en.Wedoany.com Reported - Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display are jointly advancing the development of next-generation glass interposer technology, with plans to release a prototype by 2026 and promote the technology to global hyperscale tech companies. This technology replaces traditional silicon interposers with glass, focusing on 2.5D and 3D advanced packaging for artificial intelligence chips, aiming to improve wiring precision, control packaging warpage, and reduce reliance on costly silicon wafers.
Samsung Display has recently established a dedicated glass interposer R&D team and initiated the development of redistribution layer processes. The team will leverage metal deposition, photolithography, exposure, etching, and fine circuit processing capabilities accumulated from display panel manufacturing to form multi-layer redistribution lines on glass substrates. The company also reorganized its R&D structure this year, setting up a specialized team within the advanced R&D department; as the project moves toward commercialization, related responsibilities are expected to be transferred to the product development division.
The glass interposer sits between the chip and the packaging substrate, handling high-speed signal transmission and chip interconnection. Compared to silicon, glass offers better surface flatness, supporting finer circuit patterns, while its lower coefficient of thermal expansion helps reduce deformation among chips, insulating materials, and substrates during packaging. Its potential for large-area panel processing also provides conditions for improving packaging production efficiency.
The current focus of R&D has gradually shifted from through-glass via processing to the stable manufacturing of redistribution layers. Interposers used in artificial intelligence chips typically require the formation of dozens of uniform circuit layers, with insulating layers and copper interconnects repeatedly stacked, redistributing signals transmitted through glass vias to designated positions. Photolithography precision, plating uniformity, and reliable connections between multi-layer circuits will directly determine whether the prototype can proceed to subsequent verification.
Samsung Display also needs to address separation and warpage issues during redistribution layer processing. After laminating Ajinomoto build-up film insulating material onto glass, differences in thermal expansion between glass and organic materials during panel cutting and temperature changes may cause interlayer delamination, glass cracking, or edge peeling. The company is collaborating with material suppliers to improve material matching and process stability.
In terms of prototype production division, Samsung Electronics plans to outsource through-glass via processing, copper filling, and glass substrate manufacturing to specialized suppliers, while retaining key processes involving core circuit design. Reports indicate that the company is working with South Korean firms such as Soulbrain, Chemtronics, and Joongwoo M-Tech to develop prototype products.
Samsung Electronics aims to use glass interposers to connect wafer foundry and advanced packaging businesses, forming a complete manufacturing platform for AI computing chips, competing with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's CoWoS and CoPoS packaging technologies. Samsung Display, meanwhile, hopes to leverage its glass processing capabilities to enter the semiconductor packaging field, seeking new business growth beyond smartphone OLEDs. China's BOE and Taiwan's AU Optronics are also exploring opportunities related to glass substrates and semiconductor packaging, indicating a growing trend of display panel companies extending into advanced packaging processes.
