Panel-level packaging is becoming increasingly important in the semiconductor sector as companies aim to boost production efficiency and achieve better manufacturing yields for next-generation packaging technologies. To address these evolving industry demands, Asahi Kasei has developed a new photosensitive film that combines the advantages of photosensitive polyimide (PSPI) and dry film photoresist (DFR). The company is currently conducting customer evaluations of the PSPI film, with plans for commercial launch in the near future.
The new PSPI film was developed by combining Asahi Kasei’s expertise in the manufacture of PIMEL liquid PSPI used for buffer coatings and passivation layers and SUNFORT dry film photoresist for temporary lithographic circuit patterning on substrates and wafers. It will improve productivity in semiconductor packaging manufacturing by enabling easy, uniform application of a lamination process to large square panels. In addition, the film is designed to accommodate an increased number of insulating layers. The PSPI film is expected to be applied to redistribution layers for semiconductor packaging and insulating layers for package substrates.
By combining the new PSPI film with the SUNFORT TA series (capable of forming 1.0 μm-wide circuits), both fine circuit patterns and insulating resin layers can be formed by film lamination. Asahi Kasei is also developing solutions that combine the PSPI film with the SUNFORT CX series, enabling the formation of high-aspect-ratio copper pillars required for three-dimensional semiconductor packaging.
Nobuko Uetake, Senior Executive Officer of Asahi Kasei with responsibility for the Electronic Materials MBU, commented, “As the performance of AI semiconductors improves, advanced semiconductor packaging requires mounting technologies that cover larger areas and offer higher precision. 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.”
Electronics is positioned as a First Priority business in Asahi Kasei’s medium-term management plan Trailblaze Together. Electronic materials such as PIMEL PSPI and SUNFORT dry film photoresist are used in advanced semiconductor packaging applications. Demand continues to rise as more chips are packaged at higher density and interposers become larger to meet the requirements of AI data centers. Wiring patterns are becoming finer and the number of layers is increasing as packaging transitions from wafer-level to panel-level, and becomes more 3-dimensional, further raising the performance requirements of packaging materials.
