LG Innotek, South Korea's leading electronics component manufacturer, recently announced a strategic expansion plan to officially enter the semiconductor glass substrate business. The move is part of the company's growth strategy for the next five years, aiming to increase revenue from automotive electronics (electronic systems) to 5 trillion won from the current 2 trillion won. At a regular shareholders' meeting, LG Innotek CEO Moon Hyuk-soo elaborated on the company's new direction. He said, "We recognize the growing demand for high-performance substrate materials as the semiconductor industry grows rapidly. The emergence of glass substrate technology provides us with an opportunity to break through the limitations of conventional plastic substrates by significantly increasing the number of transistors in semiconductor packages while reducing energy consumption and improving performance." Semiconductor glass substrates play a vital role in semiconductor manufacturing and are one of the key materials for ensuring the quality and stability of electronic components. Glass substrates have a wide range of applications in the semiconductor manufacturing process, especially in the field of integrated circuit production, where it is one of the most common base materials. By using glass as a substrate, IC chips can be guaranteed to have higher manufacturing quality, while ensuring that the original signal is not affected by electrical interference. In addition, glass substrates can be used as auxiliary equipment such as electronic component connections and trays to ensure the stability and reliability of electronic components. Specifically, glass substrates are used in semiconductor materials in a variety of ways, including glass substrates as permanent supports, wafer-level caps, 3D TGV/glass intermediary layers, and wafer-level optics. Each of these applications requires a multi-step manufacturing process such as etching, material deposition, and photolithographic patterning. As technology continues to advance, the demand for glass substrates is increasing, especially in wafer-level caps and glass carrier drivers, driven primarily by applications such as MEMS, CIS and FO WLP.
Moon Hyuk-soo further revealed that one of the company's major customers, a large U.S.-based semiconductor company, has shown strong interest in glass substrate technology, and that LG Innotek is proactively preparing to meet this potential market demand. In addition, the company is also exploring opportunities to collaborate with other global semiconductor manufacturers to secure its leadership position in emerging markets. in an earlier statement, LG Innotek's Managing Director, Jaeman Park, mentioned that glass substrates are likely to become a major component of semiconductor packaging substrates in the future. This trend has prompted the company to consider developing glass substrate technology. At the same time, industry sources indicate that Samsung is also actively developing "glass substrate" technology, and plans to put into mass production in the next few years.
LG Innotek's strategic expansion demonstrates not only its commitment to technological innovation, but also its deep understanding of future market needs. As the global semiconductor industry continues to grow, LG Innotek is expected to achieve significant success in the semiconductor glass substrate field and drive innovation and progress in the industry as a whole.
