Bioptro, Launches Inspection Equipment for Semiconductor Substrate Manufacturing

Annual Import Substitution Effect of 20 to 25 Billion KRW
Expected Annual Overseas Exports of 30 to 50 Billion KRW

Bioptro announced on the 7th that it has succeeded in domesticating BBT (Bare Board Tester) equipment specialized for FC-BGA products.

Bioptro is a KOSDAQ-listed company specializing in the production of BBT equipment. BBT equipment for FC-BGA inspects the electrical connection status of internal circuits on PCBs. Bioptro developed this equipment by specializing the general PCB BBT equipment, which it has been producing as its main product for 20 years, for FC-BGA products. This development is the second in the world following Japan's Company N.

FC-BGA (Flip Chip BGA) substrates are products that apply flip chip technology to BGA packages, physically connecting the pins of the BGA package to the pads of the PCB (Printed Circuit Board). Among PCB product groups, FC-BGA substrates require the highest level of technology and are widely used in high-density and high-speed IC packages. Their application range is expanding especially in mobile devices (AP), computers (CPU, GPU), and communication equipment. The recent explosive increase in FC-BGA demand is due to the advancement of cutting-edge technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and data centers.

FC-BGA products are classified into two product groups in the production process: unit type and quad type. The two types of domestically produced BBT equipment, unit type (AT-7U) and quad type (AT-7Q), currently have performance comparable to Japan's Company N's 'G-Series' equipment. Additionally, price competitiveness has improved due to domestic production. The import substitution effect from the release of domestically produced BBT equipment is estimated at 20 to 25 billion KRW annually, with expected export effects ranging from 30 to 50 billion KRW.

Customers include leading domestic companies such as Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Daeduck Electronics, LG Innotek, Semtech, KCC; Japanese companies Ibiden and Shinko Electric; Taiwanese companies Unimicron and Nanya; Chinese companies CCTC and Fast Print; and more than 20 other prominent companies worldwide.

Bioptro is currently conducting prototype testing and joint development with leading domestic FC-BGA manufacturers and is simultaneously expanding mass production systems and facilities to respond to large-scale orders from each manufacturer in the future while producing initial quantities.

Currently, sales are also conducted through agencies in Asian regions such as Taiwan and China. The release of domestically produced BBT equipment is expected to strengthen competitiveness in the Asian market. Demand for FC-BGA continues to increase as advanced technologies such as IoT, AI, cloud computing, and data centers develop. Fuji Chimera Research Institute

According to the research institute, the global FC-BGA substrate market size is expected to grow at an average annual rate of about 9%, from 8 billion USD (approximately 9.88 trillion KRW) in 2022 to 16.4 billion USD (approximately 20.254 trillion KRW) in 2030.