Since the invention of integrated circuit, it has gone through several decades. In these years, advanced semiconductor processes have developed rapidly according to Moore's law. Today, with the slowdown of Moore's law, the integrated circuit industry is entering the era of post Moore's law. To continue Moore's law, it is one of the methods to solve the bottleneck of back-end "packaging" technology.

In recent years, the development focus of some large wafer manufacturers is shifting from the pursuit of more advanced nano process to the innovation of packaging technology. Such as Samsung, TSMC, Intel and other chip manufacturers have stepped into the field of packaging, 3D packaging technology undoubtedly began to become an important battlefield for giants.

Packaging technology came into being with the invention of integrated circuit. Its main functions are to complete power distribution, signal distribution, heat dissipation and protection. With the development of chip technology, packaging technology is also in constant innovation.

Previously, the chips were all carried out at the 2D level, and the industry research focused on how to increase the number of components per unit area and improve the micro precision. After that, many large factories began to expand their thinking, and applied a stem from Liu Cixin's science fiction piece "three bodies", 3D chips launched a "dimension reduction attack" on traditional 2D chips.

Compared with traditional packaging, 3D technology can reduce the size and weight by 40-50 times; in terms of speed, 3D technology can save power to make 3D components operate at faster conversion speed per second without increasing energy consumption, reduce parasitic capacitance and inductance, and at the same time, 3D packaging can make more effective use of the effective area of silicon chip. This kind of package has more advantages in integration, performance and power consumption, and has higher design freedom and shorter development time.

It is one of the most promising packaging technologies.

In view of these advantages, the application of advanced packaging technology seems inevitable. According to Myers consulting quoting yole's prediction, the advanced packaging market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8% from 2019 to 2024, and the market size will reach US $44 billion by 2024; meanwhile, the compound annual growth rate of traditional packaging market is expected to be only 2.4%. With the increasing demand for artificial intelligence (AI), the demand for semiconductors will increase significantly. Of course, demand for 3D technology depends on a number of factors, including the booming market for smartphones, tablets, wearable devices and other related consumer goods, and the ecosystem of multiple semiconductor companies (not just a few big ones) committed to upgrading to newer packaging technologies.

At present, there are still uncertainties about 3D Packaging Technology in the market. For example, when and how to adopt these new packaging configurations, and who will dominate the market? All companies in the semiconductor industry (e.g., memory suppliers, logic manufacturers, foundry and packaging subcontractors) must explore strategic alliances and partnerships to ensure the development of viable advanced packaging ecosystems.

For IC manufacturers, foundry and other companies, it is also possible to win over competitors in terms of pricing and quantity. As a result, semiconductor enterprises are faced with crucial decisions in advanced packaging. Whether their goal is to become a pioneer or a fast follower determines the complexity of these choices.

Through the performance of the three major foundry companies in advanced packaging, we may be able to understand one or two.