Changsha firm eyes advanced chip packaging

Lens Technology, a Chinese manufacturer renowned for producing glass screens for smartphones, is venturing into advanced chip packaging as artificial intelligence chips push the boundaries of conventional materials.

Entering the showroom of Lens Technology in Changsha, Central China's Hunan province, one feels more like stepping into a materials laboratory than a typical product display. The exhibits include foldable phone screens, solar panels for spacecraft, fiber optic cables and hard disk drives, with most products sharing a fundamental core material: glass.

In one corner, a glass substrate about the size of a human hand is covered with microscopic holes, barely visible to the naked eye. According to Jiang Nan, president of Lens Technology's China region and board secretary, this is the company's self-developed through-glass vias, or TGV, substrate, crafted for advanced chip packaging.

In the global chip industry, glass substrates are recognized as the next frontier for packaging materials. Compared to traditional organic materials, they are believed to enhance performance, increase interconnect density and improve power efficiency for future computing platforms. The demand for these substrates is being driven by the rapid growth of AI computing, which requires chips that operate at increasingly higher power levels.

"Conventional organic substrates can warp under heat, making them unreliable for large-scale chips," Jiang explained. "Glass, with its heat resistance and dimensional stability, offers a more robust solution."

Last month, the company announced a strategic collaboration with US chipmaker Intel Corp, focusing on enabling new technologies for advanced semiconductor packaging. According to the announcement, the companies will leverage their respective strengths in advanced semiconductor packaging, precision manufacturing, glass substrate research and development, and process innovation to support the growing demands of AI, data centers and specialized computing applications.

Zhou Qunfei, founder and chairwoman of Lens Technology, emphasized that her company has built its leadership on advanced materials engineering and precision manufacturing, serving some of the world's most demanding technology companies.

"This collaboration will support the rapid development of next-generation computing solutions and AI infrastructure for customers around the world," Zhou said.

However, manufacturing glass substrates presents significant technical challenges. TGVs must be spaced just 10 micrometers apart across an entire sheet of glass, with millions of holes achieving zero defects per million, free of blockages or incomplete perforations. Once drilled, the holes must be filled with copper, and each copper wire requires a buffer layer.

Lens Technology began developing glass substrates in 2023, as the company decided to extend its expertise in microscopic precision to semiconductor packaging.

"The core capability we have built over 30 years is precision manufacturing," Jiang said.

A dedicated 30,000-square-meter plant for TGV glass substrate production is currently under construction and is scheduled to go into operation by the end of the year.

Lens Technology's success can be traced back to its relationship with global technology giants. The company has been one of Apple's key suppliers for the past two decades, riding the iPhone boom to achieve rapid growth. In recent years, however, it has sought to diversify its customer base by expanding into new sectors. Its materials expertise now spans more than a dozen types, including glass, metal, ceramics, plastic, leather, silicone, fiberglass and carbon fiber. The company's business has grown to include AI-powered smart devices, AI servers, commercial aerospace and optical communications.