LG unveiled a laser direct imaging lithography machine for chip packaging and high-density PCBs, offering a maskless alternative designed to pattern fine interconnects with higher throughput despite lower resolution.

As advanced packaging technologies like Intel’s EMIB and TSMC’s CoWoS become increasingly critical battlegrounds in the semiconductor industry, outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) companies are deploying novel equipment to differentiate their offerings. According to ETNews, LG Electronics’ Production Technology Institute (PRI) has signed a contract with an undisclosed OSAT to supply a maskless laser direct imaging (LDI) lithography tool. Designed to pattern metal interconnects for semiconductor packaging, the system aims to deliver higher yields than existing alternatives.

LG-PRI’s LDI system is engineered specifically for patterning fine metal interconnects in advanced semiconductor packaging. While the institute has developed multiple iterations, its highest-resolution model generates 1.5-micrometer line-and-space (L/S) patterns, suitable for printing wiring pitches of approximately 3 micrometers. The production-grade equipment utilizes a 405-nanometer laser-diode light source and accommodates substrates up to 600 × 600 millimeters.

LG positions the LDI system primarily for advanced semiconductor packaging on organic and glass substrates, as well as for displays and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The technology is also applicable for manufacturing high-density printed circuit boards (PCBs) for mobile devices and rapid prototyping.

LG is entering a mature direct-imaging market dominated by KLA, Screen Holdings, Limata, and ORC, alongside a dozen other manufacturers across Germany, France, Switzerland, Japan, and China. Notably, LG’s entry targets the premium segment by offering LDI systems capable of 1.5-micrometer line-and-space resolution. To gain market traction, the company plans to adopt a competitive pricing strategy.

Substrate patterning can be achieved through various methods, including photolithography, electron-beam lithography, nanoimprint lithography, and laser direct imaging. LDI operates as a maskless lithography process, where a laser directly exposes a digitally generated circuit pattern onto a photoresist-coated substrate, eliminating the need for a physical photomask. Utilizing a digitally controlled pattern generator and projection optics, the system functions similarly to a digital cinema projector casting an image onto a screen, except it maps circuit layouts directly onto photoresist. Following chemical development, the exposed resist retains a precise pattern that dictates subsequent metal interconnect formation.

LG’s LDI system achieves 1.5-micrometer line-and-space patterns, sufficient for chip substrates and redistribution layers (RDLs). For context, TSMC’s CoWoS-R and CoWoS-L architectures utilize RDL interposers with a minimum 4-micrometer pitch, equating to 2-micrometer line widths and spacings. Competing LDI platforms typically offer 1-, 3-, and 5-micrometer variants tailored to specific applications. Although LDI cannot match the extreme resolutions of modern deep ultraviolet (DUV), extreme ultraviolet (EUV), or electron-beam lithography tools, it compensates by delivering significantly higher throughput and large-area processing capabilities—precisely the requirement for PCB and chip packaging manufacturing. Currently, RDL interposers represent the most advanced structures these LDI systems can reliably pattern, as CoWoS-S and CoWoS-L/EMIB-style technologies demand substantially finer resolution. Beyond resolution trade-offs, LDI offers a distinct operational advantage over mask-dependent lithography systems.

Because the circuit image is generated digitally, the system can dynamically create and calibrate patterns in real time. Coupled with precision projection optics, alignment systems, and stage control, this ensures accurate pattern placement on the substrate. This real-time adaptability is critical, as packaging substrates often exhibit dimensional variations, and organic materials frequently expand, contract, or warp during thermal processing. At a 1.5-micrometer wiring scale, even minor deviations from the nominal layout can cause solder bridges or faulty contacts, directly impacting yield. Consequently, the ability to automatically adjust patterns to accommodate substrate-specific irregularities represents a significant advantage for OSATs and their clients, serving as a key differentiator for LG’s equipment.

Unlike rival South Korean conglomerates Samsung and SK Group, LG does not manufacture semiconductors itself, though its divisions supply various materials and components to the industry. This structural distinction makes LG’s strategic pivot toward packaging and PCB fabrication equipment a logical expansion. Furthermore, LG PRI is not entering the exposure equipment market unprepared. The institute traces its origins to the Goldstar Production Technology Research Institute, founded in 1987, and has decades of experience developing manufacturing and productivity technologies across semiconductors, displays, and rechargeable batteries. LG has already commercialized LDI technology for display manufacturing, supplying the equipment to LG Display.

This semiconductor packaging-grade equipment therefore represents a strategic extension of proven technology into a new vertical, rather than a ground-up development. Notably, LDI marks the inaugural step in LG’s broader semiconductor equipment roadmap. The company reportedly intends to subsequently expand its portfolio into high-bandwidth memory (HBM) inspection systems and through-glass-via (TGV) laser drilling equipment for glass substrates.

Before advancing to inspection or laser drilling tools, LG must first establish credibility as a supplier of reliable packaging equipment—a process that will likely span several years. At present, the primary significance of the agreement with the unnamed OSAT lies not in immediate revenue, but in validation. Securing a deployment in a mass-production OSAT environment, rather than limiting the system to academic or internal R&D settings, provides LG with a critical foothold for securing additional commercial contracts.

LG’s long-term viability alongside established players like Applied Materials, ORC, and Screen will hinge on real-world production performance and whether its aggressive pricing strategy successfully convinces additional packaging firms to adopt the technology. Regardless of the timeline, LG’s entry introduces a new wafer fab and packaging equipment supplier to an industry grappling with widespread tool shortages. While the impact on market dynamics will likely remain marginal for at least two years, the addition of another qualified vendor will ultimately help alleviate capacity constraints, intensify competition, and provide chipmakers and OSATs with a diversified supply chain for advanced packaging solutions.