Global materials and technology company Asahi Kasei is developing a new photosensitive film designed to streamline advanced panel-level packaging for semiconductors.
The breakthrough combines the properties of Asahi’s photosensitive polyimide (PSPI) and dry film photoresist. The product is currently under customer evaluation, with the company anticipating it to become commercially available in the near future.
In a media release, Asahi Kasei said the new PSPI film was developed by integrating the company’s expertise in the manufacturing of PIMEL liquid PSPI, which is traditionally used for buffer coatings and passivation layers, and SUNFORT dry film photoresist, which is used for temporary lithographic circuit patterning on substrates and wafers.
The new film is designed to enhance productivity in semiconductor packaging manufacturing by enabling an easy, uniform lamination process across large square panels.
Nobuko Uetake, a senior executive officer at Asahi Kasei, spoke on the industry shifts driving this innovation.
“As the performance of AI semiconductors improves, advanced semiconductor packaging requires mounting technologies that cover larger areas and offer higher precision,” the executive noted.
“Through our new PSPI film product, we aim to contribute to our customers’ improved yield and productivity, while supporting the further evolution of advanced semiconductor packaging.”
According to Asahi Kasei, by combining the new PSPI film with the SUNFORT TA series, both fine circuit patterns and insulating resin layers can be formed by film lamination.
The company added that it is also developing solutions that pair the PSPI film with the SUNFORT CX series to enable the formation of high-aspect-ratio copper pillars, which are necessary for 3D semiconductor packaging.
