Orchem has introduced two plating approaches for metallizing through-glass vias (TGVs) in glass substrates. The company also unveiled a wet-process adhesion technology designed to improve bonding between glass and copper and between glass and insulating layers.

Orchem introduced its TGV plating and wet seed layer technologies at a technical seminar held during KPCA Show 2026 at Songdo Convensia in Incheon on Sept. 10. The company specializes in plating and surface-treatment chemicals used in semiconductor packaging and printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing.

Orchem has developed two TGV plating approaches depending on substrate thickness and hole diameter. One is the bridge-fill method, commonly called center fill, which first forms a copper bridge at the center of the TGV hole and then fills the spaces above and below it. The other is the side-up fill method, which grows copper from the hole sidewalls toward the center.

The bridge-fill method uses Orchem's ZENITH-1000 plating solution. Filling the spaces above and below the copper bridge separately shortens overall plating time. The method is suited to TGVs with a low aspect ratio (AR). As substrates become thicker or hole diameters smaller, however, a higher AR can result in deeper enclosed holes, or blind vias, above and below the copper bridge.

ZENITH-1500 is used for side-up fill, in which copper grows across the entire TGV sidewall until the copper layers meet at the center. The approach can reduce void formation in high-AR TGVs. Orchem has completed plating evaluations on glass substrates up to 1 millimeter thick and is evaluating smaller hole diameters with aspect ratios of up to 20:1. Because copper grows across the entire hole sidewall, however, a thicker copper layer also forms on the substrate surface and plating takes longer.

Orchem has also developed an adhesion promoter (AP) to improve bonding between glass and copper or between glass and Ajinomoto Build-up Film (ABF). Glass has lower surface roughness than organic substrates, making it difficult to achieve sufficient adhesion. Palladium (Pd) catalysts used in electroless plating also have difficulty bonding copper to the glass surface.

The company synthesized the AP based on 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), a conventional silane-based adhesion material, by increasing the number of functional groups and molecular size. It is designed with separate functional groups that bond to glass and to copper or ABF, improving adhesion. The adhesion promoter can be wet-coated onto the glass surface before electroless copper plating. The coating is less than 100 nanometers thick.

Orchem also plans to commercialize bottom-up plating and a sputter-less process. Bottom-up plating grows copper from the bottom of a TGV hole and can reduce void formation even at high aspect ratios. The company is currently evaluating technology to uniformly form a seed layer at the bottom of the hole. The sputter-less process uses an adhesion promoter and electroless plating to form a copper seed layer without conventional sputtering. Orchem plans additional evaluations and aims to commercialize the adhesion material for the sputter-less process by year-end.

"TGV plating chemicals have already reached the commercialization stage," an Orchem official said. "Development of the adhesion material for the sputter-less process is complete, and our goal is to commercialize it by year-end after additional evaluation and validation."

TLB said it is participating in KPCA Show 2026 at Songdo Convensia in Incheon, marking the first time the company has set up an independent booth at the exhibition. It also won awards in three categories.

The company is showcasing printed circuit boards (PCBs) for Small Outline Compression Attached Memory Module (SOCAMM), Low Power Compression Attached Memory Module (LPCAMM) and Compute Express Link (CXL) memory modules. TLB is expanding beyond its core memory module business to address growing demand for high-performance, high-bandwidth memory in next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) servers and high-performance computing (HPC).

TLB also unveiled a PCB for high-speed memory modules supporting data rates of 8,600 MT/s, or 8.6 billion data transfers per second. As memory interface speeds increase, PCB design technologies that reduce signal loss and interference have become increasingly important.

The company is also displaying PCBs based on the Enterprise and Data Center Standard Form Factor (EDSFF) for solid-state drives (SSDs) used in data centers. EDSFF is a next-generation SSD form factor designed for data center applications.

TLB received the Best Booth Design Award, KPCA Education Award and Rising Partner Award at the exhibition. The company was recognized for effectively presenting its next-generation technologies through its exhibition space, as well as for its efforts to advance the PCB industry and strengthen future competitiveness.

“At our first exhibition at KPCA Show, we were able to showcase our next-generation products directly to customers and industry officials,” a TLB official said. “We will expand new business opportunities in AI, data centers and next-generation memory markets.”

Haesung DS said it showcased semiconductor substrate products including lead frames, package substrates and tape substrates at KPCA Show 2026 at Songdo Convensia in Incheon.

Lead frames are metal substrates that connect semiconductor chips to external circuits and provide structural support. Package substrates transmit electrical signals between semiconductor chips and mainboards. Tape substrates are thin-film substrates used for packaging components such as display driver integrated circuits (DDIs).

Haesung DS has participated in the event annually since 2023, presenting its key products and technologies. The company uses the exhibition to share technology and market trends with Korean and overseas customers and industry officials and explore potential business cooperation.

Haesung DS CEO Choi Young-sik received the Best Pathfinder Award at this year’s event in recognition of his active corporate management and commitment.

“We were able to introduce our technologies to industry officials,” a Haesung DS official said. “We will continue to strengthen our technological competitiveness and production capabilities to proactively respond to market and customer needs and actively identify new growth opportunities.”

SK hynix management and its labor union reached a revised tentative agreement on Sept. 9 that sets the basic performance bonus payment ratio at 50% cash and 50% stock. The union will hold a temporary delegates' meeting on Sept. 10, followed by a membership vote from Sept. 15 to 16.

The revised agreement retains the broad framework of a tentative deal reached last month while reducing the proportion of bonuses paid in stock. The previous agreement called for profit-sharing (PS) bonuses to be paid 40% in cash and 60% in stock. The revised plan sets both at 50%.

Employees can choose to increase the stock portion in increments of 10 percentage points, up to 100%.

Deferred portions of performance bonuses calculated based on last year's results, which had been scheduled for payment next year and the following year, will also be paid earlier. The measure is intended to reduce confusion as the bonus system shifts from primarily cash payments to a combination of cash and stock.

The company also revised part of its housing loan support program. Additional support beyond the basic program had been limited to married households, but the revised proposal extends eligibility to single-parent families.

SK hynix's Icheon and Cheongju full-time employee unions previously held a membership vote last month on a tentative agreement that included a 6.3% wage increase and changes to the PS payment structure. The proposal was rejected by 7,535 votes, or 50.08%, against and 7,510 votes, or 49.92%, in favor — a difference of just 25 votes.

Murata, the world's largest maker of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), plans to begin mass production next year of its Integrated Package Solution (iPaS), a power substrate for artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors. Major customers are expected to be big tech companies developing AI chips. Murata is expanding its AI power solutions from passive components such as MLCCs and silicon capacitors to substrate-based products.

Murata showcased iPaS at KPCA Show 2026 at Songdo Convensia in Incheon on Sept. 9. Instead of mounting individual capacitors or inductors on a substrate, iPaS integrates their functions into an ultra-compact multilayer substrate. The units can be arranged in arrays, allowing capacitance, electrical characteristics, dimensions and circuit routing to be customized to customer requirements.

Unlike conventional passive components, iPaS allows circuit wiring to be formed on its surface. Internal vias connect the upper and lower wiring layers, enabling power to be delivered vertically. This reduces the surface area occupied by passive components and frees up space for chip mounting.

Conventionally, power modules are placed around an AI accelerator and supply power through substrate wiring. With iPaS, a power module can be positioned directly beneath an AI accelerator, enabling a vertical power delivery (VPD) architecture. The shorter power delivery path reduces losses.

As AI accelerator computing performance increases, so do power consumption and current requirements. Supplying large currents reliably within limited space makes reducing the distance between the power module and AI semiconductor increasingly important. iPaS supports high-density power architectures by reducing the space occupied by passive components while enabling vertical power delivery.

Major customers are expected to include hyperscalers and other big tech companies. As a high-value product, iPaS is expected to be used primarily in high-end products such as AI accelerators rather than general-purpose semiconductors.

"It is a high-priced product, so our customers will be big tech companies rather than makers of general-purpose products," a Murata official said. "It should be in mass production next year."

Murata is developing iPaS in capacitor and inductor versions. The capacitor type integrates high-capacitance functionality into the substrate, reducing the number of surface-mounted MLCCs. The inductor type integrates coil functionality into the substrate to support high-current delivery. Murata also plans to develop a product combining capacitor and inductor functions on a single substrate.

Murata has been developing iPaS for AI and high-performance computing (HPC) applications for several years. It first unveiled samples at FLEX Japan in 2023 and demonstrated a power module using iPaS at the Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC) in 2024. The module reduced the number of surface-mounted capacitors by more than 60% while maintaining voltage fluctuation characteristics similar to conventional designs. Murata has discussed product adoption with graphics processing unit (GPU) and AI accelerator customers, targeting commercialization in 2026.

Murata plans to develop iPaS into a next-generation growth product, targeting annual sales of 50 billion yen within 18 months of mass production. That would be equivalent to about 5% of its capacitor sales of 936.4 billion yen in fiscal 2025, which ran from April 2025 through March 2026.

Simmtech was recognized for its mass-production achievements in Small Outline Compression Attached Memory Module (SOCAMM), a next-generation memory module for artificial intelligence (AI) servers, with three employees and executives receiving industry awards.

Simmtech said Vice President Park Min-ho received the Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources Award at the KPCA Show 2026 reception and awards ceremony held at Songdo Convensia in Incheon on Sept. 9. Park was recognized for establishing a SOCAMM mass-production system, contributing to the competitiveness of industries supporting AI semiconductors and strengthening the domestic supply chain.

Simmtech Chief Executive Officer Jeon Young-sun received the Proud Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and Semiconductor Packaging Achievement Award, while senior researcher Yoo Jong-sang received the Proud PCB and Semiconductor Packaging Industry Professional Award.

Simmtech is also showcasing semiconductor substrates for AI servers at KPCA Show 2026, held from Sept. 9 to 11. Products on display include SOCAMM, next-generation Low Power Compression Attached Memory Module (LPCAMM) substrates, enterprise solid-state drive (SSD) modules and Compute Express Link (CXL) memory modules.

"Winning three awards at this year's KPCA Show reflects recognition of Simmtech's leadership in next-generation semiconductor substrates," a company official said. "We will expand investment in advanced packaging substrate technologies, including SOCAMM module substrates and high-layer-count fine-circuit substrates, while strengthening partnerships with global semiconductor manufacturers to solidify our position among the market leaders."

Duksan Hi-Metal, a semiconductor materials company under Duksan Group, is showcasing solder materials for semiconductors at KPCA Show 2026, held at Songdo Convensia in Incheon from Sept. 9 to 11. The company is strengthening its “total solder solution” business, supplying a full range of materials required for semiconductor bonding.

Solder balls are bonding materials that electrically connect semiconductor chips to substrates. Duksan Hi-Metal holds the largest share of the global solder ball market. As advanced packaging becomes finer with the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors and high-performance servers, solder balls are also becoming smaller. Duksan Hi-Metal produces micro solder balls thinner than a human hair with tolerances of several micrometers.

Copper-core solder ball (CSB) products consist of a copper core covered with solder. They use copper’s high thermal conductivity to improve heat dissipation while maintaining a uniform height at package joints.

The company is also displaying solder paste, flux and copper posts (Cu-Post). Solder paste is a cream-like material combining solder powder and flux. Flux removes oxide layers during bonding, helping solder spread evenly across the bonding surface. Cu-Post can replace solder balls and offers high electrical and thermal conductivity, making it suitable for fine-pitch connections.

“This exhibition is an opportunity to showcase increasingly precise next-generation semiconductor interconnect materials based on the technologies we have accumulated over many years,” a Duksan Hi-Metal official said. “We will continue supplying high-performance materials for rapidly growing advanced industries such as AI and lead the global market.”

Kolon Industries said it has completed the expansion of a production line for modified polyphenylene oxide (mPPO), a low-dielectric material used in artificial intelligence semiconductors, and held a completion ceremony on Sept. 8. Attendees included Kolon Industries CEO Huh Sung, Gimcheon Mayor Bae Nak-ho, Gimcheon City Council Chairman Oh Se-gil and Kolon Life Science CEO Lee Hankook.

The company completed the new facilities at its Gimcheon Plant 2 in the second quarter. Production began in the second half after regulatory approvals for hazardous materials and trial operations. Kolon Industries plans to gradually ramp up output through the end of the year.

Kolon Industries’ mPPO offers low-dielectric performance about three to five times higher than epoxy resins used for the same purpose. mPPO is a low-dielectric material used in copper-clad laminates (CCLs), a raw material for semiconductor printed circuit boards (PCBs). Low-dielectric properties that reduce signal loss and heat generation during high-speed signal transmission are important for data-intensive products such as AI accelerators and 6G communications equipment.

The company plans to supply all of the output to global CCL manufacturers. Once trial production is completed and mass production begins in earnest, Kolon Industries expects annual sales from mPPO alone to reach about 200 billion won.

“This expansion marks a turning point for our mPPO business as it enters a full-fledged growth phase,” Huh said. “We will develop next-generation electronic materials into a new growth engine based on differentiated technology and quality competitiveness.”