SEMECS, Hanwha Semitec, and HANMI Semiconductor, which are locked in a three-way race over the TC bonder, a core semiconductor tool for high bandwidth memory (HBM), are accelerating preparations for mass production of hybrid bonders, which are expected to be partially adopted starting with 6th-generation HBM (HBM4) production. With Samsung Electronics and SK hynix already conducting HBM4 mass-production tests, the variables are the equipment price, which is more than double that of existing TC bonders, and securing technological competitiveness and stability compared with U.S.- and Netherlands-made tools.
According to the industry on the 12th, SEMECS, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, is conducting evaluations of hybrid bonder equipment with next-generation HBM-dedicated personnel within Samsung Electronics' semiconductor (DS) division. Although it has not yet reached the target performance, it is jointly working on several technical challenges such as DRAM stacking and heat control. SEMECS aims to supply Samsung Electronics with a hybrid bonder capable of mass production by the end of this year or next year.
The hybrid bonder is called a "game changer" for the next-generation HBM market. The TC bonder currently used in HBM manufacturing stacks chips by applying heat and pressure to bumps (conductive protrusions such as solder). In contrast, the hybrid bonder can attach chips without separate bumps, making it an essential tool for manufacturing high-stacked chips with 20 or more layers. Because there are no bumps between chips, electrical signal loss can be minimized, improving semiconductor performance.
Hanwha Semitec also plans to launch hybrid bonder equipment early next year targeting the next-generation HBM market. Earlier, on the 10th, Hanwha Semitec announced a development roadmap for next-generation advanced semiconductor packaging equipment, including a hybrid bonder blueprint, at "SEMICON Taiwan 2025," an international semiconductor expo held in Taipei, Taiwan. Hanwha Semitec has chalked up a series of achievements this year in the semiconductor packaging equipment market. A representative example is winning an order from SK hynix this year to supply TC bonder equipment worth about 80.5 billion won.
Park Young-min, head of the semiconductor equipment business unit at Hanwha Semitec, said, "Hanwha Semitec successfully delivered first-generation hybrid bonder equipment to a client in 2022," and added, "We are preparing so that the second-generation equipment currently under development can undergo client evaluation in the first quarter of next year."
HANMI Semiconductor is also investing aggressively in the hybrid bonder field. It is building a "hybrid bonder factory" of about 14,600 square meters (4,415 pyeong) in the Juan National Industrial Complex in Seo-gu, Incheon, at a cost of about 100 billion won. Completion is targeted for the second half of next year. This plant will produce hybrid bonders for HBM and logic semiconductors (XPU), next-generation HBM TC bonders, fluxless bonders, and big-die TC bonders for AI 2.5D packages.
However, the prevailing view is that the hybrid bonder jointly developed by Applied Materials (AMAT), the largest U.S. semiconductor equipment maker, and Netherlands-based Besi has superior technological stability compared with domestic companies. The equipment the two companies are co-developing has already been deployed since last year to Samsung Electronics and Micron for testing and is still being considered the top-priority supplier (vendor).
The issue is the equipment price. A semiconductor industry official said, "Technically, Applied and Besi are the most stable option, and from the perspective of memory semiconductor corporations, the most preferred partners are also Applied and Besi, with whom they have cooperated for a long time," but added, "However, the equipment price far exceeds twice that of existing bonders. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix aim to establish a multi-vendor system through domestic equipment companies to lower the purchase price."
According to market research firm Verified Market Research, the global hybrid bonder market is expected to grow from about 7 trillion won in 2023 to 20 trillion won by 2033. The explanation is that demand for hybrid bonders will rise in tandem with the increasing demand for HBM.