- They will develop the complete and proven equipment solution for die-based hybrid bonding
- Hybrid bonding uses direct, copper-to-copper interconnects to increase the I/O density while shortening the lengths of the wiring between chiplets
Applied Materials, Inc. and BE Semiconductor Industries N.V. (Besi) announced an agreement to develop the complete and proven equipment solution for die-based hybrid bonding. It is an emerging chip-to-chip interconnect technology that enables heterogeneous chip and subsystem designs for applications including high-performance computing, AI and 5G.
Hybrid bonding uses direct, copper-to-copper interconnects to increase the I/O density while shortening the lengths of the wiring between chiplets. This improves overall performance, power and cost.
Ruurd Boomsma, CTO of Besi said, “We are excited about forming this unique joint development program with Applied Materials which brings together the semiconductor industry’s leading materials engineering and advanced packaging technologies for customers. Our collaboration can greatly accelerate the adoption and proliferation of hybrid bonding for leading-edge 5G, AI, high-performance computing, data storage and automotive applications.”
Center of Excellence focused on next-generation chip-to-chip bonding technology
As traditional 2D scaling slows, the semiconductor industry is shifting towards heterogeneous design and chip integration. Applied and Besi have formed a joint development program and are establishing a Center of Excellence focused on next-generation chip-to-chip bonding technology.
Nirmalya Maity, corporate vice president of advanced packaging at Applied Materials said, “Challenges in conventional Moore’s Law scaling are straining the economics and pace of the semiconductor industry’s roadmap. Our collaboration with Besi and the formation of a new Hybrid Bonding Center of Excellence are key components of Applied’s strategy to equip customers with a ‘New Playbook’ for driving improvements in PPACt. Applied looks forward to working with Besi to co-optimize our equipment offerings and accelerate advanced heterogeneous integration technology for our customers.”
Hybrid bonding connects multiple “chiplets” in die form using direct, copper interconnects. This technique enables designers to bring chiplets of various process nodes and technologies into closer physical and electrical proximity so that they perform as well or better than if they were made on a single large, monolithic die. It permits increased chip density and shortens the lengths of the interconnect wiring between chiplets. A complete die-based hybrid bonding equipment solution requires a broad suite of semiconductor manufacturing technologies along with high-speed and extremely precise chiplet placement technology
The Center of Excellence will be located at Applied’s Advanced Packaging Development Center in Singapore. It will enable the foundational building blocks of heterogenous integration in a 17,300-square-foot Class 10 cleanroom with full lines of wafer-level packaging equipment.
