HANMI Semiconductor said on the 9th it will respond preemptively to demand for hybrid bonding, which will enter full-scale mass production in 2029.
HANMI Semiconductor will launch a prototype of its "second-generation hybrid bonder" within the year for next-generation HBM production and begin collaborating with customers. It is also set to start up a hybrid bonder factory in the first half of next year.
Bird's-eye rendering of the HANMI Semiconductor hybrid bonder factory (Photo = HANMI Semiconductor)
Earlier, HANMI Semiconductor released the "first-generation hybrid bonder for HBM production" in 2020 ahead of competitors, building up core technology and verification know-how. The second-generation equipment integrates first-generation development experience and original technologies to further improve completeness in nanometer-level precision, process stability, and Production yield.
HANMI Semiconductor is also working closely with several domestic semiconductor equipment corporations on plasma, cleaning, and deposition technologies related to hybrid bonding.
Hybrid bonding is a technology that directly bonds the copper (Cu) interconnects of chips and wafers. By eliminating conventional solder bumps, it can reduce package thickness while improving heat dissipation performance and data transfer speed, and it is required for high-stacked HBM of 20 layers or more.
HANMI Semiconductor is also accelerating infrastructure build-out for next-generation equipment production. It is investing a total of 100 billion won in the Juan National Industrial Complex in Seo-gu, Incheon, to construct a hybrid bonder factory with a total floor area of 4,415 pyeong (14,570.84 m2) over two above-ground floors, a project that began last year, with completion targeted for the first half of next year.
Inside the factory, a top-tier "Class 100" clean room equivalent to front-end semiconductor standards will be built. Applying advanced HVAC technology that pushes airborne dust from the ceiling to the floor and immediately vacuums it through the walls and floor, the clean room will provide a contamination-free environment suitable for nanometer-level ultra-precision processes.
HANMI Semiconductor also plans to solidify its supply of TC bonders, where it is the industry leader. As the JEDEC Solid State Technology Association (JEDEC) is reviewing a plan to ease the HBM package height standard from the current 775 µm to around 900 µm, the full-scale mass-production introduction of hybrid bonding is expected around 2029–2030.
Until then, HANMI Semiconductor plans to launch a "wide TC bonder" with a larger HBM die area in the second half of this year to meet market demand. The "wide TC bonder" can reliably increase the number of TSVs (through-silicon vias) and I/Os (input/output interfaces), allowing expansion of memory capacity and bandwidth compared with previous technology.
Alongside this, HANMI Semiconductor plans to pursue a "two-track" strategy of maintaining stable revenue with TC bonders while enhancing the completeness of hybrid bonders.
A HANMI Semiconductor official said, "We applied our No. 1 know-how in TC bonders for HBM to hybrid bonder technology for HBM," adding, "We will deliver highly complete equipment in a timely manner when customers begin mass-producing next-generation HBM."