Being the key market for adhesives, India’s semiconductor and electronics manufacturing ecosystem is attractive. Speaking to EFY’s Yashasvini Razdan, Ram Trichur, Global Market and Strategy Director of Henkel Adhesive Technologies, got candid about what they bring to India.
Q. How does the global semiconductor packaging market compare with the domestic market in terms of technology?
A. Global players in semiconductor packaging are highly motivated to serve new end devices and novel packaging formats. Panel-level packaging is becoming a hot topic globally, especially with advancements in glass-core substrates and panel-level fan-out packages. Additionally, we see co-packaged optics as an emerging format to enhance data centre processors. Currently, devices communicate mostly using electrical signals within a package, which limits data transfer rates. This shift towards optical packaging offers significant opportunities, and Henkel is well-positioned to contribute in this space.
In terms of India’s role, we are gearing up to support these global innovations. Henkel’s presence in India on the adhesives side is already substantial, where we serve the country’s adhesive needs across various applications. We also have an established manufacturing footprint for several adhesives used widely in India. As we look toward the future, we are evaluating India’s need for localised electronics manufacturing.
Q. What kind of investments are you making in India?
A. We currently have a strong team of sales and technical engineers in India who are well-equipped to support our customers. With offices in both the southern and northern regions, we are in a favourable position to serve our expanding customer base. Additionally, we are in the process of establishing an applications engineering centre, set to open in the first quarter of next year, which will enable us to co-create with our customers. This centre will feature state-of-the-art equipment to support electronics development, staffed by our engineers and equipped with all necessary materials and tools for the ecosystem.
Q. What are the latest trends you are witnessing in chip packaging?
A. This is an exciting time for semiconductor packaging, with artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing (HPC), autonomous driving, and automotive electrification driving advancements in this field.
For AI and HPC applications, we see new packaging technologies emerging, particularly 2.5D and 3D packaging, which are supporting data centre processors. In automotive, autonomous driving relies heavily on advanced semiconductor packaging, with AI and HPC being central to autonomous driving processors, which are increasingly built using 2.5D and 3D packaging. There is also a shift in automotive power electronics, with silicon-based devices moving towards wide-bandgap materials like silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN). These materials are especially important for power modules, a critical component in electric vehicles.
In consumer electronics, there is a strong push for miniaturisation, leading to innovations in wafer-level packaging. Together, these developments are driving rapid innovation in semiconductor packaging, making it a truly exciting time to be involved in this field.
Q. What does Henkel have to offer customers working with these new technologies?
A. Henkel is one of the earliest suppliers of wire bond packaging and encapsulation materials. In wire bond packaging, we offer a wide range of materials, including die-attach paste, die-attach film, and high-thermal die-attach materials, such as sintering die-attach materials. We also provide a broad selection of encapsulation materials for wire bonding.
For advanced packaging, we have an extensive underfill materials portfolio. Henkel is one of the only suppliers with various underfill formats, including pre-applied and post-applied options. Pre-applied underfills are available in both paste and film formats, while our post-applied solutions include capillary underfills suitable for both small and large die applications.
We also supply lid and stiffener attach adhesives in both conductive and non-conductive formats tailored to the specific requirements of flip-chip packages. Additionally, we are expanding our offerings in liquid compression moulding materials, which are essential for wafer-level packaging applications such as panel fan-out. These materials represent some of the key components of our extensive portfolio.
Q. Who is your target customer in India?
A. All major integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) involved in power electronics manufacturing—whether in power discrete components or power modules—are our customers.
Q. Who is the target customer persona you reach out to in these companies?
A. Selling a die-attach material is not as simple as just speaking with the engineering team. We maintain strong relationships with innovation, process development, product development, process engineering, and manufacturing teams. Additionally, we engage with other gatekeepers on the purchasing and business sides.
Q. Is the India centre limited to sales and support, or is it also involved in the product development process for the global product?
A. At present, our focus in India is primarily on providing engineering and sales support. We will continue to do so for semiconductor packaging, but Henkel already has an established footprint serving India’s adhesive market in the adhesives segment. We have the capability to develop electronic adhesives locally as the electronics market grows.
Q. What role does your team play in the product development process on the customer side?
A. Engineering engagement is critical in semiconductor packaging. Our engineers are deeply involved in understanding the package design, the processes, and the value that customers expect from our products. They work closely with our counterparts on the customer side to develop these materials and identify the value we need to provide.
Q. Out of your entire range of offerings, what do you have for India, considering the foray towards chip manufacturing?
A. India is at an exciting juncture as the government looks at establishing a semiconductor ecosystem, both in front-end and packaging, making this an opportune time for growth. Though it is just beginning, we see immediate opportunities in traditional wire-bond packaging applications, which are easier to initiate compared to advanced packaging. At the same time, there is growing interest in flip-chip and advanced packaging architectures, indicating India’s innovation potential and eagerness to explore new technologies. We are prepared to support this emerging market with our portfolio in wire-bond and advanced packaging solutions to meet India’s evolving needs.
Q. What role do adhesive solutions play in common heat and structural challenges?
A. As the 2.5D and 3D packages become larger, it is common to encounter packages as large as 120 x 120 mm or even up to 150 x 150 mm, especially in data centres, where these devices handle high power. This increase in size and power often leads to stress issues, which makes warpage control important. We provide conductive and non-conductive lid and stiffener attachments, which are essential to maintain the structural integrity for end-users.
Interfaces present between the processor and the interposer or between the memory and the interposer require capillary underfill materials that flow efficiently within small gaps and tighter pitches. With heat dissipation being a major challenge in 2.5D and 3D packaging, we are developing high-thermal-capable capillary underfills to solve this problem.
Q. What kind of products or technologies do you have to support the integration of 2.5D and 3D packaging?
A. In 2.5D and 3D packaging, separate critical devices (processor and memory) are integrated into a single 2.5D package. When a processor and memory are combined this way, various interfaces are created. At Henkel, we supply materials for these interfaces, particularly underfill materials between the interposer and the substrate, which often require large-die-capable capillary underfills due to the large size of interposers.
High-bandwidth memory (HBM) is commonly used in advanced AI and HPC devices. HBM typically involves stacking 8, 12, or even more thin dies in a high tower, which requires specific underfill and encapsulation materials. We also provide underfill and encapsulation solutions for advanced memory applications, covering the full spectrum of materials needed for 2.5D and 3D packages.
Q. With new technology trends evolving in the automotive industry, how do adhesive technologies help combat thermal dissipation challenges?
A. Electrification and autonomous driving heavily involve thermal management. Automotive manufacturers are transitioning from traditional silicon-based insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) for power conversion to SiC or other wide-bandgap devices. This transition allows companies like Henkel to innovate new high-thermal die-attach materials to support these power modules and discrete power components.
With autonomous driving, sensors and processors are critical. Henkel offers a strong portfolio of die-attach and encapsulation materials for complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors used in cars, along with advanced packaging materials to support the computational needs in autonomous driving systems. These include underfill materials, liquid compression moulding, and lid and stiffener adhesives.
Q. What form of partnerships are you building in India?
A. As India scales, we anticipate a shortage of skilled engineers who understand semiconductor processes and packaging. To address this, we see a strong need for partnerships between academia and industry in India. Henkel is currently exploring collaborations with different academic institutions, and discussions are underway to assess how we can support talent development and utilise the skills emerging from these ecosystems. We also expect some of our global customer relationships to expand into India due to the increasing need for self-sufficiency in the country.
Q. What skill sets are you looking for when you talk about talent?
A. We are looking for STEM-oriented talent in both the commercial and engineering sectors in India. Our customers want us to solve their problems and address their pain points immediately, which requires a deep understanding of the processes and materials involved.
We want to build a sales team with expertise in semiconductor packaging and the operation of various equipment used in the assembly of semiconductors. As innovation in adhesives grows in India, we will also be interested in hiring formulation chemists. Furthermore, as we scale manufacturing in India, we will need process engineers capable of scaling semiconductor-level manufacturing. These are the key talents we will need in the future.
Q. What are the challenges you see in achieving the targets that you have set for India, and how do you intend to overcome them?
A. I think the challenges and opportunities in semiconductor packaging are quite similar globally. When we look at these challenges globally, we immediately think about how we can support the ongoing megatrends driving semiconductor packaging, such as the need for innovation in wire bond packaging and advanced packaging. These challenges translate into India as well.
However, there are also region-specific challenges, such as talent development, logistics management, and scaling within India. But these are common to any developing region. Globally and in India, our focus is on supporting innovation and the new trends in semiconductor packaging, as these are the most critical factors.
We are excited to see and contribute to developments from Henkel in India as well. That is our goal—to support India’s growth and progress.
