As China's memory semiconductor corporations, including CXMT, prepare to begin mass production of high bandwidth memory (HBM) this year, they are said to be tightening the reins to build a semiconductor equipment ecosystem needed for HBM manufacturing. With U.S. restrictions expected to be the biggest obstacle to securing advanced semiconductor equipment for China's HBM production, they appear to be going all-in on internalizing equipment.
According to the industry on the 20th, Chinese semiconductor equipment corporations Naura Technology, Maxwell and U-Precision are accelerating efforts to develop equipment specialized for HBM from tools previously used in DRAM manufacturing. Because HBM is produced by stacking multiple DRAMs, advanced processes different from conventional commodity DRAM fabrication—such as etching to create channels for stacking semiconductors and packaging to bind them into a single chip—are applied, requiring equipment optimized for these steps. China's memory semiconductor industry is also shifting away from investment centered on commodity DRAM to focus its capabilities on dedicated processes and facility expansion for HBM production.
As China embarks on massive investment to secure leadership in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry, HBM is essential to run advanced AI Semiconductor chips. However, with HBM designated as a restricted item under U.S. advanced semiconductor industry controls, supply has faced difficulties. Currently, only three corporations—Samsung Electronics, SK hynix and Micron—mass-produce and supply HBM. In China, some say the HBM supply crunch is hampering growth in the AI industry.
Not only CXMT but also YMTC, the No. 1 NAND flash corporation in China, has jumped into HBM development. CXMT plans to mass-produce fourth-generation HBM (HBM3) this year and is assessed to have the technology to supply samples to domestic AI Semiconductor corporations such as Huawei. YMTC is said to have begun developing Through Silicon Via (TSV) used in HBM. TSV is a technology that drills microscopic holes in the chip to connect the top and bottom chips with electrodes and stack them to achieve high capacity and high bandwidth.
With U.S. restrictions expected to make it difficult to procure semiconductor equipment for HBM mass production, China's semiconductor equipment industry has begun work to build its own ecosystem. In particular, China is said to be focusing on processes such as etching and packaging needed in semiconductor manufacturing. Etching to precisely drill consolidation channels between DRAM chips for stacking, and packaging based on that to make a single chip, are known to have the greatest impact on HBM process Production yield.
A semiconductor industry official said, "Chinese semiconductor equipment corporations have internalized a considerable portion of DRAM process equipment, excluding extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography tools that draw ultra-fine circuits," adding, "However, for making HBM from commodity DRAM, areas such as etching and packaging still require technological reinforcement."
To that end, corporations such as Naura Technology, Maxwell and U-Precision are rolling out HBM-specialized equipment one after another. Naura Technology, the No. 1 corporation with more than a 30% share of China's etching equipment market, said it has built a portfolio of core process tools needed for HBM manufacturing, including not only etching equipment but also deposition to lay thin films on wafer surfaces and cleaning equipment. Maxwell has developed next-generation hybrid bonding equipment that bundles multiple DRAMs, and U-Precision said it has the equipment needed for HBM packaging.