Showa Denko Materials Establishes the “JOINT2” Consortium for the Development of Next-Generation Semiconductor Packaging Technologies

October 29, 2021

Showa Denko Materials Co., Ltd. (President and CEO: Hisashi Maruyama) announces the establishment of the “JOINT2 (Jisso Open Innovation Network of Tops 2)” consortium comprised of 12 companies developing semiconductor packaging materials, substrates, and equipment (see “Members” in the “Overview of the JOINT2 Consortium” below). The consortium, based at Showa Denko Materials" Packaging Solution Center in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, launched operations on October 1, and its member companies will jointly develop packaging evaluation technologies, materials, substrates, and equipment in response to technological changes, with the aim of establishing next-generation semiconductor packaging technologies, including 2.5D^※1 and 3D^※2 packaging, and evaluation technologies.

As the commercialization of 5th generation mobile communications systems (hereinafter “5G”) progresses, the enhanced version of 5G (hereinafter “post-5G”) with ultra-low latency^※3 and multiple concurrent connections^※4 is expected to be applied in various fields, including autonomous driving and telemedicine. For the current systems, IC chips with different functions, such as logic and memory, are mounted separately on substrates, but to support 5G and post-5G systems, these IC chips and other components require high-density mounting to prevent further signal delays, so the demand is growing for technologies that can integrate different chips into a single semiconductor package.

To meet these challenges, Showa Denko Materials and other companies jointly established the “JOINT2” consortium in October this year to develop next-generation semiconductor packaging technologies, including 2.5D and 3D packaging, required for 5G and post-5G information communications systems. JOINT2 will form multiple working groups among its members, bringing their expertise through open innovation to develop next-generation semiconductor packaging technologies, such as fine-pitch bump bonding,^※5 fine-pitch RDL (Redistribution layer) formation^※6 used for filling the gap of connection pitch between devices and substrates, and highly reliable large substrates designed to enlarge mounted components.

Ahead of establishing the JOINT2 consortium, Showa Denko Materials was selected by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (hereinafter “NEDO”) in May this year for its project “Post-5G Information and Communication Systems Infrastructure Reinforcement Research and Development Project/Development of Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology.” With subsidies from NEDO, JOINT2 membership fees, and Showa Denko Materials’ investment, the consortium will introduce the equipment necessary to evaluate next-generation semiconductor packages, including flip chip bonders and equipment for panel CMP, temporary bonding and de-bonding, panel grinding, plating, and wafer molding.

In 2018, Showa Denko Materials relocated its Open Laboratory in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, to Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, with the facility renamed the Packaging Solution Center as a research and development base for semiconductor packaging materials and processes.
In the same year, Showa Denko Materials established the “JOINT (Jisso Open Innovation Network of Tops)” consortium at the Packaging Solution Center to provide comprehensive solutions for semiconductor packaging materials, equipment, and processes by promoting open innovation in collaboration with other companies. The JOINT projects include the development of large fan-out panel level packaging^※7 for application processors as well as passive components in a system-in-package for stacking multiple chips inside a single package. The combination of the member companies’ materials and equipment will allow materials and equipment to be evaluated under conditions similar to the semiconductor evaluation tests conducted by customers. This arrangement will help customers save the time and trouble of carrying out individual evaluations for their suppliers and thereby respond to the need for speedy development of semiconductor packages.

For JOINT2, Showa Denko Materials will work with its member companies to further promote open innovation and accelerate the development of more sophisticated evaluation technologies, materials, substrates, and equipment applicable to next-generation semiconductor packaging technologies.

 

• ※1 2.5D packaging refers to the technology of arranging parallel IC chips on a silicon interposer.
• ※2 3D packaging refers to the technology of stacking chips using a through-silicon via (TSV).
• ※3 Ultra-low latency refers to minimal delay during communication.
• ※4 Multiple concurrent connections refer to connecting multiple devices simultaneously to one base station.
• ※5 Fine-pitch bump bonding refers to the technology of vertically connecting IC chips and other components with high-density metal protrusions.
• ※6 Fine-pitch RDL formation refers to the technology of connecting IC chips and other components in a planar direction with high-density circuit.
• ※7 Fan-out panel level packaging refers to one of the packaging technologies with semiconductors packaged at the panel level, unlike fan-out wafer level packaging with semiconductors packaged at the wafer level. The use of panels larger than wafers allows numerous chips to be mounted at a time, leading to higher productivity and lower packaging costs.

 

Overview of the JOINT2 Consortium

• To Japanese