SK Hynix turns to BeSang for 3D IC tech

South Korea-based SK Hynix announced Tuesday that it has agreed to license the 3D chip technology of BeSang that uses a low-temperature process to build multi-layer 3D integrated circuits one layer at a time using traditional vias, instead of stacking finished die using through-silicon-vias (TSVs).

The patent-licence agreement with SK Hynix, which mainly makes DRAM and flash memory chips, calls for technology transfer including updates based on a service fee for a five-year period, but does not include collaboration. Also the agreement is non-exclusive, allowing BeSang the opportunity to strike similar deals with other chip manufacturers.

Figure 1: BeSang's 3D IC technology forms a single crystalline layer from a donor wafer and sequentially fabricates a second active layer on top of a standard active-device layer on a silicon substrate, using conventional vias to interconnect them.

SK Hynix specialises in DRAM, NAND flash, solid-state drives (SSDs), and image sensors, but the deal extends beyond memories to system ICs and even foundry business in the future. BeSang claims to have demonstrated that its 3D IC process works, not only with DRAMs, but with a wide variety of integrated circuit types, including CPUs, DSPs, GPUs, ASICs, FPGAs, SoCs, NAND flash, SRAM, and image sensors.

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