Qnity expands materials portfolio for advanced packaging

Qnity Electronics has introduced Stackplane, a new family of chemical mechanical planarization slurries developed specifically for advanced semiconductor packaging. The platform is designed to support increasingly complex chip integration processes as artificial intelligence and high-performance computing accelerate the industry’s shift towards stacked and heterogeneous architectures.

The new portfolio combines already commercialised products with next-generation slurry technologies intended to address multiple planarization stages at both wafer and die level. Qnity says the materials have been engineered to deliver the precision, selectivity and surface quality required by advanced packaging processes.

Hybrid bonding creates new CMP requirements

Hybrid bonding is becoming increasingly important as semiconductor manufacturers look to connect multiple dies with extremely fine interconnect pitches. Successful bonding requires exceptionally flat and clean surfaces, making chemical mechanical planarization a critical part of the manufacturing process.

Qnity's Stackplane SP1000 and SP2000 series have been developed specifically for hybrid bonding applications. The company says these formulations can support the precise planarization needed before individual chip layers are joined together.

TSV and polymer applications included

The Stackplane portfolio also addresses through-silicon vias, which enable vertical electrical connections between stacked semiconductor dies. The SP3000 series has been designed for TSV-related CMP steps, where manufacturers must carefully remove materials while maintaining the required surface profile.

Meanwhile, the SP4000 family targets polymer CMP applications. Polymer layers are increasingly used in advanced packaging structures, requiring specialised chemistries that can deliver controlled removal without damaging surrounding materials.

Glass packaging technologies enter the roadmap

Qnity is also preparing for emerging packaging architectures based on glass substrates. Its SP5000 series is being developed for technologies including panel-level through-glass vias and glass CMP.

Glass is attracting growing interest for advanced packaging because of its dimensional stability, electrical properties and potential suitability for larger-format processing. However, adopting the material introduces new manufacturing challenges, including the need for highly controlled polishing and surface preparation.

Shrink-and-stack reshapes semiconductor manufacturing

The platform forms part of what Qnity describes as the industry's transition towards “shrink-and-stack”. Instead of relying exclusively on continued transistor scaling, semiconductor manufacturers are increasingly combining smaller and more specialised chips within advanced packages.

This approach can provide the bandwidth, computational density and energy efficiency required by AI accelerators and high-performance computing systems. However, it also increases the number and complexity of manufacturing steps, creating new requirements for materials used in bonding, planarization and cleaning.

Integrated materials become increasingly important

Qnity is positioning Stackplane as part of a broader advanced packaging materials portfolio rather than as a standalone product family. The company can combine the slurries with CMP pads and post-CMP cleaning solutions to support different stages of semiconductor integration.

This integrated approach reflects a wider trend in advanced packaging, where equipment, substrates, chemicals and process materials increasingly need to be optimised together as package architectures become more complex.

Qnity prepares Stackplane for industry events

The company will present the Stackplane platform at SEMICON Taiwan from 2 to 4 September 2026 in Taipei, followed by the International Conference on Planarization/CMP Technology in Seoul in October.

As semiconductor manufacturers expand hybrid bonding, chiplet integration and 3D packaging capacity, demand for specialised process materials is expected to increase. CMP technologies such as Stackplane could therefore become an increasingly important part of the advanced packaging supply chain.