Kangwook Lee proudly holds the Dawon Kahng Award

Kangwook Lee, head of Package Development at SK hynix, received the 8^th Dawon Kahng Award¹ in the Device and Process category at the 32nd Korean Conference on Semiconductors (KCS), held on February 13 in Gangwon-do Province, South Korea.

¹Dawon Kahng Award: Presented by KCS, this award recognizes one individual in the Device/Process category and another in the Circuit/System category for their contributions to the semiconductor industry.

Established in recognition of the esteemed Dr. Dawon Kahng, who developed the MOSFET² and floating gate³, this award has traditionally been given to renowned professors specializing in the front-end process such as the semiconductor device and process fields. However, the 2025 award is garnering significant attention as, for the first time, the winner of the Device and Process category is a business leader in the back-end process field, specifically in semiconductor packaging.

²Metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET): A transistor that utilizes the effect of an electric field through a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structure.
³Floating gate: A structure in flash memory that retains electronic values even without power.

To learn more about this monumental achievement, the SK hynix Newsroom spoke with Lee about his win and his contributions to semiconductor packaging.

A Prestigious Award Recognizing SK hynix’s Status & Prowess

Lee, a leading expert in semiconductor packaging technology, brings over 27 years of research and development experience in the fields of 3D packaging⁴ and integrated circuits having worked in global academia and industry roles. Earning his Ph.D. from Tohoku University in Japan in 2000, he first worked at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the U.S. as a postdoctoral researcher and later as a professor at Tohoku University before joining SK hynix in 2018. After entering the company, Lee developed South Korea’s first TSV⁵ technology and paved the way for the success of SK hynix’s AI memory by applying MR-MUF⁶ to HBM2E— the third generation of HBM⁷.

⁴3D packaging: A packaging method that vertically connects chips, allowing data to be sent and received directly between the chips with technologies such as through-silicon via (TSV).
⁵Through-silicon via (TSV): A type of vertical interconnect access (via) that passes through a silicon die, enabling the stacking of layers and signal transmission between them.
⁶Mass reflow-molded underfill (MR-MUF): A process in which a liquid protective material is injected between the spaces of stacked chips before hardening to protect the circuits. MR-MUF offers more efficient and effective heat dissipation compared to the method of laying a film material between each chip.
⁷High Bandwidth Memory (HBM): A high-value, high-performance product that vertically connects multiple DRAMs to dramatically increase the data processing speed compared to existing DRAMs. There are five generations of HBM, starting with the original HBM and followed by HBM2, HBM2E, HBM3, and HBM3E—an extended version of HBM3.

Lee is a recognized leader in semiconductor packaging technology

“Research on TSV-based 3D packaging has led to commercialized products in various fields, with HBM being the most notable example,” he explained. “SK hynix’s proprietary packaging technology, MR-MUF, has enabled the stable mass production of highly complex HBM with high manufacturing yield and scalability, while also improving key characteristics such as thermal dissipation performance. This technology was first applied to HBM2E and contributed to SK hynix’s rise as the global AI memory leader. Through continuous technological advancements, MR-MUF has been successfully applied to HBM3 and HBM3E, further strengthening SK hynix’s HBM market leadership.”

The Dawon Kahng Award recognizes outstanding talents in the semiconductor industry

Lee boasts an impressive list of awards to match his significant achievements. One such honor came in 2024 when he became the first Korean recipient of the IEEE EPS Electronics Manufacturing Technology Award. Having now added the Dawon Khang Award to his list of accolades, he revealed the latest award is particularly meaningful for him.

“I am honored to receive an award that holds great significance in the industry,” he said. “Above all, I feel a deep sense of fulfillment as it recognizes SK hynix’s standing and the exceptional capabilities of the Package Development department. Although I’m humbled by this award, I take it as encouragement to contribute even more to advancing the semiconductor industry. I also want to thank the Package Development members for their dedication and hard work.”

Packaging Technology & One-Team Collaboration at the Heart of Semiconductor Innovation

Reflecting on the award, Lee particularly values the achievement as he became the first industry executive from the packaging field to receive the prize.

Lee has over 27 years of research experience in 3D packaging and integrated circuits

“The paradigm of semiconductor technology advancement is shifting from miniaturization to packaging, elevating the back-end process to an equal standing with the front-end. Companies now play a more critical role in driving innovation than ever before. In other words, packaging technology and companies are at the heart of semiconductor innovation. I believe this award highlights and reinforces this pivotal shift,” he emphasized.

Lee also predicted that packaging technology would become even more important. He explained that the evolution of packaging technology is driving the growth of new industries and that packaging capabilities will be a key factor in determining not only business value but also future survival. “The competition among global companies to secure packaging technology and strengthen semiconductor dominance has already begun,” he said. “The Package Development department will respond to this competition with solid technological expertise and strong ‘one-team’ collaboration.”

“Package Development members possess a fearless spirit of challenge and an unwavering determination to resolve issues to the very end. This is the foundation of our overwhelming technological prowess,” he stated. “Furthermore, SK hynix’s strong ‘one-team’ culture has been the driving force behind its successful semiconductor innovations. Thanks to this, we were able to successfully implement MR-MUF technology and secure a leading position in the HBM market. Moving forward, the company will continue to pioneer future markets with a spirit of challenge and a collaborative mindset, driving further innovation.”

Securing Advanced Packaging Technologies by Fostering a Spirit of Challenge

Lee also shared his two key development plans to respond to future market demands, including advancing HBM packaging technology and securing heterogeneous integration technology based on chiplets⁸.

⁸Chiplet: A technology that breaks up chips into functions and connects these separated pieces on a single substrate to enable heterogeneous bonding and integration.

Lee aims to meet the demands of next-generation AI systems

“We must continue innovating in HBM packaging technology to meet the demands of large-scale, high-performance, and energy-efficient AI systems,” Lee said. “To achieve this, we’re advancing MR-MUF technology and developing next-generation solutions including hybrid bonding⁹. In the medium-to-long term, we plan to implement 2.5D and 3D SiP¹⁰ leveraging chiplet technology to respond to memory-centric¹¹ needs. Moreover, we aim to enhance chip-to-chip connectivity by employing fan-out wafer-level packaging¹² and hybrid bonding. This will enable us to secure advanced packaging technologies that improve performance and energy efficiency.”

⁹Hybrid bonding: A technology that directly connects chips without bumps when stacking, enabling thinner chips and high-layer products. SK hynix is looking at both Advanced MR-MUF and hybrid bonding methods for 16-layer and higher HBM products.
¹⁰System-in-Package (SiP): A packaging technology that integrates multiple integrated circuits into a single unit, enabling it to perform most or all functions of an electronic system.
¹¹Memory-centric: A computing environment in which memory plays a key role in processing and managing data across devices.
¹²Fan-Out Wafer-Level Packaging (FO-WLP): A back-end packaging technology for chips involving directly attaching data input/output (I/O) pads to the chip’s outer area, eliminating the need for a substrate.

Ultimately, Lee’s strategy is to create a “total semiconductor solution,” integrating devices, processes, designs, and packaging to strengthen SK hynix’s competitive advantage.

Regarding this, he encouraged team members to keep pushing forward. “If we continue to demonstrate a spirit of challenge and a ‘one-team’ mindset, we can fully achieve our goals. By challenging ourselves and working together, we can develop technologies that go beyond simply creating ‘good’ products and truly change the world. I will actively support the team as they pave new paths as first movers.”

Looking back on his career, Lee underscored the importance of nurturing new talent. “Having received the prestigious Dawon Kahng Award, following my IEEE EPS Award, I feel a great sense of responsibility,” he said. “I want to foster an environment where younger engineers feel encouraged to take on new challenges. As an expert in the semiconductor industry, I will do my best to elevate SK hynix’s and South Korea’s global semiconductor competitiveness.”

The post SK hynix’s Kangwook Lee Becomes Industry’s First Packaging Executive to Win Dawon Kahng Award first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

¹HBM: A high-value, high-performance product that revolutionizes data processing speeds by connecting multiple DRAM chips with through-silicon via (TSV).

Since developing the world’s first HBM in 2013, SK hynix has led the way in developing the next generations of the technology. In March 2024, the company became the first to mass-produce and supply HBM3E, the fifth generation of HBM which offers the industry’s highest levels of performance.

SK hynix’s leadership in this area is due to its extensive history of preparing key packaging technologies such as TSV and MR-MUF². To find out more, the SK hynix Newsroom caught up with Gyujei Lee, head of Package Product Development, to discuss the company’s technological innovations in packaging for AI memory.

²Mass Reflow-Molded Underfill (MR-MUF): A process involving injecting a liquid protective material between stacked chips, which is then hardened. Compared to the traditional method of placing film-like materials between each layer, MR-MUF is a more efficient process and more effective at heat dissipation.

Lee cites the importance of SK hynix’s innovative packaging technologies for HBM’s success

Foundation for HBM Leadership: Bold Investment in Packaging Technology and R&D

SK hynix’s core HBM packaging technologies

SK hynix applied TSV technology to the first generation of HBM, which was developed by the company as a world-first in 2013. A key technology that enables the rapid speed of HBM products, TSV involves drilling thousands of microscopic holes in a DRAM chip to connect the electrodes that vertically penetrate the holes of the chip’s upper and lower layers.

Although TSV has been touted as a next-generation technology to overcome the performance limitations of conventional memory for more than 20 years, it did not immediately emerge as a commercialized technology. The challenges of building the technical infrastructure and the uncertainty of recouping the investment prevented companies from taking the plunge. Lee described the situation as “like a bunch of kids around a big lake, waiting to see who would jump in first.”

“SK hynix was also one of the companies to hesitate in the beginning,” he recalled. “However, to prepare for the future market, we decided to secure both TSV technology, which can simultaneously enable top performance and high capacity, and WLP³ technology, which includes stacking. Therefore, we took the initiative and began active research from the early 2000s.”

³Wafer-level package (WLP): Technology that produces end products by packaging and testing a wafer all at once before the wafer is diced. It differs from the conventional packaging method of processing a wafer and dicing each chip.

As the market for high-performance graphics processing unit (GPU) computing grew in the 2010s, there was a rising need for high-bandwidth near-memory⁴ to support it. To meet this demand, SK hynix began developing a new product combining TSV and WLP technologies, ultimately leading to the creation of the first HBM. This new product was more than four times faster than GDDR5, the fastest graphics DRAM product at the time, while consuming 40% less power. Moreover, the first HBM dramatically reduced the product area through chip stacking.

⁴Near-memory: Memory that is close to the computing device (processor), allowing for faster data processing.

From MR-MUF to Advanced MR-MUF: Driving HBM Success

Although SK hynix was the first to usher in the HBM era, the company did not take the lead in the growing market until it developed the third generation of HBM, HBM2E, in 2019. This marked a turning point for the company as it was considered to have gained a clear industry advantage. However, Lee recalls the various bumps in the road to this achievement.

Lee revealed how MR-MUF was a crucial breakthrough for the company’s HBM lineup

“We succeeded in developing the first HBM, but then we needed to raise the quality and mass production capability to a level that would satisfy the market and our customers,” he said. “This led us to develop a new packaging technology that was expected to be better than the existing one in terms of stability in material application and ease of technical implementation. But unexpectedly, we encountered reliability difficulties in the early stages and had to find a new breakthrough.

“At that time, the company was also developing MR-MUF technology according to its technology roadmap. To respond promptly to customers, leaders from the relevant departments quickly analyzed technology-related data and simulation results to verify the reliability of MR-MUF, and convinced management and customers. So, the technology was able to be applied to HBM2E in a timely manner.”

Lee cites the development of MR-MUF as a key turning point for SK hynix’s HBM success story

“Thanks to the management and customers who believed in our development team, we were able to successfully bring our unique MR-MUF technology to the market,” said Lee. “This has enabled the mass production and supply of HBM2E, which offers stable levels of quality and performance.”

Due to the application of MR-MUF, HBM2E became a game-changer in the HBM market. It is therefore clear that MR-MUF played a key role in making SK hynix’s “HBM success story” possible.

Lee explains the MR-MUF technology roadmap

In 2023, SK hynix maintained its unrivaled leadership in HBM by first developing the 12-layer HBM3, followed by the development of HBM3E, the fifth generation of HBM. Lee and the development team believe these successes were largely due to the development of Advanced MR-MUF⁵, an improved version of the existing MR-MUF technology.

⁵Advanced Mass Reflow-Molded Underfill (MR-MUF): Next-generation MR-MUF technology with warpage control that can stack chips 40% thinner than previous generations of HBM products without warpage, as well as new protective materials for improved heat dissipation.

“The 12-layer HBM3 required enhanced heat dissipation performance due to the increased number of stacked chips,” he said. “In particular, it was not easy to handle the warpage issue of the thinner chips in the 12-layer HBM3 with the existing MR-MUF method.

“To overcome these limitations, we developed an Advanced MR-MUF technology that improves on the existing MR-MUF. This also led to the successful development and mass production of the world’s first 12-layer HBM3 in 2023, followed by the mass production of the world’s highest-performing HBM3E in March 2024. Moreover, Advanced MR-MUF is applied to the 12-layer HBM3E, which will be supplied to major AI companies from the second half of this year. Going forward, Advanced MR-MUF will be applied to a wider range of applications, further solidifying SK hynix’s leadership in HBM technology.

“Recently, there was a rumor in the industry that MR-MUF is difficult to implement. To overcome this, we focused on communicating to customers that MR-MUF is the optimal technology for high stacking, and eventually reaffirmed customers’ trust.”

Next-Gen Tech & Customer Partnerships Key to Custom Product Development

Lee won SK Group’s 2024 SUPEX Award for his contribution to developing HBM

For his longstanding contributions to HBM development, Lee was awarded SK Group’s highest honor, the 2024 SUPEX Award⁶, in June 2024 along with SK hynix’s core HBM technical members. Commenting on receiving the award, Lee said: “It is thanks to the efforts of many members who have worked as one team to make the product a success.”

⁶SUPEX Award: As the most prestigious award within SK Group that carries the meaning “super excellent,” it recognizes members who have successfully realized innovations by not being afraid to take on new challenges.

However, Lee said there is no room for satisfaction or complacency. For SK hynix to maintain its HBM leadership in the future, he emphasized the importance of timely development of various next-generation packaging technologies to meet the ever-increasing demand for customized products.

“Next-generation packaging technologies such as hybrid bonding⁷ have recently gained attention as a way to stack chips higher for increased performance and capacity while maintaining product thickness according to standard specifications,” he stated. “Although heat control is still a challenge due to the narrower gap between the chips, these new packaging technologies are expected to solve the issue and meet the increasingly diverse performance needs of customers.

⁷Hybrid Bonding: A technology that connects chips together directly without bumps between them. This reduces the overall thickness of the chip, enabling high-layer stacking, and is therefore being considered for HBM products with 16 layers or more. SK hynix is currently reviewing both Advanced MR-MUF and hybrid bonding technologies.

“SK hynix will continue to enhance its existing Advanced MR-MUF with excellent heat dissipation performance, while also securing new technologies.”

Lee claimed that strong customer communication will continue to be crucial for the company’s growth

Lastly, Lee emphasized that close communication and collaboration with customers is one of SK hynix’s strengths and a competitive advantage that the company should continue to strengthen in the future.

“I think the biggest driving force behind SK hynix’s dominance in the HBM market is its ability to promptly deliver high-quality products with mass production competitiveness to customers when there was actual demand,” he said. “This has been possible not only because of our technological capabilities, but also due to our continuous communication with customers.

“Our packaging development department is also quick to identify customer and stakeholder needs and incorporate them into product features. When this effort is combined with our unique culture of collaboration, I think we’ll be a powerful force in any situation. I will continue to share my motto, ‘feel together, move vigilantly’ with our employees as we prepare for the future of SK hynix packaging.”

The post SK hynix VP Gyujei Lee Targets Continued HBM Success With Next-Gen Packaging Technology first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

Smaller. Faster. Higher bandwidth. Better performance. Today’s leading memory products are rapidly evolving to meet the intense demands of the AI era. However, these advancements bring with them a challenge which can hinder the development of next-generation products—excessive heat generation.

To tackle this issue, SK hynix made an unprecedented breakthrough by developing a new and innovative packaging technology called MR-MUF¹ that improves heat dissipation in chips. Applied to the company’s groundbreaking HBM² products since 2019, MR-MUF has set SK hynix aside from the competition. As the only company to use MR-MUF and having received excellent client evaluations for the heat dissipation characteristics of its HBM products which apply the technology, SK hynix has risen to the position of HBM market leader.

¹Mass reflow-molded underfill (MR-MUF): Mass reflow is a technology that connects chips together by melting the bumps between stacked chips. Molded underfill fills the gaps between stacked chips with protective material to increase durability and heat dissipation. Combining the reflow and molding process, MR-MUF attaches semiconductor chips to circuits and fills the space between chips and the bump gap with a material called liquid epoxy molding compound (EMC).
²High Bandwidth Memory (HBM): A high-value, high-performance product that possesses much higher data processing speeds compared to existing DRAMs by vertically connecting multiple DRAMs with through-silicon via (TSV).

This Rulebreakers’ Revolutions episode will look at how the pioneering development of MR-MUF, particularly its new materials with high thermal conductivity, solved the problem of excessive heat generation in next-generation HBM products.

The Mission: Overcome the Problem of Heat Generation

As memory products evolve, heat generation becomes an increasingly pressing issue for several reasons. For example, the miniaturization of semiconductors negatively impacts heat dissipation due to the reduced surface area and increased power density. In the case of stacked DRAM products such as HBM, thermal resistance increases due to the longer heat transfer paths, while thermal conductivity is limited by the materials between chips. Moreover, the continuous advancements in speed and capacity result in increased heat generation.

The inability to sufficiently control heat in semiconductor chips can negatively impact a product’s performance, lifecycle, and functionality. This can become a serious concern for customers and significantly impact factors including productivity, energy costs, and competitiveness. Consequently, heat dissipation, along with capacity and bandwidth, has become a key consideration during the development of advanced memory products.

Attention has therefore turned to semiconductor packaging technology as one of its main functions is heat control. Up until the second generation of HBM, HBM2, SK hynix applied the industry-standard TC-NCF³ process to its HBM products. However, with advancements in HBM that required chips to become thinner to accommodate additional chip layers, the applied packaging technology needed to control higher levels of heat and pressure. Issues such as chip warpage due to pressure and thickness limitations in densely stacked products also needed to be addressed as SK hynix planned to develop its next-generation products. At this point, the company needed to think outside the box by developing a new packaging technology for its future products.

³Thermal compression non-conductive film (TC-NCF): A method of stacking chips by applying a film-like substance between chips. Heat and pressure are applied to melt the substance so chips are glued together.

MR-MUF & Its New Materials: The Missing Pieces to the Heat Control Puzzle

As SK hynix was developing HBM2E, the third generation of HBM, controlling heat became a major focal point for improvement. Even when TC-NCF was being recognized as a packaging solution suitable for densely stacked products, SK hynix challenged the status quo and strove to develop a new packaging technology offering improved heat dissipation. After countless tests and trials, the company unveiled its new packaging technology MR-MUF in 2019 which would change the future of the HBM market.

The structural difference between TC-NCF and MR-MUF that influence heat dissipation

Developed by multiple teams at SK hynix, MR-MUF heats and interconnects all the vertically stacked chips in HBM products at once. This makes it more efficient than TC-NCF which applies a film-type material after each chip is stacked. Moreover, MR-MUF increases the number of thermal dummy bumps—which are effective at dispersing heat—by up to four times compared to TC-NCF.

Another important feature of MR-MUF is the addition of a protective material called EMC⁴ used to fill the spaces between chips. A thermosetting polymer with excellent mechanical and electrical insulation as well as heat resistance, EMC addressed the need for high environmental reliability and control over chip warpage. Due to the application of MR-MUF, HBM2E improved heat dissipation performance by 36% compared to its predecessor, HBM2.

⁴Epoxy molding compound (EMC): A heat dissipation material based on epoxy resin, a type of thermosetting polymer, that seals semiconductor chips to protect them from environmental factors such as heat, moisture, and shock.

Although MR-MUF was also used for HBM2E’s successor, the 8-layer HBM3, SK hynix elevated the MR-MUF process to another level when developing the 12-layer HBM3 in 2023. As the DRAM chips had to be 40% thinner than the chips used in the 8-layer HBM3 in order to maintain the product’s overall thickness, chip warpage became a significant issue. SK hynix actively responded by developing Advanced MR-MUF, introducing the industry’s first chip control technology⁵ and new protective materials that improved heat dissipation. In this process, SK hynix once again achieved innovation in materials as the new EMC applied in Advanced MR-MUF offered a 1.6-time improvement in heat dissipation properties compared to the EMC for the original MR-MUF.

⁵Chip control technology: The application of a momentary burst of high heat to each chip as it is stacked, causing the bump under the top chip to fuse to a thin pad on top of the bottom chip. The pad holds the chip together and protects it from warpage.

With Heat Control, SK hynix Mass-Produces Highest Level of HBM

A timeline of HBM’s multiple generations and progress in heat dissipation

Starting with the development of HBM2E, the application of MR-MUF and the subsequent Advanced MR-MUF enabled SK hynix to produce the industry’s highest standards of HBM products. Fast-forward to 2024, SK hynix became the first company to mass-produce HBM3E, the latest HBM product which boasts the highest standards of performance. HBM3E saw a 10% improvement in heat-dissipation performance compared with its previous generation, the 8-layer HBM3, following the application of Advanced MR-MUF to become the in-demand memory product in the AI era. Looking ahead, the company is set to maintain its HBM leadership as it has announced plans to bring forward the mass production of the next-generation HBM4 to 2025.

Rulebreaker Interview: Kyoung-Moo Harr, HBM Package Product

To find out more about the original approach which led to the development of MR-MUF and advancement of HBM, the SK hynix newsroom spoke with Technical Leader Kyoung-moo Harr of HBM Package Product. Having actively supported the development of MR-MUF through exploration, testing, and verification of new materials, Harr discusses the impact of this innovative process.

<Other articles from this series>

[Rulebreakers’ Revolutions] How SK hynix Broke Barriers in Mobile DRAM Scaling With World-First HKMG Application

[Rulebreakers’ Revolutions] Innovative Design Scheme Helps HBM3E Reach New Heights

The post [Rulebreakers’ Revolutions] How MR-MUF’s Heat Control Breakthrough Elevated HBM to New Heights first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

The SK hynix Newsroom is running a series of interviews with the Top Team—the executives in charge of the company’s major business divisions. This series provides insights into the business strategies, organizational culture, and more promoted by the leaders to achieve the company’s vision. For this latest interview, the newsroom spoke with Vice President and Head of Package & Test (P&T) Woojin Choi.

For the past 30 years, Woojin Choi has conducted and led R&D in semiconductor memory packaging. During that time, packaging has become increasingly important and is now a pivotal technology for in-demand AI memory solutions such as HBM¹.

¹High Bandwidth Memory (HBM): A high-value, high-performance product that revolutionizes data processing speeds by connecting multiple DRAM chips with through-silicon via (TSV).

As the technology environment has evolved, packaging has become a game-changer in the AI memory market. Amidst this backdrop, Choi, who was appointed as head of SK hynix’s Package & Test (P&T) at the end of 2023, is determined to prove the company’s technological edge. In this latest Top Team Insights interview, the newsroom spoke with Choi about the importance of packaging technologies in the AI era, taking on new challenges, and his mission to go “beyond HBM”.

Leading the AI Memory Market through Limitless Challenges

After wafers undergo the semiconductor front-end process in fabs, P&T oversees the back-end process where wafers are packaged into products and tested to ensure they meet customer expectations.

While packaging traditionally held the role of electrically connecting chips and protecting them from external shocks, it is now vital to enabling differentiated product performances. Consequently, advanced packaging technologies such as TSV² and MR-MUF³ have grown in importance as they have proven to be critical in the development of key products including HBM.

²Through-silicon via (TSV): A technology that drills microscopic holes in DRAM chips to vertically connect silicon dies through electrodes.
³Mass Reflow-Molded Underfill (MR-MUF): Mass reflow is a technology that connects chips together by melting the bumps between stacked chips. Molded underfill fills the gaps between stacked chips with protective material to increase durability and heat dissipation.

Choi believes that facing new challenges will enable a company to become an industry leader in the AI era

“P&T technology is turning into a crucial factor in the battle for semiconductor leadership,” Choi claimed. “As demand for high-performance chips is exploding in the AI era, we will contribute to the development of the highest-performance memory products through advanced packaging technologies.

Choi emphasizes to his employees the importance of setting no limits to challenges. “The way we have aggressively taken on tough challenges has lifted the Korean semiconductor industry to where it is today,” he said. “At a time when countries around the world are investing huge amounts of capital to secure leadership in the semiconductor market, it has become even more vital to continuously embrace new challenges.”

According to Choi, the global semiconductor race has even been likened to a war due to its intense environment. “If continuous innovations and efforts to overcome challenges cease, it could be disastrous for a company,” he said. “It is more crucial than ever to push the limits in all areas of product development including performance, yield, and cost competitiveness.”

Choi says that advanced packaging technologies are key to developing next-generation signature memories

As AI memory is a key pillar in the global semiconductor race, Choi presented the development of signature memories as a key strategy to revolutionize this technology.

“In the age of AI, SK hynix is focusing on signature memories which possess diverse aspects required by customers, including various capabilities, sizes, shapes and power efficiency,” Choi explained. “To realize these products, we are advancing technologies such as TSV and MR-MUF which play a key role in HBM performance. Moreover, we are developing various next-generation packaging technologies including chiplet⁴ and hybrid bonding⁵. These innovations will contribute to the development of new types of semiconductors while supporting heterogeneous integrations such as between semiconductor memory and logic chips.”

⁴Chiplet: A technology that breaks up chips into functions and connects these separated pieces called chiplets on a single substrate to enable heterogeneous bonding and integration.
⁵Hybrid Bonding: A technology that connects chips together directly without bumps to enable higher bandwidth and capacity. This allows for shorter data pathways and the ability to stack more chips in the same space.

Choi stresses that his department will not limit themselves when taking on challenges and will demonstrate their strong technological advantage.

The Next Innovation and Challenge: Building a Global Manufacturing Base

Choi’s emphasis on challenges makes sense when looking at his career. In 2020, he succeeded in developing a heat dissipation solution for HBM3 to improve the product’s performance. He also helped tackle the industry downturn in 2023 by reducing costs in areas including materials and general expenses. Additionally, he quickly secured a production line to meet the growing demand for DRAMs during the rapid rise of ChatGPT, helping SK hynix strengthen its leadership in AI memory.

“It was challenging to respond immediately to the sudden surging demand for AI memory in 2023, but we quickly utilized our TSV packaging line with no additional investments to ramp up the production of our server-oriented 3D stacked memory (3DS)⁶ modules based on DDR5 DRAM,” Choi recalled. “This is an example of a bold decision made in a short period of time. We would not have been able to accomplish this feat if we had hesitated.”

⁶3D Stacked Memory (3DS): A high-bandwidth memory product that is packaged by connecting two or more DRAM chips through TSV. 3DS and HBM differ in that the latter is supplied to the system company before packaging is completed, and it is then packaged with logic chips such as GPUs.

Choi has an instrumental role in the planning of SK hynix’s new manufacturing facility in Indiana

Now, Choi’s challenge awaits overseas. On April 3, SK hynix announced plans to establish a packaging manufacturing facility in the U.S. state of Indiana to enhance its competitiveness in the global HBM market while also enhancing its R&D capabilities in advanced packaging.

Choi is playing a key role in this process by planning the strategy for the construction and operations of the fab. The U.S. packaging plant will receive HBM wafers that have undergone the front-end process from the Korean HQ to produce finished products and, at the same time, actively cooperate in R&D with global companies.

“We are currently in the process of refining the fab design and mass production system, as well as preparing to build an R&D cooperation ecosystem with global companies,” Choi explained. “Once the factory is fully operational, we expect it to make a significant contribution to strengthening the company’s AI memory technology and business leadership.”

Going “Beyond HBM”: Data-Centric Innovations and Focus on Employee Development

As for the important missions of P&T, Choi mentioned maximizing profitability and what he calls going “beyond HBM.” “In the short term, we plan to strengthen our domestic production capabilities to meet demand for HBM while leveraging our global base to maximize profitability,” he said. “In the long run, we aim to secure more innovative packaging technologies like MR-MUF, which is now a vital technology to HBM.”

To accomplish this, Choi highlights the significance of finding answers in the data, a philosophy he has followed throughout his decades of experience in the packaging field.

“As there is a tremendous amount of data during the P&T process, the saying that the ‘answer is in the data’ proves to be true,” Choi said. “If we utilize this data well, we can improve yields and even find clues for new product development. We need to work with the idea that data can guide us to growth.”

To go “beyond HBM,” Choi emphasizes utilizing data for growth and focusing on membership development

Lastly, Choi underlined his commitment to supporting the growth of SK hynix employees. “It is our members who have raised the profile of packaging technology,” he said. “Many of the breakthroughs we have made, such as solving the heat dissipation issue of HBM at the packaging stage, have come from their ideas.” Accordingly, Choi plans to lay the foundation for continued growth so employees can always take on challenges with the mindset of leading the global market.

“Our company is actively interacting with universities and research institutes at home and abroad,” he added. “We plan to capitalize on this to help P&T members gain diverse global experiences and further improve their R&D capabilities to aid their growth and development.”

The post Top Team Insights: “Embrace Limitless Challenges to Strengthen Advanced Packaging Tech,” Motto of P&T Head Woojin Choi first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

• SK hynix extends success of HBM3, marking first case in industry to mass produce HBM3E
• Supply to a customer comes in 7 months after development announced; best-in-class performance to lead level of AI capabilities to world’s best
• SK hynix to cement position as global top provider of AI memory technology, while keeping up business competitiveness

Seoul, March 19, 2024

SK hynix Inc. (or “the company”, www.skhynix.com) announced today that it has begun volume production of HBM3E¹, the newest AI memory product with ultra-high performance, for supply to a customer from late March. The company made public its success with the HBM3E development just seven months ago.

¹HBM (High Bandwidth Memory): A high-value, high-performance memory that vertically interconnects multiple DRAM chips and dramatically increases data processing speed in comparison to conventional DRAM products. HBM3E, the extended version of HBM3, is the fifth generation of HBM following HBM, HBM2, HBM2E and HBM3

SK hynix being the first provider of HBM3E, a product with the best performing DRAM chips, extends its earlier success with HBM3. The company expects a successful volume production of HBM3E, along with its experiences also as the industry’s first provider of HBM3, to help cement its leadership in the AI memory space.

In order to build a successful AI system that processes a huge amount of data quickly, a semiconductor package should be composed in a way that numerous AI processors and memories are multi-connected. Global big tech companies have been increasingly requiring stronger performance of AI semiconductor and SK hynix expects its HBM3E to be their optimal choice that meets such growing expectations.

The latest product is the industry’s best in all the aspects required for an AI memory including speed and heat control. It processes up to 1.18TB of data per second, equivalent to processing more than 230 full-HD movies (5GB each), in a second.

As AI memory operates at an extremely high speed, controlling heat is another key qualification required for AI memories. SK hynix’s HBM3E also comes with a 10% improvement in heat-dissipation performance, compared with the previous generation, following application of the advanced MR-MUF² process.

²MR-MUF (Mass Reflow Molded Underfill): The process of stacking semiconductor chips, injecting liquid protective materials between them to protect the circuit between chips, and hardening them. The process has proved to be more efficient and effective for heat dissipation, compared with the method of laying film-type materials for each chip stack. SK hynix’s advanced MR-MUF technology is critical to securing a stable mass production on the supply side of the HBM ecosystem as pressure on the chips being stacked can be reduced, while warpage control is also improved with adoption of this process.

Sungsoo Ryu, Head of HBM Business at SK hynix, said that mass production of HBM3E has completed the company’s lineup of industry-leading AI memory products. “With the success story of the HBM business and the strong partnership with customers that it has built for years, SK hynix will cement its position as the total AI memory provider.”

About SK hynix Inc.

SK hynix Inc., headquartered in Korea, is the world’s top tier semiconductor supplier offering Dynamic Random Access Memory chips (“DRAM”), flash memory chips (“NAND flash”) and CMOS Image Sensors (“CIS”) for a wide range of distinguished customers globally. The Company’s shares are traded on the Korea Exchange, and the Global Depository shares are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. Further information about SK hynix is available at www.skhynix.com, news.skhynix.com.

Media Contact

SK hynix Inc.
Global Public Relations

Technical Leader
Sooyeon Lee
E-Mail: global_newsroom@skhynix.com

Technical Leader
Kanga Kong
E-Mail: global_newsroom@skhynix.com

The post SK hynix Begins Volume Production of Industry’s First HBM3E first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

The recent boom in demand for artificial intelligence (AI) services such as big data and ChatGPT has intensified competition for the next-generation semiconductor products that support such technologies. SK hynix is pushing technological limits to lead the development of these high-performance products, such as its High Bandwidth Memory (HBM)¹ solutions.

¹High Bandwidth Memory (HBM): A high-value and high-performance product that revolutionizes data processing speed by vertically connecting multiple DRAM chips using Through Silicon Via (TSV). HBM3 is the fourth and latest generation of the series.

After developing the world’s first HBM3 in 2021 and successfully mass producing it the following year, SK hynix announced in April 2023 that it had developed the world’s first 12-layer HBM3 and provided samples to customers including AMD. The latest product offers an industry-leading 24 GB memory capacity in the same size package as its predecessor, highlighting the company’s technical leadership in the field.

To find out more about the 12-layer HBM3, the SK hynix Newsroom met with members of the team behind the product. The team explained about the product’s features, the application of cutting-edge technologies including advanced MR-MUF², the story behind its development, and their ambitions for the next generation of solutions.

²Mass Reflow-Molded Underfill (MR-MUF): A process in which semiconductor chips are stacked and a liquid protective material is injected into the space between the chips and then hardened to protect the chips and the surrounding circuitry. Compared to applying a film-type material after each chip is stacked, MR-MUF is a more efficient process and offers effective heat dissipation.

▲ The 12-layer HBM3 offers the largest industry memory capacity of 24 GB

Achieving the Highest Capacity HBM3 With Advanced MR-MUF

The 12-layer HBM3 offers 50% more memory capacity than its 16 GB predecessor by increasing the number of DRAM chips from 8 to 12. This enabled SK hynix to achieve the largest industry memory capacity of 24 GB while also maintaining the same height, or thickness, as the 16 GB product. In other words, SK hynix was able to develop a solution that can process more data in the same space as before. So how did the company achieve such a feat?

▲ An overview of the technologies used to develop the 12-layer HBM3

In order to increase the product’s capacity, or number of layers, while maintaining its thickness, the stacked DRAM chips had to be 40% thinner than before. However, this can cause problems such as the chips bending easily. The team overcame these technical issues by applying an improved epoxy molding compound (EMC)³ and utilizing advanced MR-MUF technology with a new stacking method.

³Epoxy molding compound (EMC): A heat dissipation material based on epoxy resin, a type of thermosetting polymer, that seals semiconductor chips to protect them from environmental factors such as heat, moisture, and shock.

SK hynix is currently providing samples of the new solution to a number of its global customers for performance testing and has received an overwhelmingly positive response.

“AI models continue to grow and drive demand for large memory capacity. We welcome the efforts by SK hynix to increase HBM memory capacity to support cutting-edge AI models,” said Roman Kyrychynskyi, corporate vice president (CVP) of Product Management at AMD.

“With the 12-layer HBM3, System-on-Chip (SoC)⁴ companies can achieve a 1.5-times memory capacity increase with the same size product without the need for additional space in the system,” said PL Wang-su Kim, who is in charge of DRAM product planning at SK hynix. “Many customers have shown high confidence in our technology. We will start supplying the new product in the second half of 2023.”

⁴System-on-Chip (SoC): A product that integrates multimedia components (graphics, audio, and video), semiconductors (CPU and DRAM), and all hardware components necessary for a computer to process instructions into one chip.

Securing Excellent Heat Dissipation, Productivity, and Reliability

▲ Wang-su Kim explains the development of the 12-layer HBM3

“SK hynix anticipated customer and market needs and had already put a 24 GB product on the development roadmap in 2022,” said Kim. “This allowed us to move quickly to develop the technology and introduce the 12-layer HBM3 24 GB package.”

Kim added that the 12-layer HBM3 was developed in about ten months following the mass production of the previous 8-layer version. During this remarkably rapid product development process, the team inevitably encountered some challenges. In particular, stacking 12 DRAM chips, which are 40% thinner, with a 13% narrower gap than before made it difficult to maintain control of the chips and apply the original packaging process. PL Jong-oh Kwon, in charge of wafer-level package (WLP) back-end (BE) development, revealed that the solution was to introduce the advanced MR-MUF process.

▲ Jong-oh Kwon (standing) explains the advanced MR-MUF technology

“The advanced MR-MUF process offers three improvements over the original MR-MUF,” said Kwon. “First, we incorporated new technology to control the thinning of the wafers so they don’t bend. Next, during the 12-layer stacking process, we momentarily applied intense heat to ensure that the bumps connecting the chips were evenly spliced. Finally, we placed a new heat-dissipating EMC material under a vacuum and applied 70 tons of pressure to fill the tight spaces between the chips.”

Kwon emphasized that advanced MR-MUF retains the advantages of the original MR-MUF, while increasing productivity approximately three-fold and boosting heat dissipation by around 2.5 times.

Cross-Organizational Collaboration and Testing Key to Success

PL Kim credited cross-organizational collaboration as a major factor in the product’s success. He highlighted how this “one-team” mindset enabled harmonized product development. This is shown by the combination of the device technology that prevents defects during the stacking process, the design technology that ensures uniform cell speed in higher layers, and the package technology that supports effective heat dissipation.

▲ Jin-woo Park (left) and Ju-heon Yang (right) talk about the development process of the 12-layer HBM3

A sharp focus on testing to ensure quality and reliability was also a key success factor. “There are hundreds of thousands of bumps between chips,” said PL Ju-heon Yang, who is responsible for WLP front-end (FE) development. “We tested them one by one to find the optimal bonding conditions and minimize defects.”

“With 1.5 times more chips stacked than before, it was difficult to secure yield and quality early on,” said PL Hyung-su Sung, who tests DRAM wafers and HBM3 on the HBM Product Engineering (PE) team. “After numerous attempts, we established an optimal test baseline for the 12-layer solution.”

As with other solutions, the 12-layer HBM3 can only be considered a finished product when it is packaged for the customer without defects. PL Kim and PL Jin-woo Park, who is in charge of HBM package products, are working hard to complete this process and are currently carrying out customer performance verification.

“We are actively communicating with our customers to solve any issues,” said Park. “We are building a win-win ‘HBM ecosystem’ so that we can have a mutual understanding with our customers, share information, and create the best products.”

Continuing to Lead the Way With HBM3E & HBM4

▲ Hyung-su Sung (left), Wang-su Kim (center), and Jong-oh Kwon (right) share their thoughts on the development of the 12-layer HBM3

Although there is still a long way to go, the team members are overjoyed with their achievements. “There is always a sense of trepidation to go down an unknown road, but it makes the joy of reaching your goal even greater,” said Sung. “We are proud to have developed the world’s first 12-layer HBM3.”

▲ Wang-su Kim analyzes the 12-layer HBM3

The team is committed to maintaining SK hynix’s leadership in the HBM field by continuing to advance HBM solutions in the future. With plans to develop the next-generation HBM3E and HBM4 products, the company will further enhance its reputation as a pioneer of HBM technology unmatched by its rivals.

The post Strengthening HBM Market Leadership: Meet the SK hynix Team Behind the World’s First 12-Layer HBM3 first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

• Develops HBM3 product with industry’s largest 24GB memory capacity; customers’ performance evaluation of samples underway
• Features high-capacity and high-performance through stacking of 12 DRAM chips
• Plans to complete preparation for mass production by first half of 2023, aimed at solidifying company’s leadership in cutting-edge DRAM market

Seoul, April 20, 2023

SK hynix Inc. (or “the company”, www.skhynix.com) announced today it has become the industry’s first to develop 12-layer HBM3¹ product with a 24 gigabyte (GB)² memory capacity, currently the largest in the industry, and said customers’ performance evaluation of samples is underway.

¹HBM (High Bandwidth Memory): A high-value, high-performance memory that vertically interconnects multiple DRAM chips and dramatically increases data processing speed in comparison to traditional DRAM products. HBM3 is the 4^th generation product, succeeding the previous generations HBM, HBM2 and HBM2E

²Maximum memory capacity of the previously developed 8-layer HBM3 product was 16GB

“The company succeeded in developing the 24GB package product that increased the memory capacity by 50% from the previous product, following the mass production of the world’s first HBM3 in June last year,” SK hynix said. “We will be able to supply the new products to the market from the second half of the year, in line with growing demand for premium memory products driven by the AI-powered chatbot industry.”

SK hynix engineers improved process efficiency and performance stability by applying Advanced Mass Reflow Molded Underfill (MR-MUF)³ technology to the latest product, while Through Silicon Via (TSV)⁴ technology reduced the thickness of a single DRAM chip by 40%, achieving the same stack height level as the 16GB product.

³MR-MUF (Mass Reflow Molded Underfill): A method of placing multiple chips on the lower substrate and bonding them at once through reflow, and then simultaneously filling the gap between the chips or between the chip and the substrate with a mold material.

⁴TSV (Through Silicon Via): An interconnecting technology used in advanced packaging that links the upper and lower chips with electrode that vertically passes through thousands of fine holes on DRAM chips. SK hynix’s HBM3 that integrated this technology can process up to 819GB per second, meaning that 163 FHD (Full-HD) movies can be transmitted in a single second.

The HBM, first developed by SK hynix in 2013, has drawn broad attention from the memory chip industry for its crucial role in implementing generative AI that operates in high-performance computing (HPC) systems.

The latest HBM3 standard, in particular, is considered the optimal product for rapid processing of large volumes of data, and therefore its adoption by major global tech companies is on the rise.

SK hynix has provided samples of its 24GB HBM3 product to multiple customers that have expressed great expectation for the latest product, while the performance evaluation of the product is in progress.

“AI models continue to grow and drive demand for large memory capacity,” said Roman Kyrychynskyi, CVP Product Management at AMD. “We welcome the efforts by our memory suppliers to increase HBM memory capacity to support cutting edge AI models.”

“SK hynix was able to continuously develop a series of ultra-high speed and high capacity HBM products through its leading technologies used in the back-end process,” said Sang Hoo Hong, Head of Package & Test at SK hynix. “The company plans to complete mass production preparation for the new product within the first half of the year to further solidify its leadership in cutting-edge DRAM market in the era of AI.”

About SK hynix Inc.

SK hynix Inc., headquartered in Korea, is the world’s top tier semiconductor supplier offering Dynamic Random Access Memory chips (“DRAM”), flash memory chips (“NAND flash”) and CMOS Image Sensors (“CIS”) for a wide range of distinguished customers globally. The Company’s shares are traded on the Korea Exchange, and the Global Depository shares are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. Further information about SK hynix is available at www.skhynix.com, news.skhynix.com.

Media Contact

SK hynix Inc.
Global Public Relations

Technical Leader
Joori Roh
E-Mail: global_newsroom@skhynix.com

Technical Leader
Kanga Kong
E-Mail: global_newsroom@skhynix.com

The post SK hynix Develops Industry’s First 12-Layer HBM3, Provides Samples to Customers first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

Packaging technology has four main functions. It protects the semiconductor chip from external shock or damage, provides external power and wiring to the chip, and properly distributes heat generated by the chip to ensure stable operation. Additionally, packaging technology acts as a bridge by connecting the gaps existing between semiconductor devices and systems.

Over the past two decades, packaging technology has evolved significantly. These developments include stacking multiple chips onto one package and including chip bumps for interconnection that shortened the signal path to achieve faster operating speeds. Most recently, packaging technology can be considered a system solution by itself as it’s capable of connecting various types of chips into one package and many parts into one module when incorporating a system.

In this EE Times article by Ki-ill Moon, head of Package Technology Development at SK hynix, the author details how SK hynix’s packaging technologies such as Chip-on-Chip (CoC) and Mass Reflow Molded Underfill (MR-MUF) produced vast improvements in speed, cost, and quality.

Today, SK hynix is leading the packaging revolution as it has been mass-producing advanced packaging products based on HBM3 and focusing on investing in production lines and securing resources for the development of future packaging technologies such as heterogenous integration and Fan-out RDL.

As SK hynix always strives to maintain its leadership position in today’s semiconductor memory industry, the company will continue to make innovative efforts to advance its packaging technologies and become a total “solution provider.”

Learn more about the evolution of packaging technology by reading the EE Times article: The Value of Semiconductor Packaging Technology in the Era of Heterogeneous Integration

The post The Value of Semiconductor Packaging Technology in the Era of Heterogeneous Integration first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.