News
JNTC vanguards glass substrate...The commercial clock is getting faster
2024-07-22
*Resale and DB prohibited
JNTC, which succeeded in developing a semiconductor glass substrate called the "substrate of dreams," is speeding up its commercialization by discussing supply with global companies.
Analysts say that it will take a leading role in commercializing glass substrates by accelerating the timeline from the original schedule, such as setting up a demo line from the third quarter and investing in mass production from the fourth quarter.
According to related industries on Tuesday, JNTC has recently succeeded in developing a prototype for TGV semiconductor and is holding business consultations with domestic and overseas demand companies. It is said that the company has made achievements by signing NDAs with a number of domestic and foreign companies.
A glass substrate is a future semiconductor substrate made of glass instead of conventional plastic. It is also called a "dream substrate" because it can increase stability while processing a larger amount of data faster than existing plastic substrates.
It is emerging as a game changer in implementing high-performance semiconductors such as artificial intelligence (AI) by reducing circuit pattern distortion by 50% and delivering up to 10 times more electrical signals in the same area as well as being resistant to heat. In Korea, Samsung Electro-Mechanics and SKC as well as overseas Intel and AMD announced investment and advancement.
As of the third quarter of this year, JNTC plans to build a demonstration line of glass substrates for semiconductors at Plant 3 in Vietnam and invest in mass production in the fourth quarter. Initially, it was planned to conduct investment in mass production next year after conducting an investment review in the second half of this year, but it is expected to proceed about a quarter earlier.
An official from JNTC said, "The business is accelerating by making contacts with a considerable number of global companies and forming NDAs," adding, "Some customer-oriented sales will be visible from the second half of next year as we proceed with mass production investment in the fourth quarter immediately after the establishment of the demo line in the third quarter."
Recently, it was reported that FNS Electronics, an unlisted company, has delivered glass substrate products to its SKC subsidiary Absolix for the first time. FNS Electronics is known to be in charge of TGV and metal circuit deposition (metallizing) processes among all glass substrate processes.
A related company official said, "JNTC is a structure that supplies the substrate itself to packaging companies after completing all glass substrate-related processes, from the hole processing process of drilling holes with TGV in glass to the seed formation process of plating glass with copper, and the polishing process of filling the hole with copper only," adding, "Unlike only taking charge of some processes, we believe that it will be competitive enough in terms of quality and cost competitiveness."
The stock market is also seeing a series of positive assessments. "We will discuss the specifications through consultations with key prospective customers in the third quarter and proceed with the contract," said Park Jong-sun, a researcher at Eugene Investment & Securities. "We will raise the target stock price from 23,000 won to 33,000 won to reflect the stable earnings growth and positive expectations for new glass substrate business."