Orders for thermal compression (TC) bonders produced by South Korean semiconductor equipment companies are rapidly increasing, driven by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix boosting their high-bandwidth memory (HBM) production. TC bonders are critical for HBM production, using thermal compression to bond and stack chips on processed wafers, significantly impacting HBM yield.
According to industry sources, Samsung Electronics’ subsidiary SEMES has delivered nearly 100 TC bonders within a year. SK Hynix recently signed a 150 billion won (approximately $107.98 million) contract with HANMI Semiconductor, which holds a 65% market share in TC bonders, for their supply. The cumulative order value for HBM TC bonders from HANMI Semiconductor to SK Hynix has reached 358.7 billion won, with each unit priced at approximately 2 billion won.
Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have established separate supply chains for TC bonders. Samsung sources from Japan’s Toray, Sinkawa, and its subsidiary SEMES, while SK Hynix obtains its equipment from Singapore’s ASMPT, HANMI Semiconductor, and Hanhwa Precision Machinery. Both companies have been accelerating localization efforts since last year to reduce dependence on foreign equipment.
SEMES produces TC bonders optimized for the TC-NCF process, a stacking method for HBM, and supplies them to Samsung. This process involves laying down a film material each time a chip is stacked. SEMES recently set a goal to achieve over 250 billion won in TC bonder sales, up from around 100 billion won last year.
HANMI Semiconductor, which co-developed TC bonders with SK Hynix in 2017, supplies equipment for SK Hynix’s MR-MUF process, which uses an adhesive-like material to bond DRAM chips. Although HANMI Semiconductor has TC bonders compatible with both TC-NCF and MR-MUF processes, it currently supplies them only to SK Hynix and Micron. According to Ko Young-min, an analyst at Daol Investment & Securities, the expansion in HBM production by the top three memory semiconductor companies is driving customer base expansion.
As Samsung and SK Hynix increase their production capacity to meet HBM demand, TC bonder sales are expected to grow. Market research firm TrendForce reports that Samsung plans to produce approximately 130,000 HBM units by the end of this year, nearly tripling its production capacity from 45,000 units last year. Similarly, SK Hynix aims to increase its HBM production capacity to 120,000-125,000 units by year-end, also nearly tripling from 45,000 units last year. Hanwha Investment & Securities analyst Kwak Min-jeong predicts that HANMI Semiconductor will expand its production capacity from 22 units per month this year to 35 units per month next year due to the rising demand for TC bonders.
