Corning eyes Korean glass substrate market

Corning Korea Co. President Vaughn Hall

U.S. specialty glass and materials maker Corning Inc. is looking to expand its presence in South Korea’s growing glass substrate market for semiconductors. The company plans to produce glass for semiconductors at its production base in the country, which will enable it to supply key materials and components more extensively.

“We are working closely with our partners to supply materials and components at almost every stage of the semiconductor manufacturing process,” Corning Korea Co. President Vaughn Hall said at a press conference on Wednesday, emphasizing the company’s focus on implementing advanced packaging for high-performance chips.

“We will also enter the glass core substrate (GCS) business, which will allow us to incorporate Corning glass into every chip by attaching glass, which is different from existing processes.” But Hall refrained from providing specifics about the timeline for prototype production or mass production.

In Korea, companies such as SKC Co., Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., and LG Innotek Co. have ventured into the glass substrate business, as the artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor boom prompts semiconductor companies to consider using glass substrates. Market research firm MarketsandMarkets predicts that the glass substrate market will reach $8.4 billion by 2028.

Hall also reiterated the importance of the Korean market. “We are producing glass for semiconductors using Corning‘s fusion process in Korea,” he said, calling the Corning Technology Center Korea (CTCK) in Asan, South Chungcheong Province “a core part of Corning’s research and development (R&D) network.”

Corning plans to invest $1.5 billion by 2028 to build a bendable glass supply chain in Korea. It currently supplies two glass substrate products that go into chip production, one used in wafer thinning in DRAM chips and a temporary carrier for interposers in processors.

“The DRAM is attached to Corning glass, polished, and then separated, which allows the glass to be reused in the DRAM manufacturing process until it is no longer usable,” he explained.