Semiconductor trio forge ahead with advanced chip packaging patents

Taiwanese firm races ahead of Samsung and Intel in number and quality of patents | Technology is crucial to semiconductor performance | Data from LexisNexis.

A Taiwanese firm is dominating the field of advanced chip packaging—a technology crucial to the performance of semiconductors—followed by Samsung Electronics and Intel, according to recent data.

The research conducted by LexisNexis shows that Taiwanese Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) holds the most patents in this area, at 2,946.

TSMC’s patents were also found to be the highest quality, measured partly by the number of citations by other companies, as reported by Reuters.

Samsung and Intel hold 2,404 and 1,434 patents respectively.

The chip maker trio, which are the only companies in the world to work on advanced chip packaging, have all invested in the technology since 2015, said LexisNexis.

A new frontier

Previously, the development of semiconductors focused on making smaller transistors and fitting more of them onto a single circuit, or microchip.

‘Moore’s Law’ was a theory based on Gordon Moore’s prediction in 1965 that the density (or number) of transistors on a circuit would double every two years.

But the need for faster computer performance, coupled with the slowing down of semiconductor innovation and chip miniaturisation reaching its physical limits, means that we are “falling behind” Moore’s Law.

“In order to overcome these limitations of semiconductor technology, an approach that goes beyond the existing Moore’s Law is required,” wrote Monsoo Kang of Samung in a blog earlier this year.

“We call this ‘Beyond Moore’”, Kang wrote, explaining that advanced packaging technology—which has a growth rate of 9.6% between 2021 and 2027, he said—is Samsung’s “answer” to this new frontier.

WIPR has contacted TSMC, Samsung and Intel for comment.

Did you enjoy reading this story?  Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories sent like this straight to your inbox