Background

As the semiconductor industry enters the post‑Moore era, rapid advances in artificial intelligence, large‑scale models, high‑performance computing (HPC), Chiplet, HBM and advanced packaging technologies are driving chip packaging toward larger form factors, higher density, greater bandwidth, lower signal loss and heterogeneous integration. With continuously increasing chip dimensions, rising I/O counts and shrinking packaging pitch, traditional organic packaging substrates face mounting challenges in dimensional stability, warpage control, high‑density wiring, high‑frequency signal transmission and thermal management. Against this backdrop, glass — featuring superior flatness, excellent dimensional stability, tunable coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), low dielectric loss, minimal warpage and compatibility with large‑area panel‑level manufacturing — has emerged as a critical candidate material for next‑generation advanced packaging.

Through‑Glass Via (TGV) is a pivotal technology that forms high‑precision vias in glass substrates and realizes electrical interconnection across both sides of glass via via‑wall metallization and conductive material filling. It serves as the fundamental technical enabler for high‑density vertical interconnection in glass‑based advanced packaging architectures including Glass Core, Glass Interposer and Glass Circuit Plate (GCP). As glass gains wider adoption in advanced packaging, the TGV‑centered industrial chain is expanding from simple through-hole processing into a complete ecosystem covering glass materials, precision machining, via formation, metallization, planarization, inspection and packaging applications.

Since 2026, the global TGV industry has been accelerating its transition from laboratory‑scale R&D and sample validation to pilot‑scale trials and partial application adoption. Leading global semiconductor and advanced‑packaging players such as Intel, TSMC and Samsung keep advancing R&D and evaluation of glass substrates, Glass Core and associated advanced‑packaging technologies. Glass material suppliers including AGC, Corning, Schott, NEG and Plan Optik are expediting the development of semiconductor‑grade glass products. In July 2026, Lens Technology and Intel officially announced a strategic collaboration focusing on advanced packaging of glass substrates.

Meanwhile, China’s TGV industry is forging ahead from technical R&D toward pilot‑scale verification and industrial deployment. Enterprises including BOE and Lens Technology have achieved phased progress in TGV via formation, Glass Core and precision machining, with selected projects entering pilot‑line construction, sample development and customer‑validation phases. Glass material firms such as Triumph Technology continue to push forward relevant technical research. China's industrial chain has gradually covered key links: substrate materials, precision processing, TGV microvia fabrication, intra‑via and surface metallization, RDL, metrology & inspection, and advanced packaging. Industrial development is shifting from isolated technical breakthroughs toward collaborative validation of materials, equipment, processes and production lines.

Accompanied by accelerating TGV industrialization, the sector still confronts critical challenges: large‑size glass processing, microvia consistency and microcrack control, metallization and copper filling, thermal stress and warpage, CTE matching, RDL yield, equipment capacity and manufacturing cost. Improving processing efficiency and yield while cutting production costs to move TGV beyond laboratory R&D,  toward high‑volume mass production has become a core industry theme. 

International Through Glass Via Industry Chain Technology and Market Forum 2026 will be held in Wuxi on December 3th. The event will bring together global enterprises spanning glass materials, semiconductor packaging, equipment, laser processing, wet processes, electroplating, PVD, inspection, simulation design and end-applications. The forum will bring together companies and experts from fields such as glass materials, semiconductor packaging, equipment, lasers, wet processes, electroplating, PVD, testing and measurement, simulation design, and end-user applications. They will engage in in-depth exchanges on TGV technology roadmaps, core processes, materials and equipment, large-scale manufacturing, supply chain collaboration, and market demand. The forum will systematically explore the key links in the industry chain, from glass materials and substrates, TGV via formation, metallization and copper filling, to RDL, testing, and advanced packaging applications. It will also explore the critical path for TGV from technology research and verification to large-scale manufacturing, as well as its application opportunities in AI, high-performance computing, chiplets, advanced packaging, and CPO.

Topics

1. TGV industrialization progress, global competitive landscape and market opportunities in China

2. Glass Multilayer Interconnect Substrate Technology and Industrialization Path Based on GCP (Glass Circuit Plate)

3. Core Process Technologies and Large-Scale Manufacturing Path of TGV

4. Impacts of different glass material systems on hole via morphology, mechanical strength and reliability

5. Development and performance control of semiconductor-grade glass

6. Flatness, Defect, and Warpage Control Technologies for Large-Size, Ultra-Thin Glass Substrates

7. Glass substrate thinning, grinding and CMP technologies

8. Micro-Hole Processing Accuracy, Diameter Uniformity, and High-Yield Manufacturing Technologies

9. Laser-Assisted Hole Forming, LIDE Laser-Induced Deep Etching, and Chemical Etching Technologies for TGV

10. Application of picosecond/femtosecond ultrafast lasers in micro-hole processing and improvement of mass production efficiency

11. Crack, Chipping, and Defect Control Technologies for Large-Size, Panel-Level Glass Micro-Holes

12. Surface Treatment and High-Reliability Metallization Technologies for Glass Substrates

13. PVD seedlayer deposition technologies and equipment development for largesize glass substrates

14. Applications of magnetronsputtering deephole coating in TGV

15. Coating, photolithography and dielectric layer technologies for large‑size glass panels in integrated TGV‑FOPLP processes

16. Progress in Copper Filling and High-Aspect-Ratio Electroplating Technologies

17. High-Aspect-Ratio, Seamless Copper Electroplating Hole-Filling Technology

18. Applications of Liquid Metal and Conductive Paste Via-Filling Technologies in Low-Cost TGV

19. TGV Metallization and RDL High-Density Multi-Layer Routing Technologies

20. AOI / In-Line Optical Inspection and Micro-Defect Detection Technologies for Glass Substrates

21. Applications of 3D Optical Inspection, X-Ray, and Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Technologies in TGV Defect Detection

22. Warpage Control and Thermal Stress Simulation Analysis for Glass Substrates

23. Domestic breakthroughs in panellevel TGV electroplating equipment and wetcleaning systems

24. Validation and Industrialization Progress of Wafer-Level/Panel-Level Glass Substrates in AI Advanced Packaging

25. Synergy and substitution paths between glass‑core substrates and ABF‑based packaging substrates: application exploration targeting FCBGA, 2.5D/3D packaging and Chiplet

This forum will further promote communication and collaboration among upstream and downstream enterprises in the TGV industry chain, including glass materials, TGV processing, laser equipment, PVD, electroplating, wet processes, testing and measurement, RDL, and advanced packaging. It will facilitate more efficient matching of technology, equipment, materials, and application needs, accelerating key process verification, supply chain matching, and industrialization. By establishing a professional industry exchange and cooperation platform, it will help drive the TGV industry chain from single-point technology R&D to upstream and downstream collaborative innovation, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial applications, further enhancing the overall maturity of the industry chain.