As the alliance between SK hynix and HANMI Semiconductor shows noticeable cracks regarding the supply of TC bonders, a core manufacturing equipment for high-bandwidth memory (HBM), Hanwha Semitek is pursuing an expansion of its supply scale with an improved TC bonder tailored to the requirements of SK hynix. This year, as SK hynix is preparing for additional facility investments to enhance its HBM production capacity, tensions between the two companies are increasing.
According to industry sources on the 12th, Hanwha Semitek is focusing on equipping the TC bonders used in SK hynix's HBM manufacturing with software that enhances automation features and convenience, as well as improvements to engineer-friendly equipment. In the first half of this year, the TC bonders supplied by Hanwha Semitek to SK hynix included automated solutions for maintenance compared to existing equipment, resulting in relatively higher supply prices from SK hynix.
A TC bonder is a piece of equipment that stacks DRAM vertically on a wafer substrate through high temperature and pressure. HBM is a high-performance memory semiconductor made by vertically stacking DRAM on a substrate. As it involves extremely fine processing at the nanometer (㎚) level, the technology of the TC bonder significantly impacts memory yield.
SK hynix, the world's top HBM supplier, has already sold out its HBM supply for this year and is negotiating next year's supply volume with major customers, including NVIDIA. The issue is that market demand exceeds SK hynix's production capacity. As a result, it has become unavoidable for SK hynix to place additional orders for TC bonders before the completion of its Cheongju M15X plant in the fourth quarter.
To enhance its HBM production capacity, SK hynix attempted diversification in TC bonders, ordering 12 units valued at 42 billion won from Hanwha Semitek in two batches this year. Consequently, HANMI Semiconductor, which primarily supplied TC bonders to SK hynix, has opposed the supply from its rival Hanwha Semitek, with whom it has been in disputes over technology leaks and patent infringement issues.
An industry insider noted, 'The most controversial issue is that the prices of Hanwha Semitek's TC bonder equipment are set at a higher level than that of existing HANMI Semiconductor equipment.' He explained, 'From HANMI Semiconductor's perspective, which has formed a solid alliance with SK hynix, this might be difficult to accept.' In response, HANMI Semiconductor has converted customer service (CS) previously offered for free to a paid service for SK hynix and has notified a 28% increase in the supply price as retaliatory measures.
SK hynix stated that the unit prices for supplies were set at appropriate levels through negotiations with the equipment manufacturers. They argued that there is no reason for SK hynix to impose a premium on Hanwha Semitek's TC bonders without any justification. A source familiar with SK hynix mentioned, 'The contract terms differ according to the vendors based more on the desired additional options from SK hynix than on the performance of the TC bonder itself.'
It is understood that SK hynix rated Hanwha Semitek's TC bonders highly due to their automation systems and maintenance convenience. A representative from Hanwha Semitek explained, 'The TC bonders supplied to SK hynix this year were designed to be 'equipment that requires less human intervention', incorporating various digital solutions for automation and engineer-friendly software.' He added, 'We made efforts to accommodate the requirements of SK hynix engineers to enable easy implementation from 8-layer to 12-layer and up to 16-layer.' He continued, 'We are focusing all company resources on maximizing the supply volume this year.'
Meanwhile, SK hynix is also putting significant effort into resolving conflicts with HANMI Semiconductor. In a situation where Micron in the U.S. is eyeing SK hynix's dominance in the HBM market, HANMI Semiconductor is currently supplying a large number of TC bonders to Micron. Furthermore, as there are over 100 units of HANMI Semiconductor TC bonders installed in SK hynix's factories as of last year, resolving conflicts with HANMI Semiconductor is essential to meet customer demand. A representative from SK hynix stated, 'All equipment suppliers, including HANMI Semiconductor and Hanwha Semitek, are important partners,' adding that 'there is no preferential treatment towards any specific company.'