[News] Samsung Rumored to Adopt Hybrid Bonding Patent from China’s YMTC for 400+ Layer NAND

As memory giants fiercely compete to push the limits of NAND technology, a surprising twist has emerged: Samsung is reportedly set to use a hybrid bonding patent from China’s YMTC, starting with its V10 (10th generation) NAND, according to the latest ZDNet report.

The report indicates that Samsung aims to begin mass production of its V10 NAND by the second half of 2025, with the product expected to feature around 420 to 430 layers.

Notably, along with Samsung, SK hynix is rumored to be negotiating a patent agreement with YMTC, the report suggests.

YMTC: Strong Portfolio in Xtacking

As per ZDNet, YMTC, China’s largest NAND manufacturer, was the first to apply the hybrid bonding technology, named “Xtacking,” to 3D NAND around four years ago. Since then, it has built a strong patent portfolio in this area, as noted in the report.

Another report from TechPowerUp discloses that despite US sanctions, YMTC has made strides with its Xtacking 4.0 (Gen5) process, which has been applied to its fifth-generation 3D NAND chips with 294 layers.

According to ZDNet, Samsung previously used the COP (Cell on Peripheral) method on NAND production, where the peripheral circuit was placed on one wafer and cells were stacked on top. However, as layer counts exceed 400, pressure on the lower peripheral impacts reliability.

The application of hybrid bonding, therefore, removes the need for bumps, shortening the electrical path to improve performance and heat dissipation, the report adds.

According to ZDNet, Xperi (U.S.), YMTC (China), and TSMC (Taiwan) hold most hybrid bonding patents. The report suggests Samsung partnered with YMTC due to the challenge of bypassing its patents for next-gen NAND like V10, V11, and V12.

Read more

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• [News] XMC, Sister Company of YMTC, Has STAR Market IPO Application Accepted

(Photo credit: YMTC)