Korean Media: Corning's 60-Year Glass Monopoly Ends, Chinese Enterprises Surge Strongly!
On August 6, South Korean media outlet Economic Global published an article stating that two key patents held by Corning for display glass substrates will expire successively in the fourth quarter of this year. China Rainbow Corporation has seized this opportunity, raising its market share to over 30%. In response, Corning is preparing a counterattack, shifting its focus toward semiconductor glass substrates.
The patent barrier that Corning has maintained for more than 60 years in the display glass substrate market is now crumbling. The company dominated the market since 1964 by developing a fusion draw process capable of achieving non-polished forming with thickness deviations under 2 micrometers.
In its 8.5-generation glass substrate business, Corning has consistently maintained profit margins between 30% and 50%. However, the core patents underpinning this market dominance—US8642491 and US8640498—are set to expire one after another in the fourth quarter of this year.
In April this year, China Rainbow Corporation successfully defeated Corning’s patent infringement claims at the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), receiving a preliminary ruling that no infringement occurred.
Last year, Rainbow Corporation successfully transitioned to a new "616" bonding technology. Currently, it holds over 30% of the market share in 8.5-generation and larger display glass substrates.
The company operates two major production bases in Hefei and Shenyang, equipped with a total of 10 production lines for 8.5-generation and larger substrates, yielding an annual capacity of 9 million units. Its yield rate ranges from 90% to 93%, and production costs are 30% lower than imported products.
The company has also signed long-term supply contracts with major display panel manufacturers including BOE, CSOT, and HKC.
Corning is attempting to offset its weakness in the display market by focusing on semiconductor glass substrates. The company has introduced a structure called “Glass Bridge” as a strategic response, enabling direct fiber-optic and photonic integrated circuit connections at the wafer level.
Corning plans to invest $5 billion by 2028 to expand capacity for semiconductor and AI-related glass substrates. However, industry insiders predict that commercialization of the “Glass Bridge” technology won’t be realized until after 2030.
In contrast, Rainbow Corporation aims to achieve mass production of semiconductor-grade through-hole glass substrates by 2027. The company has already delivered 8-inch “Through-Glass Vias (TGV)” samples to China Changdian Technology, with a yield rate exceeding 80%.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872755412460544/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.