The high-stakes battle over the heart of next-generation memory chip production technology is heating up in South Korea, as Hanwha Semitech and Hanmi Semiconductor square off in a complex legal dispute that could reshape the landscape for SK Hynix’s critical supply chain. On April 9, 2026, the Seoul Central District Court saw the first courtroom clash between these two semiconductor equipment makers, both vying for dominance in the lucrative market for TC bonders—machines essential for manufacturing high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips.
At the center of the dispute is the TC bonder, a piece of equipment that plays a crucial role in stacking DRAM chips using heat and pressure, forming the backbone of HBM production. As 시사저널e and Thelec report, the courtroom drama began with Hanwha Semitech accusing Hanmi Semiconductor of infringing on three patents related to flux application inspection technology and lighting wavelengths used in the TC bonder.
Hanwha Semitech’s legal complaint is no small matter. The company claims Hanmi’s flagship TC bonder models, Griffin and Dragon, infringe on three specific patents: one covering the inspection of flux application on chip bumps, another relating to the use of blue light (specifically, 400–500nm wavelengths) for inspection, and a third involving a squeegee component designed to ensure the smooth application of flux by maintaining a precise clearance with springs. Hanwha is demanding damages of 1.2 billion KRW (about $900,000) and even the disposal of the allegedly infringing equipment.
Hanmi Semiconductor, for its part, flatly denies any wrongdoing. The company’s legal team argues that the inspection technology Hanwha claims as proprietary is actually widely used in the industry. Hanmi says their own method differs significantly, relying on analyzing area-based gray values to assess flux application rather than counting individual bumps, as Hanwha’s patent describes. As Hanmi’s attorney put it in court, “Even if the same gray value is produced, the number of defective bumps within that area can vary in many ways. The two technologies cannot be considered the same.”
The debate over lighting technology has become a flashpoint. Hanwha’s lawyers insist that Hanmi’s equipment uses blue light for inspection, a claim they say is supported by a 2024 YouTube video showing blue light being used on Hanmi’s Griffin TC bonder. Hanmi, however, maintains that only white light is used in their machines, and that the specific 400–500nm blue light wavelength cited in Hanwha’s patent is not employed. Hanmi further argues that their equipment, with a nozzle larger than the chip, does not require the separate detection region setup described in Hanwha’s patent. Hanwha counters that it is scientifically impossible to create white light without including the 400–500nm blue wavelength, calling Hanmi’s claim a “scientific contradiction.”
As Thelec explains, the technical debate extends to the squeegee component patent. Hanwha claims that Hanmi’s TC bonder includes a mechanism equivalent to a spring, used to maintain the necessary clearance for smoothing the flux surface. Hanmi, in response, insists that their equipment does not use springs or any similar mechanism, and that the only adjustment is made via an actuator—a fundamentally different approach, they argue, that does not infringe Hanwha’s patent. “There is no mechanism in Hanmi’s device that adjusts the clearance through elasticity as described in the patent,” Hanmi’s attorney stated, “so there is no infringement.”
The courtroom battle is only one front in a broader legal war. Back in December 2024, Hanmi Semiconductor had filed its own patent infringement lawsuit against Hanwha Semitech, alleging that Hanwha had copied its TC bonder technology. Hanwha responded in May 2025 by filing a patent invalidation trial, seeking to nullify Hanmi’s patents. The invalidation trial has dragged on, with Hanwha accusing Hanmi of stalling the process through repeated amendment requests. As a result, Hanmi’s original lawsuit has yet to see its day in court, while Hanwha’s countersuit has moved ahead.
The sums at stake are enormous. Hanwha’s lawsuit against Hanmi is valued at 1.2 billion KRW, while Hanmi’s claim against Hanwha stands at a staggering 24 billion KRW. The price of a single TC bonder unit is estimated at around 3 billion KRW, and Hanwha Semitech’s recent supply contract with SK Hynix for TC bonders totals approximately 80.5 billion KRW. With so much money and market share on the line, neither side is backing down.
SK Hynix, one of the world’s leading memory chipmakers, is watching the dispute closely. The company has pursued a strategy of supply chain diversification, working with both Hanmi Semiconductor and Hanwha Semitech to jointly develop TC bonder technology. The outcome of this legal fight could have major implications for SK Hynix’s ability to secure a reliable supply of these critical machines. As industry observers note, the verdict could determine whether SK Hynix can maintain its dual-supplier strategy or will be forced to rely more heavily on one partner.
Both companies are adamant about the originality and value of their technologies. After the hearing, a Hanwha Semitech representative emphasized, “All of our technology is the result of long-term research and development efforts, and we have been recognized for our technological superiority in the market. We will respond firmly through legal procedures to any acts of technology infringement that disrupt the market and hinder industrial development.”
The legal arguments are deeply technical, but the stakes are anything but abstract. HBM technology is at the forefront of the global race for faster, more efficient memory chips, with applications ranging from artificial intelligence to high-performance computing. The TC bonder, while perhaps obscure to the general public, is a linchpin in this race—without it, stacking DRAM chips for HBM becomes nearly impossible.
It’s not just about patents and profits, either. The outcome of these lawsuits will likely set precedents for how intellectual property disputes in the semiconductor industry are handled in South Korea, and could influence global supply chains at a time when the world is paying close attention to chip security and technological sovereignty.
For now, both Hanwha Semitech and Hanmi Semiconductor remain locked in a tense standoff, each confident in its legal position and technological prowess. As the courtroom drama continues and further evidence is prepared, the entire semiconductor industry waits to see which side will prevail—and what it will mean for the future of HBM production in South Korea and beyond.