Samsung Electronics Develops Next-Generation Semiconductor Package Technology 'I-Cube4'

Reader 2.5D Package Solution
Logic and Four HBM Implemented in One Package... Operates Like a Single Semiconductor
Used for High-Performance Computing and AI... Increases Data Processing Speed

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Samsung Electronics announced on the 6th that it has developed the next-generation semiconductor package technology "I-Cube4," which integrates logic chips such as central processing units (CPU) and graphics processing units (GPU) with high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips into a single package.

I-Cube is Samsung Electronics' proprietary 2.5D package solution brand. The 2.5D package technology uses an interposer (a functional package board that acts as a layer between the printed circuit board and the chip) to place logic chips such as CPU and GPU and HBM within a single package. The number "4" following I-Cube indicates that four HBM chips are included. This technology effectively increases data processing speed by integrating multiple chips into one package and reduces the area occupied by the package inside the product.

Samsung Electronics stated, "We expect I-Cube4 to be widely used in high-performance computing (HPC), which demands high-bandwidth data transmission and high-performance system semiconductors, as well as in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud services, and data centers."

Semiconductor manufacturing is divided into "front-end processes," which involve drawing fine circuits on silicon wafers, and "back-end processes," which include testing, cutting, and packaging after wafer fabrication. Technologies that integrate multiple functional semiconductors into one, like I-Cube, are classified as advanced packaging work within the back-end process.

Previously, semiconductor manufacturing competition focused mainly on individual products with unique performances such as DRAM, NAND flash, logic, and image sensor semiconductors (CIS). However, with the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, platforms using semiconductors have diversified, including AI, autonomous driving, Internet of Things (IoT), HPC, and wearables, highlighting the importance of back-end processes including packaging technology.

Samsung Electronics' Next-Generation Semiconductor Package Technology 'I-Cube4'
Photo by Samsung Electronics

Application of Silicon Interposer... Stable Power Supply and Ultra-fine Wiring Implementation
Excellent Heat Dissipation Structure
"I-Cube6 and I-Cube8 Development Planned"

In the global semiconductor market, companies possessing 2.5D technology that integrates multiple chips into a single package like I-Cube are known to be limited to Taiwan's TSMC and Samsung Electronics. Previously, Samsung Electronics introduced the "I-Cube2" solution in 2018, which integrated logic and two HBM chips, and last year unveiled the "X-Cube" technology that vertically stacks logic and cache memory (SRAM, a temporary storage space for frequently used tasks or operations), demonstrating its commitment to next-generation package technologies.

I-Cube4 requires a wider interposer than I-Cube2 due to having two more HBM chips. Generally, as the area increases, the interposer tends to warp like cooking foil curling, but Samsung developed technology that prevents interposer deformation up to about 100μm, which is thinner than a sheet of A4 paper.

Additionally, by applying a silicon-based interposer, ultra-fine wiring is realized, and stable power supply necessary for semiconductor operation is ensured. Samsung explained that a proprietary structure that does not require thermosetting resin (mold), which is used to protect chips from moisture, vibration, and shock, is applied to more efficiently dissipate heat.

Kang Moon-soo, Executive Vice President of Samsung Electronics' Foundry Business Division Market Strategy Team, said, "The importance of next-generation package technology is increasing, especially in the high-performance computing field. Based on the experience of mass-producing I-Cube2 and the technological competitiveness of commercializing I-Cube4, we plan to develop new technologies that mount 6 to 8 HBM chips and expand our presence in the 2.5D package market."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.