News

Upgrading High-Selectivity Etchants and Micro-Gap Cleaning Formulations

to Accelerate Customer Yield Breakthroughs via Data Modeling

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and High-Performance Computing (HPC) rapidly evolve, semiconductor manufacturing is accelerating its transition from transistor scaling to system-level scaling centered on advanced packaging. Today at the Heterogeneous Integration Global Summit during SEMICON Taiwan 2026, LCY Advanced Materials Corp, one of the key global suppliers of semiconductor chemicals, officially unveiled critical wet chemical solutions tailored for next-generation high-density interconnects. Covering multifunctional etchants, debonding removers (DB Remover), and flux cleaning formulations for micro-structures, these solutions span precise metal control to micron-level cleanliness, comprehensively assisting packaging and wafer fabrication customers in overcoming the yield bottlenecks.

Surging Market Demand: Extreme Interconnect Pitch Shrink Makes Material Interface Control Critical to Yield

According to Yole Intelligence’s 2023 report, Status of the Advanced Packaging Industry – 2019-2029 Roadmap, interconnect pitches for micro-bumps and hybrid bonding are rapidly shrinking from 40–80 μm to below 10 μm and even sub-micron levels, driven strongly by AI chips, HBM, and Chiplet heterogeneous integration. However, as interconnect pitches tighten drastically, manufacturing processes face severe interface challenges, including difficulties in chemical penetration during micro-gap cleaning. LCY Advanced Materials points out that under scaled architectures, product yield and reliability no longer depend solely on equipment precision; chemical formulation and material interface control have become critical to the success of advanced packaging.

Chairman Fan-Ming Chao: Replacing Trial-and-Error with Chemical Expertise and Data Modeling to Lay a Solid Foundation for Advanced Packaging

Fan-Ming Chao, Chairman of LCY Advanced Materials, stated: "AI and HPC continue to drive demand for chip performance and system integration, establishing advanced packaging as an essential cornerstone for next-generation computing architectures. When more components and functions must be integrated into smaller spaces, material innovation cannot focus solely on a single property; it must simultaneously address process efficiency, material compatibility, and integration flexibility. Starting from our customers' actual process conditions, LCY Advanced Materials combines electronic-grade chemicals with advanced formulation R&D capabilities. By simplifying etching processes and enhancing cleaning efficiency, we develop tailored solutions for diverse material combinations, packaging structures, and process conditions, providing the critical material foundation required for advanced packaging and next-generation computing development."

Formulations Highlighted by LCY Advanced Materials for Advanced Processes and Packaging:

Multifunctional Etchant: A New Solution for High-Yield, High-Selectivity Processes

Through innovative formulation design, LCY Advanced Materials' multifunctional etchant enables the etching of both copper and tin-silver (SnAg) alloys using a single chemical formulation, while achieving high selectivity, high stability, and long shelf life. Unlike common commercial products, this product adopts a single-component formulation free of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), offering an extended shelf life and eliminating bath obsolescence caused by hydrogen peroxide decomposition. It also eliminates the need for two-part (A/B) mixing, online chemical spiking, or secondary chemical tanks, significantly reducing chemical management and equipment maintenance burdens. While helping customers streamline processes and lower operational costs, it successfully raises product yield to 99%, resolving existing process bottlenecks and enhancing overall process stability.

DB Remover and Flux Cleaner: High-Cleanliness Advanced Packaging Cleaning Solutions

LCY Advanced Materials has introduced two wet chemical solutions for advanced packaging processes: DB Remover and Flux Cleaner, designed to enhance debonding adhesive removal efficiency and improve flux cleaning capabilities within micro-structures, respectively. The primary advantage of the DB Remover is its ability to remove both the release layer and adhesive layer in a single cleaning step without switching chemicals for different materials, effectively reducing process complexity and equipment requirements. Meanwhile, the Flux Cleaner features high penetration, high flux removal efficiency, and superior metal compatibility, making it suitable for micro-bump structures with pitches under 100 μm while preventing corrosion on metal materials such as tin-silver (SnAg) and copper pillars (Cu Pillar).

Spanning Mature, Advanced, to Next-Generation Packaging: Comprehensive Material Platform and ESG Commitment

Spun off from LCY Chemical Corp earlier this year, LCY Advanced Materials focuses on electronic-grade isopropanol (EIPA), recycled EIPA, and wet chemical formulations. The company is extending its material portfolio from high-purity electronic-grade chemicals required for front-end processes into customized formulations for back-end processes and advanced packaging. This year, LCY Advanced Materials also initiated an expansion project at its site in Central Taiwan Science Park. The EIPA capacity expansion is scheduled to commence supply in Q3 2027, which will elevate the CTSP plant's EIPA capacity to 60,000 metric tons. Furthermore, LCY Advanced Materials has initiated manufacturing operations in the United States and established a manufacturing joint venture with JSR in Taiwan for advanced semiconductor materials, building a comprehensive materials platform spanning mature nodes, advanced nodes, and next-generation packaging.

While enhancing global supply chain resilience, LCY Advanced Materials continues to fulfill its commitment to green innovation in ESG. Through a zero-waste circular EIPA model, process waste effluents are transformed into high-value operating assets, earning international ISCC PLUS sustainability certification and recognition for green manufacturing from the chipmaking giant. In addition, the company has introduced advanced materials including functional polyimide (PI) with curing temperatures below 200°C, providing versatile R&D support for next-generation heterogeneous integration.