On June 25, South Korean company LG Innotek (KRX: 011070) has developed the world's first "Copper Post" (Cu-Post) technology for semiconductor substrates, aiming to reduce substrate size by up to 20% while maintaining or even improving performance. This breakthrough represents a major innovation in advanced packaging for RF system-in-package (RF-SiP) substrates, particularly in mobile and AI-driven devices.

Traditionally, solder balls have been used to connect semiconductor components on substrates. LG Innotek's new Cu-Post technology replaces these with ultra-fine copper pillars, enabling a tighter circuit pitch and higher integration density. Thanks to copper's thermal conductivity—approximately seven times that of solder—the technology also significantly improves heat dissipation.

Key features of the Copper Post approach include:

 ● 20% reduction in substrate footprint

 ● Enhanced signal density and integration

 ● Improved thermal management, critical for AI and high-performance applications

This innovation is expected to bolster LG Innotek's competitiveness in the RF-SiP substrate market and support next-generation mobile devices, where space constraints and heat issues are increasingly critical. The company also sees potential in extending this technology to broader high-performance computing segments.

While not directly related to glass substrate development—a next-gen platform under development by players like Intel and Samsung—the Cu-Post solution shares the common goal of enabling smaller, faster, and more efficient semiconductor packages.

Unlike glass substrates, which are still in early commercialization stages, Cu-Post can be immediately applied to existing flexible PCBs and RF-SiP substrates, offering a production-ready path to miniaturization and enhanced performance.

LG Innotek's latest innovation signals a strong push to lead in substrate-level semiconductor packaging as the industry faces growing demand for compact, thermally efficient, and high-speed interconnect solutions.