Tom’s Hardware Reports: TSMC Achieves 6-Micron Hybrid Bonding, Full HBM Integration Potentially Delayed to HBM4E/HBM5 (2027-Late 2020s)

September 6, 2026

Tom’s Hardware USA

Overview

Tom’s Hardware reports on the 2026 status of hybrid bonding, revealing TSMC’s SoIC achieves 3.5D integration by combining hybrid-bonded stacks with CoWoS modules on silicon interposers, reaching 6-micron precision. Conversely, SK hynix continues to use advanced Mass Reflow–Molded Underfill (MR-MUF) for 16-layer HBM4, reportedly showcasing non-hybrid-bonded 16-layer HBM4 samples at CES 2026. This suggests that the widespread adoption of hybrid bonding for HBM may be delayed until the HBM4E and HBM5 generations, anticipated from 2027 to the late 2020s.

In Depth

Key Findings

According to a report from Tom’s Hardware, the current state of hybrid bonding technology in 2026 reveals that TSMC’s Systems-on-Integrated-Chiplets (SoIC) achieves 3.5D integration by combining hybrid-bonded stacks with CoWoS modules on silicon interposers, reaching a high precision of 6 microns. However, the full-scale implementation of hybrid bonding for High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) is anticipated to be delayed until the HBM4E and HBM5 generations, projected from 2027 to the late 2020s. It was confirmed that SK hynix is still employing advanced Mass Reflow–Molded Underfill (MR-MUF) technology for its 16-layer HBM4 products.

Technical / Clinical Details

Hybrid bonding is a direct copper-to-copper connection technology for chip-to-chip or chip-to-wafer, offering significant advantages over traditional flip-chip bonding with microbumps. These advantages include substantially increased connection density, improved electrical performance, and reduced thermal resistance. In some cases, it can even eliminate the need for underfill materials and reduce package height.

TSMC’s SoIC and 3.5D Integration: TSMC is a frontrunner in implementing hybrid bonding within its SoIC technology. This technique involves vertically stacking multiple dies (3D) and then placing them on a CoWoS (Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate) module, achieving an advanced packaging known as 3.5D integration. The 6-micron bonding precision enables extremely dense connections compared to previous technologies.
SK hynix’s HBM4 Strategy: SK hynix, a key player in HBM development, continues to utilize advanced MR-MUF technology even for its next-generation 16-layer HBM4 products. The fact that the 16-layer HBM4 samples showcased by the company at CES 2026 did not use hybrid bonding suggests that there are still technical challenges to be resolved for hybrid bonding in HBM, particularly concerning yield and manufacturing costs in high-layer stacks.
Delay in Hybrid Bonding Adoption for HBM: The article points out that the full-scale adoption of hybrid bonding for HBM is likely to be pushed back to even later generations, such as HBM4E (an extended version of HBM4) and HBM5 (expected in the late 2020s). This delay is likely due to the extremely stringent manufacturing requirements for high-layer HBM stacks, especially challenges in warpage control and thermal management, which are impeding the complete practical application of hybrid bonding.

Background & Context

The rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and High-Performance Computing (HPC) impose unprecedented demands on semiconductor packaging technology. HBM, in particular, is a critical component that dictates the performance of AI accelerators, and further increasing its bandwidth and capacity requires the evolution of 3D integration technologies. Hybrid bonding is considered the ultimate technology for achieving this goal, but due to its complexity and manufacturing difficulty, it is being introduced incrementally. The entire industry is closely watching how this technology will be integrated into future generations of HBM.

Strategic Significance & Outlook

TSMC’s pioneering adoption of hybrid bonding and its achievement of 6-micron precision clearly indicate that this technology will become a cornerstone of next-generation semiconductor packaging. However, applying it to ultra-high-layer, high-density stacks like HBM still requires further technological maturity, as suggested by the SK hynix case. The full-scale implementation of hybrid bonding in HBM4E and HBM5 from 2027 onwards will be key to dramatically enhancing AI chip performance and revolutionizing AI processing capabilities in data centers and edge devices. Material suppliers and manufacturing equipment manufacturers need to account for this delay and accelerate the development of solutions that meet future mass production requirements by strengthening collaboration with HBM manufacturers.

Source: https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/semiconductors/hybrid-bonding-roadmap-examined

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