Samsung Electronics is looking for its future businesses in its materials and components such as IoT platforms, Quantum-Dot (QD) materials, packaging solutions and others. It is going to introduce a packaging technology, which is seen as a next-generation technology that will improve degree of integration of semiconductors, and introduced current status and strategies on FO-PLP (Fan-Out Panel Level Package) technology. (Reference: first page of The Electronic Times’ newspaper on the 13th of June)
Samsung Electronics held ‘Samsung Investors Forum 2016’ at CONRAD Hotel, which is located in Yeoouido, on the 20th and introduced current status and strategies on technologies of its materials and components
At the forum, Vice-President So Byeong-sae of SSIC (Samsung Strategy and Innovation Center), Vice-President Jang Hyeok of SAIC (Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology), and Executive Director Kang Sa-yoon explained about IoT platform called ‘ARTIK’, ‘QD materials’, and ‘advanced packaging solution’ respectively.
Vice-President So Byeong-sae introduced Samsung Electronics’ plan to engraft a security solution called ‘Knox’ into ARTIK and add a function that will support OTA (Over the Air) update so that ARTIK can provide more values to customers and developers.
“We are going to provide step-by-step securities by combining Knox and ARTIK and also increase level of convenience for users by supporting OTA update.” said Vice-President So.
According to him, it is predicted that ARTIK will be able to increase its value in variety of fields such as buildings, lighting, methods of transportation, healthcare and others. Ultimately, expansion of ARTIK’s ecosystem will lead to increase in sales of Samsung Electronics’ semiconductors and products.
Vice-President Jang Hyeok introduced Samsung Electronics’ strategies on QD materials. Samsung Electronics is currently using QD as its main technology for TVs and is aiming for QLED that uses QD as an illuminating material in long term.
“We are going to introduce 3rd generation QD technology that will improve brightness, angle of field, color representation ratio and others shortly.” said Vice-President Jang. “We will eventually aim for QLED after continuous developments such as reduction of electricity consumption.”
“We cannot respond to demands for future products with just silicon technologies.” said Executive Director Kang. “Packaging technologies, which greatly improve values of products, are the most important technologies.”
Fan-Out technology is a technology that increases I/O (Input/Output) in packages by pulling out wirings for I/O terminals from a semiconductor chip, which is a previous step of packaging. If this technology is used, production cost can be greatly reduced since PCB (Printed Circuit Board) is not necessary and areas of packages can be reduced also. While TSMS, which is Samsung Electronics’ competitor, applies this technology onto a circular wafer, Samsung Electronics has a better competitive edge in production cost since it applies this technology onto a rectangular panel. Samsung Electronics is going to mass-produce Fan-Out package products starting from next year along with Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
Staff Reporter Kwon, Keonho | wingh1@etnews.com & Staff Reporter Han, Juyeop | powerusr@etnews.com