Hanmi Semiconductor Begins Production of 'TC Bonder 4' for HBM4

On July 4, Hanmi Semiconductor announced that it has begun production of the 'TC Bonder 4,' a dedicated piece of equipment for HBM4, the next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor core memory.

The 'TC Bonder 4' is a new device that was released as a prototype in May. Full-scale supply will begin in the second half of this year. Global HBM manufacturers are also preparing to begin mass production of HBM4 in the second half of this year.

Hanmi Semiconductor's 'TC Bonder 4' has significantly improved precision compared to previous models, tailored to the demanding requirements of HBM4. It also plays a crucial role in increasing the structural stability of stacked HBM. In addition, software features have been upgraded, greatly enhancing user convenience.

Some in the industry have suggested that next-generation bonding technology is necessary for HBM4 production. However, Hanmi Semiconductor has succeeded in enabling HBM4 production by dramatically improving the performance of its existing TC Bonder and applying new bonding technology. Furthermore, from the customer's perspective, the TC Bonder 4 offers a lower purchase price compared to fluxless and hybrid bonders, making it likely to be the preferred choice of global HBM manufacturers.

HBM4, the sixth generation of high-bandwidth memory, delivers a 60% speed improvement and reduces power consumption to 70% of the previous generation (HBM3E), achieving innovative performance gains. It can be stacked up to 16 layers, and the capacity per DRAM has been expanded from 24Gb to 32Gb. The number of through-silicon via (TSV) interfaces, which serve as data transmission channels, has doubled to 2,048 compared to the previous generation, greatly increasing data transfer speed between the processor and memory.

A Hanmi Semiconductor representative stated, "We have established a mass production system for the 'TC Bonder 4' to ensure that global memory companies can execute their HBM4 mass production plans without disruption. Through the supply of this HBM4-dedicated equipment, we aim to maintain our leading position in the global AI semiconductor market. We will do our utmost to ensure customer satisfaction based on the principles of 'customer satisfaction' and 'customer equality.'"

Founded in 1980, Hanmi Semiconductor is a global semiconductor equipment company with approximately 320 customers worldwide. Since establishing its Intellectual Property Department in 2002, the company has focused on protecting and strengthening intellectual property rights, filing a total of about 120 HBM equipment patents to date. Hanmi Semiconductor currently holds over 90% market share in the TC Bonder segment for HBM3E 12-layer production, demonstrating its unrivaled technological prowess.