Key Initiatives
Further Enhancement of the Functionalities of Special Glass
Based on its unique technologies, the Nittobo Group offers two types of Special Glass with special compositions. The first of these is T-glass—a type of glass with high elasticity and low thermal expansion properties—which is essential for making high-density package substrates, while the second is NE-glass—a type of glass with a low dielectric constant and low dielectric dissipation factor—which supports 5G high-speed, high-volume communications and high-speed processing packages.
T-glass is used in semiconductor package substrates for communications ASICS and high-performance CPUs, including the AI semiconductors and switches that support the information and communications society. However, the tendency for the demand for given characteristics to be enhanced means that there is also a requirement to support even lower thermal expansion properties and faster transmissions.
We will continue to actively pursue R&D to allow us to cater to these requirements.
NE-glass, which was developed in the 1990s, has in recent years become the industry leader as the de facto standard for low dielectric glass products. As we enter an era in which there is ongoing anticipation on the development of 5G and further high-speed communication methods, the market for low dielectric materials is set to continue to evolve, to the extent that advances in high-speed communication network equipment to support the Internet of Everything (IoE) and market expansion also continue. The benchmark Ethernet standard will make compatibility with doubled speeds within approximately four years a requirement, and equipment compatible with 800 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE; equivalent to 112 gigabits per second [Gbps]) is currently poised to go to market. The Nittobo Group has commenced production and shipping of NER glass as a means of enabling these 112 Gbps speeds.
