AIBRIEF
Laser Direct Imaging (LDI) skips the photomask used in conventional lithography; the 1.5 µm resolution spec goes up against KLA, Screen, Limata, and ORC as TSMC's chip on wafer on substrate (CoWoS) supply stays constrained.
LG Electronics' Production Technology Institute (PRI) signed a contract with an outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) firm to supply a maskless laser direct imaging (LDI) lithography tool for advanced chip packaging, per ETNews.
LDI skips the photomask used in conventional lithography: a digitally generated circuit pattern is written directly onto a photoresist-coated substrate by a 405-nm laser, trading some resolution for higher throughput. LG's highest-resolution model produces 1.5-µm line-and-space patterns, fine enough to "print" wiring pitches of roughly 3 µm on package substrates. The system handles panels up to 600 × 600 mm, the format behind the high-end organic and emerging glass substrates used in advanced packaging.
LG is entering an established market. KLA, Screen Holdings, Limata, and ORC anchor a roughly dozen-vendor field that also includes suppliers from Germany, France, Switzerland, Japan, and China. The 1.5-µm ceiling is now table stakes across that roster, so the contest is shifting to price-per-substrate on 600×600 mm panels rather than to a new resolution record. LG has said it plans to price the system competitively to win share.
Capacity at TSMC's CoWoS line remains constrained, keeping tool demand hot. The OSAT customer's identity and ship dates have not been disclosed.