Taiyo Holdings’ New Material Paves Way for Next-Gen AI Chips with Ultra-Fine Interconnects

Tokyo, Japan – Taiyo Holdings, a leading Japanese materials manufacturer, has announced a breakthrough in semiconductor packaging technology with its newly developed FPIM™ Series insulating material. This innovative material allows for the creation of redistribution layers (RDLs) with a critical dimension of just 1.6 micrometers, pushing the boundaries of interconnect density and promising significant performance gains for demanding applications like artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC).

The announcement, backed by collaborative research with the prestigious Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (imec) in Belgium, positions Taiyo Holdings at the forefront of a critical trend in the semiconductor industry: advanced packaging. As traditional silicon scaling slows, increasingly sophisticated packaging techniques are becoming essential to continue improving chip performance and functionality.

The Limits of Silicon and the Rise of Advanced Packaging

For decades, Moore’s Law – the observation that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles approximately every two years – drove relentless improvements in computing power. However, as transistors approach physical limits, further miniaturization is becoming increasingly challenging and expensive. This has led to a growing focus on alternative approaches, with advanced packaging emerging as a key enabler of continued innovation.

“The industry is recognizing that simply shrinking transistors isn’t enough anymore,” explains one industry analyst. “Packaging is now just as important, if not more so, in determining overall chip performance. You need to be able to connect these increasingly complex chips efficiently, and that requires denser, more reliable interconnects.”

Advanced packaging techniques, such as fan-out wafer-level packaging (FOWLP) and 2.5D/3D integration, allow for the creation of denser, more interconnected chips. RDLs, which act as the “wiring” within these advanced packages, are a crucial component of this technology.

FPIM™ Series: Pushing the Boundaries of RDL Technology

The FPIM™ Series insulating material addresses the growing demand for finer RDLs by enabling the creation of interconnects with a critical dimension of 1.6 micrometers. This is a significant achievement, approaching the resolution limits of current lithography technology.

“Achieving this level of miniaturization requires not only a high-performance material but also precise process control,” says a researcher involved in the imec collaboration. “The FPIM™ Series exhibits excellent resolution, chemical resistance, and compatibility with the damascene process, which is becoming increasingly important for advanced packaging.”

The damascene process, a technique for creating fine, high-density interconnects, is gaining traction as it allows for greater precision and control compared to traditional methods. While the process is more complex, the benefits in terms of performance and density are becoming increasingly compelling.

Collaborative Research and Industry Validation

The development of the FPIM™ Series was the result of a close collaboration between Taiyo Holdings and imec. The partnership, which began in October 2022, involved sending Taiyo Holdings researchers to imec’s facilities to work side-by-side with leading experts in semiconductor packaging.

“The collaboration with imec was instrumental in achieving this breakthrough,” a Taiyo Holdings spokesperson stated. “Their expertise in advanced lithography and materials science, combined with our materials development capabilities, allowed us to overcome the technical challenges and deliver a truly innovative product.”

The performance of the FPIM™ Series has been validated through rigorous testing and analysis. Results confirm that the material exhibits favorable electrical characteristics, including low leakage current and resistance, making it suitable for high-performance applications.

Targeting AI, HPC, and Beyond

The primary target application for the FPIM™ Series is advanced AI semiconductors. The increasing complexity of AI models demands higher memory bandwidth, lower latency, and improved power efficiency, all of which can be addressed by advanced packaging solutions with high-density RDLs.

“AI chips are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in terms of performance and power consumption,” explains an industry expert. “Advanced packaging is essential to meeting these demands, and the FPIM™ Series has the potential to be a game-changer in this space.”

Beyond AI, the FPIM™ Series is also expected to find applications in HPC, data centers, and other demanding applications that require high-performance interconnects. The material’s ability to enable heterogeneous integration – combining different chiplets into a single package – opens up new possibilities for system design and optimization.

“Heterogeneous integration is becoming increasingly important for creating complex, high-performance systems,” says a semiconductor packaging engineer. “The FPIM™ Series provides a key building block for realizing this vision.”

Future Outlook and Continued Innovation

Taiyo Holdings has already begun offering small quantity samples of the FPIM™ Series for R&D purposes, with plans to ramp up production in the coming months. The company has also set ambitious goals for future development, aiming to achieve RDL formation with critical dimensions of 500 nanometers or less.

“We are committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in semiconductor packaging,” a Taiyo Holdings representative stated. “We believe that advanced packaging will play an increasingly important role in driving innovation in the semiconductor industry, and we are committed to being at the forefront of this technology.”

The development of the FPIM™ Series underscores the growing importance of materials science in the semiconductor industry. As the industry continues to push the limits of miniaturization, innovative materials will be essential for enabling continued progress and delivering the next generation of high-performance chips.