Besi Hybrid Bonding at Dholera Puts India on the Advanced Packaging Technology Map
Besi and Tata Electronics have commenced the equipment qualification phase for hybrid bonding die-attach capability at the Dholera facility, following the formal execution of the memorandum of understanding that the two companies signed in mid-2026. Hybrid bonding is an advanced semiconductor packaging technology that creates direct copper-to-copper and dielectric-to-dielectric connections between two chip surfaces at connection pitches below two microns, enabling the densest possible inter-die connections in heterogeneous integration assemblies that combine chiplets from different design and process technology sources. The Dholera hybrid bonding programme uses Besi's Datacon die-to-wafer bonding equipment, which Besi has specifically developed for the sub-micron placement accuracy that hybrid bonding pitch requirements demand. Equipment qualification involves demonstrating the bonding system's alignment accuracy, bond force uniformity, and thermal profile control across a statistical sample of bond cycles that confirms production readiness before customer wafers are committed to the process.
Why Hybrid Bonding Matters for India's Semiconductor Ambitions
Hybrid bonding is central to the most advanced chip packaging architectures being deployed in high-performance computing, AI accelerator, and mobile application processor products. Apple's A and M series chips, AMD's 3D V-Cache products, and TSMC's SoIC platform all use hybrid bonding to stack dies with connection pitches that are orders of magnitude finer than the solder bump connections used in conventional flip-chip packaging. As these architectures become more prevalent across a wider range of chip product categories, OSAT facilities that cannot offer hybrid bonding will be excluded from a growing share of the advanced packaging market. By establishing hybrid bonding capability at Dholera during the facility's initial operating phase, rather than waiting until the market demand in India is proven, Tata Electronics is building the technical capability ahead of the curve, positioning Dholera to attract advanced chiplet integration customers as India's semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem matures.
Die-to-Wafer Process and Technical Requirements
Die-to-wafer hybrid bonding involves picking individual chiplet dies from a source wafer, aligning them to precise locations on a target wafer with sub-micron placement accuracy, and bonding them using a combination of surface activation, precise temperature control, and applied pressure that causes the copper bond pads on the die and wafer surfaces to undergo room-temperature or low-temperature interdiffusion bonding. The bond quality is sensitive to surface cleanliness, pad planarity, temperature uniformity during bonding, and the mechanical properties of the dielectric surrounding the copper pads. Besi's Datacon equipment addresses these requirements through its proprietary vision alignment system, isothermal bond stage, and closed-loop force control, and Besi application engineers are working alongside Tata Electronics' process team at Dholera to establish the process window that achieves the target bond yield and electrical contact resistance specifications. The qualification programme involves running splits across the full equipment specification range to map the process window before committing to a production process recipe.
Future Chiplet Customers and Advanced Packaging Roadmap
Tata Electronics' hybrid bonding programme at Dholera creates a foundation for engaging with potential chiplet assembly customers who require advanced packaging beyond what conventional wire bonding or flip-chip assembly provides. Indian fabless semiconductor startups designing heterogeneous chiplet systems, international fabless companies seeking a second-source or alternative location for chiplet assembly, and system companies integrating custom chiplets with commercial dies are all potential users of a hybrid bonding service at Dholera. The qualification completion target of mid-2027 aligns with the timeline for Dholera's commercial production ramp, allowing the advanced packaging capability to be offered to customers at the same time as the standard 28nm fabrication services, creating a vertically integrated front-end plus advanced packaging value proposition that few single locations globally can offer.
