Lee Kang-wook, vice president in charge of PKG Development at SK hynix, delivered a compelling keynote speech at Semicon Korea 2024 held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Oct. 24. Lee, a leading figure in the development of core high-bandwidth memory (HBM) packaging technology, emphasized the transformative role of packaging in the semiconductor industry, stating, “Packaging has evolved from enhancing the value of products in the past to creating new business opportunities. Next, it may determine the survival of companies.”
Lee’s address highlighted the critical importance of packaging in solving both technical and economic challenges within the semiconductor sector. “Packaging solves both technical and economic issues of semiconductors and drives industrial innovation,” he asserted. Since 2018, Lee has spearheaded the development of packaging technology for HBM products at SK hynix, playing a pivotal role in the company’s advancements.
In 2019, Lee introduced the innovative packaging technology MR-MUF during the development of the third-generation HBM product, HBM2E, which significantly bolstered SK hynix’s position in the HBM market. He underscored the shift from the “More Moore” paradigm, which focuses on increasing integration density, to “More than Moore,” which integrates various functions on a single chip. “Previously, the law of addition applied, where packaging merely enhanced product value. Now, it’s the law of multiplication. Even if a company excels in design and device manufacturing, without packaging capabilities, it cannot seize business opportunities,” Lee explained.
Lee also discussed the economic advantages of advanced packaging, noting that it can maximize corporate value with relatively smaller investments compared to traditional fab-centric approaches. He cited the contrasting situations of Taiwan’s TSMC and the United States’ Intel to illustrate his point. “Companies centered on fab technology need to continue investing trillions of won, which reduces profitability. However, advanced packaging requires relatively smaller investments while creating new business opportunities, thereby increasing corporate value,” he said.
The role of HBM in the AI era was another focal point of Lee’s speech. “The most important keyword in the AI era is processing large amounts of data. HBM maximizes AI’s learning and inference performance by increasing bandwidth, saving space, and improving power efficiency,” he stated. Lee proudly referred to HBM as “Hynix’s Best Memory” due to its significant revenue generation.
SK hynix is currently mass-producing HBM with up to 12 layers and is developing the 6th-generation HBM (HBM4) with 16 layers. Lee elaborated on the future of stacking technology, centered on hybrid bonding, which uses copper-to-copper connections for higher connection density and performance. “Initially, we stacked 4 layers, and now we are mass-producing up to 12 layers. The 6th-generation HBM (HBM4) will have 16 layers. We are developing stacking technology centered on hybrid bonding because we don’t know how far we can go with 20, 24, or 32 layers,” he said.
Looking ahead, Lee predicted that the HBM business would evolve into a customized form based on customer demands. “Customers demand optimization by engraving desired circuits on the logic die. The HBM business will also evolve into a customized form,” he concluded.
As the semiconductor industry continues to navigate the complexities of the AI era, Lee’s insights underscore the pivotal role of advanced packaging technologies in driving innovation and maintaining competitive advantage. The developments at SK hynix, particularly in HBM technology, highlight the company’s strategic focus on leveraging packaging to enhance performance and create new business opportunities.
