Thread

Samsung is expected to more than double output of its HBM4 and HBM4E DRAM

562 points · 458 comments · giuliomagnifico

y1n0 · 1789944008 · focus · HN ↗
I’ve often wondered about die thinning. I mean just looking at sd cards and micro sd etc, it was clear that there had to be a thinning step (or many steps) and it seemed amazing to me that such a complex step could be economically viable. And yet it clearly is. All a matter of being able to operate at scale I guess.
It’s not a step I’ve seen discussed very much, so it was kind of neat to see it discussed front and center in a lay article like this.
1. KurSix · 1789970148 · focus · HN ↗
  Yeah, the scale is kind of mind-bending. You're taking something that's already extremely fragile, grinding most of its thickness away, handling it through several more process steps, and somehow doing that cheaply enough for mass-market products.
  1. lazide · 1789982895 · focus · HN ↗
    Automation, automation, automation.
    Zero chance you could do it if a human had to touch the die/chip directly during those steps.
    But clean room + vacuum pick and place machine? A matter of fine tuning, and it should work just fine.
    HPsquared · 1790031535 · focus · HN ↗
    The skill is in the fine tuning, probably.
    lazide · 1790054375 · focus · HN ↗
    And the not screwing with it while it’s still working hah.
    HPsquared · 1790069125 · focus · HN ↗
    Another hard-won lesson, no doubt.

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