China is accelerating its acquisition of semiconductor glass substrate technology, fiercely pursuing frontrunners including South Korea. Some assessments indicate that China has caught up right behind Korea within just one to two years of entering the market. Considering the price competitiveness of China's advanced industries, a mass-production race between Korea and China appears inevitable.
According to industry sources on June 9, Chinese semiconductor glass substrate manufacturers, including BOE, Visionox, Cloud-Sky Semiconductor, and AKM Meadville, are in the process of introducing a large volume of inspection solutions. They are pushing to adopt optical and X-ray inspection equipment for inspecting the appearance of semiconductor substrates and are also tapping South Korean materials, components, and equipment companies for potential cooperation.
“This is an attempt to introduce inspection equipment into pilot lines to quickly expand the scope of sample inspections, having already secured glass substrate technology at a significant level,” said a high-ranking executive of a domestic materials, components, and equipment company. The executive added, “Compared to Korea, their inspection progress speed is three to four times faster.”
Semiconductor glass substrates make it easier to implement fine circuits compared to existing organic (plastic) materials and minimize defects due to less warping. For this reason, they are drawing attention as next-generation substrates for high-performance semiconductor chips such as artificial intelligence (AI). The expected timing for commercialization is around 2028.
China threw down the gauntlet in the semiconductor glass substrate market in 2024. Although it is a latecomer compared to Korea, the United States, and Japan, it is waging an all-out war to secure the technology. China has already built multiple pilot production lines. It is reported that some of its processes implement technology more advanced than Korea's.
Once China begins mass production of glass substrates, a major showdown with competitors, including Korea, is expected. China is projected to increase its market penetration speed through large-scale production capacity and low supply prices.
“We cannot rule out the possibility that semiconductor chip manufacturers, who are the end customers, might choose Chinese glass substrates due to the volume offensive of Chinese companies,” said another industry official. The official noted, “Korean companies need a strategy to raise entry barriers through product reliability and differentiated technology.”
