PI Advanced Materials, SK Nexilis, first mass-produce material for Galaxy CoF
Substitutes made in Japan…Realization of efforts to localize materials and parts between partners for over a year
LG Innotek, mass supply of CoF for Galaxy… compete with Japanese subsidiary
PI Advanced Materials (formerly SKC Kolon PI) and SK Nexilis have succeeded in localizing Chip on Film (CoF) materials for Samsung Electronics smartphones. The localization of materials by the two companies has established a domestic CoF supply chain of’PI Advanced Materials-SK Nexilis-LG Innotek’. The efforts to localize it, which began after the Japanese government’s restrictions on the export of materials in 2019, have come to fruition in more than a year.
According to the industry on the 7th, it was found that a domestic company mass-produced polyimide (PI) film and flexible copper clad laminate (FCCL), which are CoF materials, to some models of the Galaxy A series of mid-priced smartphones launched by Samsung Electronics in the first half. PI film for CoF was mass-produced by PI Advanced Materials, and FCCL for CoF was mass-produced by SK Nexilis. This is the first time that the two companies have supplied PI film for CoF and FCCL to Samsung Galaxy. Until now, all of the materials have been supplied by Japanese companies.
CoF is a film that connects a display panel glass substrate and a flexible circuit board (FPCB), and mounts a display driver IC (DDI), which is a display driving chip, on the film. It is possible to roll or fold the film, so product design is free.
FCCL for CoF is made by sputtering copper on a PI film. Make a microcircuit in FCCL and mount the driver IC on it. Samsung Electronics is applying CoF to the upper lineup of the Galaxy A series.
With the localization of PI Advanced Materials and SK Nexilis’ materials, CoF for Samsung Galaxy has completed the supply chain of’PI Advanced Materials (PI Film)-SK Nexilis (FCCL)-LG Innotek (CoF)’. It is known that these domestic companies have cooperated for about a year since the Japanese government’s material export regulation in 2019, and completed material development, evaluation, and customer approval.
LG Innotek will supply tens of millions of CoFs to the Galaxy A52 and A72 models this year. LG Innotek has been supplying small amounts of CoF to Samsung Galaxy, but this is the first time that it has been supplied in large quantities. Until now, the Galaxy CoF market has been dominated by Steemco, a joint venture between Japan’s Toray Industries (70%) and Samsung Electro-Mechanics (30%).
PI Advanced Materials and SK Nexilis are expected to increase sales of materials for Samsung Galaxy CoF by competing with Japanese companies. Samsung Electronics is also highly likely to increase the application of domestic CoF materials and parts. Samsung Electronics is focusing on expanding sales of the mid-priced Galaxy A series due to sluggish flagship smartphone sales.
Meanwhile, the method of mounting the driver IC on the display panel substrate is divided into CoF, Chip on Plastic (CoP), and Chip on Glass (CoG) methods depending on the type of substrate or attachment method. The mounting location of the driver IC and the connection type between the display panel board and the FPCB are different.
Samsung’s flagship smartphone uses a CoP method in which a chip is mounted on a polyimide (PI) substrate of a flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED). The sub-lineup of the Galaxy A series and the low-cost Galaxy M series use the CoG method in which chips are mounted on a glass substrate.
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