Lam Research is accelerating its investment in panel-level processes, which are considered the next pillar of competition in AI semiconductor packaging. As demand for large packages and heterogeneous integration increases, the role of equipment companies is expanding beyond supplying unit process equipment to verifying technologies developed in the development stage so that they can be applied to actual production lines.

Lam Research announced on the 26th that it has established the 'Panel-Level Packaging Center of Excellence' in Salzburg, Austria. This center is a facility that conducts research and development on panel-level packaging processes and supports customers and partners in validating initial technologies and verifying their feasibility for mass production.

This center is based on Semsysco, an Austrian company acquired by Lam Research in 2022. Semsysco possesses panel-level wet process technology. Through this acquisition, Lam Research secured panel process technology and a research base in Europe, and with the establishment of this center, it has expanded its related capabilities into the field of advanced packaging.

Panel-level processes are evaluated as a method that can compensate for the area limitations of circular wafer-based processes. This is because the demand for processes utilizing larger rectangular substrates is increasing as package sizes grow due to the proliferation of AI server semiconductors, HBM, and chiplet structures. The panel method is advantageous for producing large packages in terms of substrate area utilization and scalability.

The Salzburg Center is Lam Research's first wet process R&D facility dedicated to panels. It handles wet chemical processes, such as plating, etching, and cleaning, on square and rectangular substrates of various sizes and thicknesses. Here, customers can verify process reproducibility, perform early technology validation, and identify potential risks during the transition to mass production in advance.

Lam Research utilizes the Kallisto and Phoenix platforms at this center. Both platforms support electroplating (ECD), etching, and cleaning processes and are designed with mass production conditions in mind, such as automation and throughput. They are intended to be used to adapt research-stage process results to actual manufacturing environments.

"With the demand for AI and high-performance technology growing rapidly, it is important to accelerate the transition speed from R&D to mass production," said Aaron Felice, Vice President of the Wet Equipment Technology Systems Products Group at Lam Research. "The Salzburg Center will serve as a hub to accelerate development with customers and partners."