**Applied Materials Deepens Partnership with Besi and Launches Kinex™ – the Industry’s First Fully Integrated Die-to-Wafer Hybrid Bonding System for Next-Gen AI and Memory Chips**

Applied Materials announced it has acquired a 9% stake in BE Semiconductor Industries (Besi) to strengthen their ongoing collaboration on hybrid bonding technology for advanced semiconductor packaging. Building on a partnership that began in 2020, the two companies recently extended their agreement to co-develop the industry’s first fully integrated die-based hybrid bonding system—combining Applied’s front-end processing expertise with Besi’s precision die placement and assembly capabilities. Hybrid bonding, which connects chips through direct copper-to-copper interfaces, is key to improving performance, power efficiency, and cost in next-generation logic and memory chips powering AI applications. Applied emphasized the investment as a strategic, long-term commitment, made through market transactions without seeking board representation or additional share purchases.

Applied Materials and BE Semiconductor Industries (Besi) have introduced Kinex, the industry’s first integrated die-to-wafer hybrid bonding system, engineered to deliver higher performance and lower power consumption for advanced logic and memory chips. The Kinex system unites all hybrid bonding steps — surface preparation, bonding, and metrology — within a single tool, offering tighter interconnect pitches, consistent bonding quality, and improved cycle times.

The Kinex™ Bonding system is the industry’s first integrated die-to-wafer hybrid bonder. It enables production of higher performance, lower power advanced logic and memory chips by integrating all the critical hybrid bonding process steps into one system.

Kinex is Applied Materials’ fully integrated hybrid bonding system, purpose-built for HVM environments. Co-developed with BE Semiconductor Industries N.V. (Besi), the industry leader in hybrid bonding, Kinex combines best-in-class bonding accuracy, advanced queue-time control, and exceptional system cleanliness. Its modular architecture supports many chiplets per module and integrates wet clean, plasma activation, and in-situ metrology for real-time overlay control. Kinex’s smart sequencer and AIx-powered software suite enable predictive maintenance, die-level traceability, and multi-binning capabilities. 

Kinex is optimized for a wide range of applications including 3D integrated circuits, HBM, co-packaged optics (CPO), and sensor integration. Its flexible configuration supports both single-layer and multi-layer bonding flows, with validated performance on silicon, III-V materials, and glass substrates. As the industry moves toward higher die counts and tighter interconnect pitches, Kinex’s roadmap includes enhanced bonding force capabilities, in-situ annealing, and expanded metrology integration. With its scalable design and deep ecosystem partnerships, Kinex is positioned to lead the next wave of innovation in die-to-wafer hybrid bonding, enabling the future of AI, HPC, and beyond.

Sources:

Applied becomes major shareholder of Besi - Bits&Chips

Applied Materials Announces a Strategic Investment in BE Semiconductor Industries | Applied Materials

Kinex