ERS Debuts Automated Panel-Level Packaging Tool for 310 mm Substrates
ERS electronic has launched a fully automated panel-level packaging system that handles temporary carrier bonding, debonding, and detaping for 310×310 mm substrates. The platform runs at 13 panels per hour and has been delivered to a major semiconductor manufacturer. ERS says the integrated design reduces transfers between separate tools, lowering handling time and substrate damage risk.
ERS electronic says its new system combines temporary carrier attach, release, and tape removal for 310×310 mm panels in one automated tool. It processes 13 panels per hour, and the first unit is already with a major chipmaker for use in panel production.
The tool is built in Barbing, Germany, where ERS draws on decades of thermal management and machine-building experience. ERS shipped an early commercial panel-level tool to Fraunhofer IZM in 2018. The 310 mm panel format can use substrate area more efficiently than 300 mm round wafers, and Yole Group projects more than 40% annual growth for the segment over five years.
If such integrated panel-level tools scale, they may affect chipmakers, equipment suppliers, and fab workers by changing how advanced packaging lines are organized. Faster, less handling-intensive production could support demand for AI, HBM, and 3D IC devices, potentially improving availability or cost over time. Consumers may benefit indirectly through more capable electronics, though actual outcomes depend on adoption, yields, and broader industry conditions.