[Chip Talk] The '21 Billion TC Bonder' Begins... Hanwha Semitech Shaking Up the SoBuJang Landscape

Supplied to SK Hynix HBM Lines
Crack in Hanmi Semiconductor's Monopoly Supply Chain
Small-Scale Contract, but Ripple Effect Expected to Be Large
Hanwha Precision Machinery Changes Name
Reborn as a Semiconductor Company
Contract Achievement Within a Month of New Start
Vice President Kim Dongseon: "R&D Expansion"
SMT Equipment 'Chip Mounter' as Flagship
Potential for Expanded Cooperation with SK Hynix
Hanmi Semiconductor Chairman Kwak Dongshin
"Sizable Technological Gap with Our Company"
Preemptive Statement Ahead of Competition

On the 14th, Hanwha Semitech signed a TC bonder (thermal compression bonding equipment) supply contract with SK Hynix worth 21 billion KRW. The semiconductor industry generally considers this not to be a large-scale contract compared to typical equipment supply agreements. Hanwha Semitech itself described this contract as 'small-scale.' However, there is no disagreement that the ripple effect of this contract will be greater than expected. A crack has appeared in the TC bonder supply chain of SK Hynix, which Hanmi Semiconductor had virtually monopolized for a long time, and it is anticipated that this could even shake the landscape of the domestic materials, parts, and equipment market. The challenge initiated by Hanwha Semitech, where a small crack has begun, is expected to gradually spread and eventually lead to changes significant enough to restructure the market.

With this contract, Hanwha Semitech is expected to supply TC bonders to 10 new high-bandwidth memory (HBM) lines that SK Hynix will establish. These lines will produce HBM3E 12-stack products. SK Hynix supplies HBM3E 12-stack products to global AI company Nvidia. The TC bonder is equipment that thermally compresses and bonds DRAM chips one by one during the stacking process used in HBM. This process is repeated 8 to 12 times to build up the stack. SK Hynix has mainly sourced these TC bonders from Hanmi Semiconductor, but from now on, they will procure from both Hanmi Semiconductor and Hanwha Semitech. SK Hynix recently decided to diversify its TC bonder supply chain as orders for HBM from customers like Nvidia have surged and mass production of HBM4 12-stack products is imminent, leading to the partnership with Hanwha Semitech.

Hanwha Semitech is not a 'comet' company that suddenly appeared from the sky. Hanwha Precision Machinery changed its name early last month and transformed into a semiconductor company. Hanwha Semitech is a portmanteau combining Semiconductor and Technology with Hanwha. The company explained that this name embodies its determination to become a 'comprehensive semiconductor manufacturing solution company' leading the global market with advanced technology. With the addition of Kim Dong-seon, Vice President of Future Vision and the third son of Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-yeon, the company has gained weight as a core affiliate within the group. Within about a month of its new start, it succeeded in delivering TC bonders to SK Hynix, a flagship company in Korea, leaving a strong impression on the industry. The semiconductor industry is expected to closely watch whether Hanwha Semitech will gradually increase its influence using this momentum.

Flagship is ‘Chip Mounter’, Broad Paradigm

Hanwha Semitech is a latecomer regarding TC bonders. It began developing TC bonders in 2020 and this year, with the contract with SK Hynix, it has started both mass production and supply for the first time. This is a visible achievement in about five years.

It has a long track record in other semiconductor equipment. It already produces products such as 'die bonders' that attach chips cut from wafers onto substrates, and 'flip chip bonders' that flip equipment and chips to connect them to substrates, showing a broad product paradigm and technology evaluated to be over 30 years old.

The flagship product is the ‘chip mounter.’ Hanwha Semitech was the first in Korea to develop surface mount technology (SMT) and has been manufacturing and selling chip mounters, the representative SMT equipment, for 36 years. SMT is a technology that automatically assembles electronic components onto PCB substrates (printed circuit boards). Equipment that implements this includes screen printers, dispensers, and chip mounters. Screen printers and dispensers apply a kind of adhesive onto the substrate, and the chip mounter mounts electronic components onto that adhesive. Hanwha Semitech is well known for producing chip mounters capable of performing this mounting at ultra-high speeds. It also participated in the ‘IPC APEX EXPO 2025’ held from the 18th to 20th (local time) at the Anaheim Convention Center in California, USA, showcasing various new products. There is room for further technological advancement. Hanwha Semitech plans to expand research and development (R&D) investment following this TC bonder contract. Vice President Kim Dong-seon also declared, "We will continuously expand R&D investment for differentiated technology development."

The chip mounter production technology possessed by Hanwha Semitech may also expand the scope of HBM cooperation with SK Hynix in the future. Typically, chip mounters play an important role in the HBM production process. HBM chip mounters are specialized by process, including wafer mounters that lift or remove wafers onto carriers, vacuum mounters that attach wafers to carriers under vacuum to measure and control deformation, and die recons responsible for transporting HBM chip dies.

On-site photos of Hanwha Semitech's exhibition booth at IPC APEX 2025. Photo by Hanwha Semitech

Hanmi and Hanwha, the Beginning of a Power Struggle

Three days after the TC bonder contract between Hanwha Semitech and SK Hynix was signed, Kwak Dong-shin, CEO of Hanmi Semiconductor, said, "There is a significant technological gap between our company and Hanwha Semitech," adding, "Hanwha Semitech will eventually end up receiving only small orders that fizzle out." This statement is interpreted as a special measure to reassure stakeholders who invested in his company and as a ‘preemptive strike’ remark ahead of the upcoming competition with Hanwha Semitech.

The power struggle between the two companies has already intensified before this and has even escalated into legal battles. Hanmi Semiconductor filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court in January, claiming that Hanwha Semitech infringed on its patented technology related to TC bonders. The formal trial has not yet been held, and the two companies are reportedly preparing through written procedures. Both companies have appointed major law firms, attracting significant attention from the legal community. Hanmi Semiconductor appointed Law Firm Sejong, and Hanwha Semitech appointed Kim & Chang as their legal representatives. Both companies are expected to stake their lives on this lawsuit. The lawsuit deals with patent issues related to TC bonders supplied to SK Hynix, and it could determine the fate of both companies. The trial outcome could also greatly affect their relationship with SK Hynix. If Hanwha Semitech ultimately loses, not only will there be disruptions in TC bonder supply, but it will also be difficult to avoid civil and criminal liabilities related to the contract with SK Hynix.