Samsung Electro-Mechanics, LG Innotek showcase latest chip substrates at KPCA

By Ko Dong-hwan

Korea's two major printed circuit board (PCB) makers are expected to showcase their latest products at an industry exhibition in Incheon this week.

LG Innotek and Samsung Electro-Mechanics said their latest chip substrate products will be exhibited at KPCA Show 2023 at Songdo Convensia from Wednesday to Friday.

Chip substrates, which connect semiconductors and mainboards, are key components in the fields of server, AI, web cloud and metaverse. With advancing technologies, substrate makers are facing increased demand to increase the number of panel layers or making more detailed and thinner circuits.

LG Innotek said it will feature Flip Chip Ball grid Array, or FC-BGA products, such as Package Substrates and Tape Substrates. FC-BGA is considered the highlight of the show and each substrate product will have a dedicated zone at the show, according to the company.

Package Substrate Zone will display PCBs used in app processors, memory and modules for the latest mobile devices, while Tape Substrate Zone will showcase the company's Chip on Film (COF). LG Innotek holds the biggest share of the global market for COF.

The company said it also found a way to keep PCB from warping under heat and pressure during the manufacturing process.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics' FC-BGA to be showcased at the exhibition are designed for servers, according to the company. The Samsung subsidiary said its latest product has a surface area four times that of a conventional FC-BGA and has 20 panel layers, which is two times more than conventional ones, to transmit signals faster.

LG Innotek CEO Jeong Cheol-dong and Kim Eung-soo, who heads Samsung's Packaging Solution Department, have both recognized chip substrates as a game-changer for the advancement of semiconductors.