Odisha, Intel and US-based 3DGS signed a memorandum on May 29 for an advanced-packaging glass-core substrate facility in the Bhubaneswar-Khurda region. Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Intel chief executive Lip-Bu Tan witnessed the agreement, according to the ministry.
The proposed facility would manufacture glass-core and high-density interconnect substrates and related semiconductor technologies. Intel would supply technological know-how and process expertise. Implementation is planned in phases over five to six years, with the ministry identifying export-oriented manufacturing and skilled employment among the intended results.
Vaishnaw placed the agreement within India's wider semiconductor programme. He cited activity involving Applied Materials, Lam Research, Tokyo Electron and Merck Electronics, and the memorandum between Tata Electronics and ASML. The Odisha announcement concerns the packaging supply chain, rather than a claim that a silicon-wafer fabrication plant has started production.
Intel's September 2023 announcement describes why glass is being considered for this role. Organic substrates face limits from shrinkage and warping as packages become larger and more complex. Glass offers greater dimensional stability and resistance to heat, helping keep densely arranged connections aligned between layers of a package.
The company reported 50% less pattern distortion and the potential for a tenfold increase in interconnect density. Flatter material improves the depth of focus during lithography, the process used to define fine patterns. These are Intel's technical claims about its substrate development, not performance measurements from the proposed Odisha facility.
Higher-temperature processing also permits optical interconnect integration and the embedding of inductors and capacitors, Intel said. Those features concern signal routing and power delivery, alongside the ability to assemble several chiplets in one package. Its initial target applications included data centres, artificial intelligence and graphics, where large packages and fast connections are particularly relevant.
