Hanwha Semitech said Wednesday it has developed a second-generation hybrid bonder, a key technology for next-generation semiconductor packaging, and plans to deliver the equipment to customers for performance testing in the first half of this year.
Hybrid bonders are regarded as a critical technology for improving the performance and manufacturing efficiency of high-bandwidth memory, a core component of AI accelerators.
The South Korean-based chip equipment maker said the new system, dubbed SHB2 Nano, incorporates ultraprecise alignment technology with a positioning error margin of 0.1 micrometers. The company previously supplied its first-generation hybrid bonder to customers in January 2022.
The technology directly bonds chips on copper surfaces without using bumps, enabling a near-zero gap between chips. This allows faster data transfer, a thinner design and lower power consumption compared with conventional packaging methods.
Hanwha Semitech said the successful development of the second-generation system positions the company to introduce mass production equipment to the market in the near future.
“Through sustained investment in advanced technologies, we have overcome technical challenges in hybrid bonding and brought the product closer to mainstream adoption,” a Hanwha Semitech official said.
Hanwha’s development comes as major memory chip suppliers increasingly turn to hybrid bonding for next-generation HBM products, which stack DRAM dies vertically to enhance performance.
Samsung Electronics said during its January earnings call that it had applied hybrid bonding to HBM4, delivered samples to key customers in the previous quarter and begun discussions. The company added that it plans limited commercialization at the HBM4E stage.
Alongside its hybrid bonder equipment, the company said it is strengthening its position in the thermal compression bonder market.
The equipment maker said its TC bonder SFM5 Expert generated more than 90 billion won ($68 million) in sales last year. The company added that it secured two supply contracts in January and February.
Hanwha Semitech reported a return to profit in the fourth quarter of 2025, with the turnaround coming roughly one year after the company officially delivered a TC bonder to customers in March 2025.
The company said it is also developing second-generation TC bonders for the next-generation HBM equipment market, including modes with larger bonding heads and fluxless TC bonders designed to reduce chip-to-chip spacing.
By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)
