Polymeric materials: Hidden enablers of advanced packaging

Yole Group released its latest technology and market report, Polymeric Materials for Advanced Packaging 2025, offering a deep dive into the role of polymers as critical enablers of next-generation semiconductor packaging.

Yole Group’s Polymeric Materials for Advanced Packaging 2025 report delivers a comprehensive analysis of polymeric materials applications and benefits across advanced packaging platforms. The scope of the report includes dielectrics, mold compounds, underfill, and temporary bonding materials.

It details a technical roadmap that tracks the development of materials for rapidly expanding technologies like CoWoS, PLP, and HBM, as well as other fan-out, WLCSP, SiP, flip-chip, and 2.5D and 3D packaging platforms. Yole Group provides market metrics for each polymer type and application segment, as well as an insightful analysis of the competitive landscape, mapping leading suppliers by material domain and regional footprint.

As the AI era accelerates, advanced packaging has become central to the semiconductor roadmap. With organic RDL technologies, larger package sizes, and the integration of CoWoS, PLP, HBM, and CPO architectures, polymeric materials are in the spotlight.

These materials are not merely supporting layers. They are essential for thermal management, electrical insulation, mechanical integrity, and reliability in complex 2.5D and 3D systems.

Gabriela Pereira, Senior Technology & Market Analyst, Semiconductor Packaging at Yole Group, said: "With the slowdown of front-end scaling, materials innovation is the new frontier of semiconductor progress. At Yole Group, we believe polymeric materials are at the heart of this transformation. They enable tighter integration, improved performance, and the reliability demanded by AI, automotive, and data center applications."

Rapidly expanding market
According to the market research & strategy consulting company, the polymeric materials market for advanced packaging will grow to $3.3 billion in 2030, at a 13.2% CAGR.

* The mobile and consumer segment leads the market, and is projected to reach ~$2.14 billion by 2030, with an 11% CAGR.
* Telecom and infrastructure applications follow, expanding at a 19% CAGR thanks to their high-performance requirements in HPC and AI servers.
* Automotive, industrial, medical, and defense segments contribute to smaller but steady growth, driven by specialized, high-reliability needs.

System-in-Package (SiP) remains the leading platform for polymeric materials, while 2.5D and 3D packaging are the fastest-growing categories, particularly in AI, mobile, PC, and ADAS applications. As packages become larger and more complex, demand rises for materials with advanced thermal and mechanical properties to ensure performance and reliability.

Material dynamics and technical trends
Among materials families, dielectrics are expected to nearly double to $729 million by 2030, propelled by rising RDL layer counts in fan-out, WLCSP, and interposers. EMC will see a 12.8% CAGR between 2025 and 2030, led by fan-out, PLP, and HBM adoption. Other key segments like underfill and TBDB also see growing demand, with Yole Group providing detailed market metrics and forecasts for each.

Yik Yee Tan, Principal Technology & Market Analyst, Semiconductor Packaging at Yole Group, noted: "As integration levels increase, the materials set becomes the defining factor in both yield and performance. Polymeric materials are no longer secondary. Indeed, they are shaping the roadmap of advanced packaging, from fan-out to 3D integration."

The advanced packaging polymeric materials market is both diverse and concentrated. The top five players, Resonac, Henkel, Panasonic, Sumitomo, and HD Microsystems, account for over 50% of global revenues.

Japan dominates with ~80% of total revenue, supported by a strong, vertically integrated materials ecosystem. Germany follows with ~10% led by Henkel, while the United States and China each capture about 5%, driven respectively by 3M and DuPont/Qnity, and by Huahai Chengke and Samcien.

Without doubt, the polymeric materials market is entering a new growth era driven by AI, HPC, and heterogeneous integration.

Key takeaways
* Polymeric materials market for advanced packaging is expected to grow at a 13.2% CAGR between 2025 and 2030 to $3.3 billion.
* Mobile and consumer electronics remain the largest segment, while telecom and infrastructure are expanding the fastest, fueled by AI and data center applications.
* SiP dominates in volume, while 2.5D and 3D packaging show the strongest growth rates.
* Dielectrics will nearly double by 2030 to $729 million, driven by complex fan-out, WLCSP, and 2.5D designs.
* The market is highly concentrated, with Japan leading (~80% share) through players such as Resonac, Panasonic, Sumitomo, and HD Microsystems.