitiveness in the global market and expand business opportunities."