Tokyo—Asahi Kasei said on May 21 that it has developed a new photosensitive polyimide (PSPI) film designed for panel-level semiconductor packaging, as chip manufacturers seek packaging technologies capable of supporting larger substrates, finer wiring patterns and higher-density integration. The material is currently undergoing customer evaluation, with commercialization expected following validation.
The development reflects broader structural changes underway in semiconductor packaging. As AI data centers and advanced processors require greater computing performance and power efficiency, packaging technology has become increasingly central to chip design rather than a downstream manufacturing process alone. Industry attention has gradually shifted from conventional wafer-level packaging toward panel-level and three-dimensional packaging architectures capable of supporting larger interposers and more complex chip integration.
According to Asahi Kasei, the new PSPI film combines characteristics of its liquid polyimide materials and dry film photoresist technologies. The company said the film can be applied through lamination to large square panel substrates while accommodating a greater number of insulating layers, making it suitable for redistribution layers and package substrate insulation.
The material has been developed alongside Asahi Kasei’s existing electronic materials portfolio, including PIMEL™ liquid PSPI and SUNFORT™ dry film photoresist. When combined with the company’s SUNFORT™ TA series, which supports circuit widths down to 1.0 micrometer, the film enables the formation of both insulating layers and fine circuit patterns through lamination processes. The company is also developing compatibility with its SUNFORT™ CX series to support high-aspect-ratio copper pillar formation used in three-dimensional semiconductor packaging.
The announcement comes amid growing investment in advanced packaging technologies across the semiconductor industry. As chip performance increasingly depends on packaging precision and interconnect density, material suppliers are facing rising technical demands tied to multilayer integration, thermal management and manufacturing yield.
Asahi Kasei positions electronic materials as one of the growth areas within its medium-term management strategy. The company said demand for advanced packaging materials continues to expand as AI infrastructure development drives higher-density semiconductor production and more sophisticated packaging requirements.
