Dongjin Semichem has begun supplying chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) slurry to SK Hynix for the latter’s high bandwidth memory (HBM) production, TheElec has learned.
The deal breaks Soulbrain’s monopoly over the material for use in HBM production in South Korea.
HBM production by Samsung and SK Hynix began to jump last year due to high demand, so the chipmakers have been looking to diversify their supply chains.
SK Hynix has been very receptive to the CMP slurry sample provided by Dongjin Semichem, considering it better than its competitor’s, sources said.
Though the chipmaker has so far procured a small volume for certain processes, it plans to expand this going forward, they said.
The slurry is used during the CMP process in wafer fabrication to flatten the surface. Oxide slurry is used to flatten insulating layers and metal slurry is used to flatten metal circuits.
Dongjin Semichem began supplying CMP slurry back in 1999 and provides its oxide and tungsten slurry to Samsung and SK Hynix.
The CMP slurry for use in HBM production has been developed recently, being first unveiled in January during Semicon Korea 2024.
The CMP slurry used in HBM production is aimed at flattening the charged copper on through silicon via (TSV).
