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Company 구분점 LG Innotek Insights

2Metal COF – The optimal flexible semiconductor substrate solution for tomorrow’s IT devices

2023-04-13

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Producers of developing high-tech IT devices are preoccupied with the ongoing challenge of upgrading product performance. Increasing performance inevitably requires a corresponding increase in the number of components installed in a device, while design and usability trends demand that products remain as compact as possible. These days, technology competition is a battle over compactness while achieving high performance, with keen attention on efficient design to mount many parts in a limited space. Indeed, the buzzwords of all developers have recently become “ultra-compact” and “package mounting space efficiency”.

Developers are experiencing these pressures acutely, as smaller, thinner, higher-performing products must be brought to market faster and more consistently. LG Innotek is here to share its message:

“2Metal COF is an extremely thin and highly flexible substrate that represents the optimal solution for miniaturization of parts and efficiency of package mounting space in cutting-edge IT devices.”

 

Benefits of flexible with thin substrate

Having multiple functions in one IT product means that multiple components must be mounted to realize each function. Looking at the minimum parts that are usually included in a small terminal, there are various parts such as an application processor (AP) that acts as a brain, an image sensor for camera functions, and a display driver integrated circuit (DDI).

Advances in hardware and software continuously drive the creation of thinner, more powerful devices. Wearable devices are a perfect example of ultra-slim and miniaturized products. Designed to be worn comfortably on the body, their form factor should be ultra-small. Despite being smaller, they must capture and process more information, and accordingly, more sensors must be mounted. A high-quality device is possible only when it is designed to mount as many functions as possible in a limited space. Any remaining space is of course all for battery. Only highly integrated designs can create powerful devices that last longer with less charging.

Good design requires optimal efficiency. Suppose you are going on a short trip. As you pack all the necessary items in a small suitcase, a shirt or towel that can be rolled up and tucked anywhere offers flexibility in the way the bag is packed, while hard and unbendable items reduce space efficiency. Similarly, the role of a highly flexible substrate is important for the space efficiency of micro devices.

The semiconductor substrate serves to physically mount and electrically connect each component. In simple terms, it can be seen as the skeleton of a component. To make a device flexible, the skeleton must be flexible. The true value of a highly-bendable substrate is thus demonstrated: by allowing components to be made in a variety of shapes, thin and flexible substrates enable efficient use of space and allow more components to be placed in the same volume.

To address these design constraints, LG Innotek proposes a thin and flexible high-integrated substrate – 2Metal COF – as a solution. 2Metal COF refers to a flexible substrate with COF (Chip On Film), a thin film-type printed circuit semiconductor package substrate. Since circuits can be placed on both sides of the film, higher performance components can be realized without sacrificing a compact form factor. 2Metal COF represents the pinnacle of flexible substrate technology.

 

Advantages of 2Metal COF

What is the clear competency of 2Metal COF that LG Innotek proposes as a solution for cutting-edge devices? To understand this, it is necessary to examine the limitations of the existing flexible substrates and how 2Metal COF overcomes them.

Until now, the industry has mainly used flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) as a flexible substrate. FPCB refers to a conventional rigid substrate made of a flexible material. FPCB is made by etching – a circuit formation method in which the substrate is copper plated, the circuit pattern is coated, and the remaining uncoated material is etched away with chemicals. However, this method is limited in terms of the line width that can be realized. FPCB’s fatal disadvantage is not being able to implement fine patterns, and therefore it is difficult to use as a substrate for high-performance semiconductors.

On the other hand, 2Metal COF uses a modified semi-additive process (MSAP). After the pattern is engraved in advance, other parts are coated and the remaining areas are plated. While FPCB implemented the pattern by cutting away everything except the part that serves as a circuit, 2Metal COF engraves the pattern as desired and then coats the remaining part. It’s convenient to think of a print made in school art class; it’s much easier to carve out only the sketch you want than to carve out the entire background, and you can delicately create the desired shape.

Thus, 2Metal COF is advantageous for drawing fine patterns due to process characteristics. Since fine patterns can be drawn more easily, it is possible to apply more than 4,000 circuits within a limited space. This is why the 2Metal COF board can be applied to all high-performance and micro-sized IT devices as well as smartphones and monitors.


 <Comparison between 2Metal COF and FPCB based on the same circuit>


In addition, 2Metal COF is a film-type substrate and has flexible characteristics such as bending and rolling, so it unlocks new possibilities for package mounting space when designing parts. Reducing the thickness and size of components mounted in IT products also frees up space to expand battery capacity and increases overall freedom of design for developers.

The greatest additional strength of 2Metal COF is its capacity for extremely fine circuit patterns. 2Metal COF can be the optimal solution for developers who are concerned about miniaturization of parts and efficiency of package mounting space for efficient product composition.

 

Why choose LG Innotek?

1.    The global market leader with the best fine pattern (16 µm) technology

LG Innotek has more than 20 years of mass production experience in the field of film-type substrates and boasts the world’s best micro-pattern technology. The film thickness of 2Metal COF is about 70 micrometers (µm), which is the thinnest among semiconductor substrates. In order to construct fine patterns on such thin substrates, extremely accurate and stable technical capabilities are required.

LG Innotek now offers the thinnest pattern in the industry. LG Innotek applied its own innovative methodology to reduce the circuit pattern width to 16 µm – a significant reduction from the previous thinnest circuit’s 18 µm size. When circuit width is reduced, more circuit patterns can be drawn on the surface of the 2Metal COF, and the number of components that can be mounted in a given area increases, enabling high integration.

Another LG Innotek innovation that enables fine patterns is the use of micro-via holes. A conventional via is a drilled hole that acts as an electrical pathway between layers of printed circuits, and micro-via refers to a method of drilling smaller, extremely precise holes in thin materials. Micro-via holes are used on thin substrates in order to allow more circuits to be placed on the board while lowering the possibility of defects.

2Metal COF is a double-sided substrate, and it must be able to transmit electrical signals without loss to the fine patterns engraved on the two layers. Therefore, micro-via hole technology that stably interconnects layers is vital. LG Innotek has reduced micro-via diameter to 25 µm – a quarter of the thickness of a human hair – representing a more than two-fold reduction in size from the typical 55 µm via hole in existing FPCBs.

In addition, LG Innotek’s 2Metal COF substrate technology is capable of mounting passive components. A passive element refers to a component that consumes, accumulates, or releases supplied power without an active function. Examples include resistors and capacitors. Although different from the active element that processes the input signal, the role of the passive element is important because it is responsible for the reliability of the system. In the case of existing boards, only circuit chip (IC) type components could be mounted, while passive elements were mounted on another separate board such as FPCB – an inefficiency requiring a separate process and space.

LG Innotek has developed technology that can mount passive elements other than IC on 2Metal COF at once to eliminate problems and increase efficiency. The customer does not have to use two types of substrates, so design challenges are reduced while space efficiency is also increased. As a result, it is possible to provide high customer value by providing a 2-metal COF that can simultaneously mount ICs and passive elements.



<2Metal COF Micropattern Technology>

 

Recognized for its world-class fine pattern technology, LG Innotek has maintained its position as the global market leader for several years. In addition, the company will continue to enhance its competency in the thin substrate sector and develop multilayer products such as 3Metal COF beyond today’s 2Metal COF. Opportunities to implement flexible, high-performance IT products with thin COF substrates are expected to increase.

 

2.    AI-based simulation technology for design optimization

Substrates are a contract-based business, with products made to precise specifications when an order from a customer comes in. Therefore, board makers must be able to look at customer-designed schematics and produce them perfectly so that parts can function properly without defects. In the past, this process required customers to go through several sample production and verification processes to ensure that the parts they ordered worked properly. As this iterative process was repeated, it added significant time to development cycles.

LG Innotek provides AI-based simulation services in order to perfectly implement customer designs. Before starting board production in earnest, simulations are conducted in advance to preemptively go through the verification process. This allows customers to shorten development time, reduce quality verification costs, and optimize designs. To implement sophisticated AI, high-quality algorithms and large amounts of high-quality data are essential, and LG Innotek makes this possible thanks to a design database built up over 20 years.

 

3.    Differentiated quality precision analysis process and material processing technology

LG Innotek applies automatic precision inspection to the entire 2Metal COF production process. It has built an overall technology analysis platform and infrastructure that includes thermal imbalance (warpage) simulation, structure and shape analysis, organic/inorganic component analysis, and surface analysis. Because LG Innotek conducts a thorough inspection in advance, customers can determine from the outset what shape the optimal product should have, and as a result, they can receive a high-quality product.

In addition, LG Innotek mass-produces boards based on various materials other than 2Metal COF. The company utilizes materials like polyimide, which is more flexible than glass and has excellent heat resistance, flexible copper clad laminate (FCCL), which is a laminate of thin copper foil and insulating film, and Pre-Preg, a composite material impregnated with resin and carbon fiber in a precise ratio.

LG Innotek’s strength is its differentiation across a wide spectrum of material processing technology. This is made possible by a cooperative system with other LG Group affiliates and subsidiaries which also develop materials and devices – including a central research institute for raw materials and components. Thus LG Innotek utilizes the capabilities of the entire LG Group to support the development of materials and equipment that meet customer demand.

 

If you want to develop tomorrow’s ultra-slim, high-performance products, remember 2METAL COF!

So where can thin and flexible 2Metal COF be used?

The short answer is “in everything, everywhere”. 2Metal COF can be applied to high-tech IT products where high integration, performance, and miniaturization are important, regardless of category. For example, 2Metal COF is ideal for high-resolution VR devices which have recently become a hot topic.

However, the scope of application of 2Metal COF is infinite. By widening the bounds of your creativity and innovation, 2Metal COF will allow you to turn your imagination into reality. This is why LG Innotek considers 2Metal COF to be the optimal solution for miniaturizing parts and improving package mounting space efficiency.

Choose LG Innotek’s 2Metal COF if you want to break the existing mold and develop smaller, lighter, and cutting-edge electronic devices made possible by a thin, flexible, and highly integrated substrate solution.

 

 

 

                              

This paper is valuable property of LG Innotek Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “LGIT”). Any information provided herein shall be protected by applicable copyright acts, rules and regulations. Any and all information provided herein may not be accurate and is, from time to time, subject to change and error. This paper is intended to provide general information on LGIT’s main products and is not an exhaustive treatment of LGIT’s main products or substitute to obtaining professional services or advice. This paper may contain information sourced from publicly available information or other third- party sources. LGIT does not independently verify any such sources and is not responsible for any loss whatsoever caused due to reliance placed on information sourced from such sources. You should seek specific advice of relevant qualified professionals before making any decision or taking any action that might affect your personal finances or business. In no event shall LGIT be responsible for any loss or damage whatsoever sustained by any person or entity by reason of use or reliance on this paper. Please see www.lginnotek.com for a more detailed description of LGIT or LGIT’s products.

ⓒ 2023 LG Innotek Corporation Limited

 


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