Hanmi Semiconductor announced on the 14th that it will launch the ‘TC Bonder 4,’ a dedicated equipment for producing ‘HBM4,’ a key component of next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors. The TC Bonder uses a thermal compression method to stack DRAM memory semiconductors vertically, making it a critical piece of equipment in the HBM process.
Chairman Kwak Dong-shin of Hanmi Semiconductor stated, “With the rapid growth of the AI market, the global HBM market is experiencing explosive growth every year. Hanmi Semiconductor’s TC Bonder will be used in the production of ‘Blackwell Ultra,’ a next-generation product from U.S. company Nvidia, launching in the second half of this year.” He emphasized that “our leading position and competitiveness in the TC Bonder market for HBM processes remain unchanged.”
Some in the semiconductor industry argue that hybrid bonding technology is necessary for HBM4 production. However, the International Semiconductor Standardization Organization relaxed the HBM4 standard height to 775μm (micrometers) in April, which is expected to directly benefit Hanmi Semiconductor by allowing the manufacturing of HBM4 products using their TC Bonder equipment.
Chairman Kwak elaborated, “The newly launched TC Bonder 4 is specialized equipment capable of HBM4 production, designed to meet the precision demands of HBM4 characteristics, with improved productivity and precision compared to competitors.” He stated that the equipment will actively be used in global semiconductor clients’ HBM4 production and significantly contribute to revenue as the HBM4 market expands.
Leading memory semiconductor companies domestically and globally plan to start mass-producing HBM4 in the second half of this year. The 6th generation high-bandwidth memory, HBM4, boasts a 60% speed improvement and about 70% lower power consumption compared to the existing 5th generation (HBM3E). It supports up to 16 layers, increasing the DRAM capacity from 24Gb to 32Gb. The number of TSV (Through-Silicon Via) interfaces, which act as data transmission channels, has doubled to 2048 compared to the previous generation, enhancing data transfer speeds between processors and memory.
Consequently, the need for high-precision, complex bonding technology is growing in the process of stacking 16 layers or more of HBM.
Meanwhile, founded in 1980, Hanmi Semiconductor is an equipment company with over 320 clients worldwide. Since establishing its intellectual property department in 2002, it has focused on protecting and enhancing intellectual property rights, filing over 120 HBM equipment patents to date. Currently, Hanmi Semiconductor holds over a 90% market share in TC Bonder equipment for 12-layer HBM3E production. With the launch of the HBM4 dedicated equipment, the company plans to further solidify its position in the global AI semiconductor market.