SEOUL, November 11 (AJP) - Auros Technology, a South Korean maker of semiconductor measurement equipment, has won new contracts from Samsung Electronics to supply tools used in hybrid bonding and post-process inspection.
The deal marks a notable expansion for Auros, which until recently was primarily known as a supplier to SK hynix. The company will now provide Samsung with precision tools used in both the front-end and back-end stages of chip production.
According to investment banking sources, Samsung has ordered two HE-900IR infrared overlay systems from Auros, each priced at about 3 billion won, or roughly $2.2 million. The combined value of the order, about 6 billion won, represents nearly 10 percent of Auros’s 2024 revenue of 61.4 billion won.
The HE-900IR uses infrared light to measure wafer alignment and copper-to-copper connections in hybrid bonding — a critical process for stacking high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips.
Auros also received an order for its MT-30T, a measurement system used in Samsung’s HBM stacking process to enhance yield by ensuring precise chip spacing. The devices are scheduled for installation at Samsung’s Cheonan and Onyang facilities by early December. Samsung is reportedly considering ordering at least five additional units, which could bring the total value of the project to as much as 15 billion won.
Analysts say the order reflects Samsung’s intensified efforts to improve HBM yields as it competes with SK hynix for major supply contracts with Nvidia.
“Samsung’s current HBM yields are lower than SK hynix’s, and it is ramping up investment in advanced inspection equipment to close that gap,” said one securities industry source on condition of anonymity.
Auros, founded in 2007, began supplying equipment to SK hynix and added Samsung as a customer in 2023. Last year, it signed a 9.6 billion won contract with Samsung for its OL-900NW overlay inspection tool used in HBM pad alignment.
* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
