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A Challenge for Sustainable Growth: Korea Instrument's Global Probe Card Strategy

Interview - October 21, 2025

Korea Instrument's semiconductor probe cards enhance NAND, DRAM and HBM wafer testing effectiveness, supporting Korea global dominance in memory chips. Today, Korea Instrument uses its long-standing expertise to diversify offerings and advance semiconductor testing.

OH SUNG-TAK, CEO OF KOREA INSTRUMENTSHARE

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OH SUNG-TAK | CEO OF KOREA INSTRUMENT

Over the years, Korea Instrument has collaborated closely with Korean Chipmaker and OSAT. Given Korea’s industrial structure and growing competitiveness, do you believe now is an opportune moment for the Korean semiconductor ecosystem to diversify its portfolio and expand into more globalized systems?

Yes, but I don't want to say it is an opportune moment. I think this is a challenge that needs to be done for sustainable growth and survival. Major Korean semiconductor companies such as Samsung and SK Hynix have firmly established themselves and achieved remarkable growth. However, for SMEs in Korea, internationalization and diversification are essential for survival and growth. By leveraging our long-standing expertise and partnerships, I think now is the right time to diversify globally and strengthen our competitiveness. This is not just a challenge, but also a window of opportunity for us to expand into new international markets.

In that context, what opportunities do you foresee for Korea Instrument, particularly in areas like probe cards, which are crucial for semiconductor testing?

Our primary business revolves around probe cards, which are indispensable in semiconductor manufacturing. Demand for these products will continue to grow. For example, as High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) adoption expands, the demand for probe cards will rise accordingly. We project steady growth in this segment through at least 2030, roughly a decade of sustained expansion.

To prepare for the long-term growth of the memory market driven by AI trends, we have initiated development work on DRAM-related products, and earlier this year, Samsung approved our new probe card for both DRAM and HBM as well. Collectively, these developments point to significant opportunities in the coming years.

At present, only a few global and Korean companies supply probe cards for HBM. This scarcity means growth potential is substantial. By 2030, we expect to see industry-wide growth rates of up to 10%. We intend to seize this opportunity by broadening our product portfolio, supplying DRAM and HBM probe cards to Samsung this year, high-end DRAM and HBM probe cards next year, and gradually expanding into even more advanced solutions.

Korea Instrument's Headquarter

Beyond memory, you also mentioned the potential in LSI (Large-Scale Integration) markets. How does Korea Instrument intend to participate?

The total probe card market size is estimated between $2.5B and $3B. Within this, the Logic market is estimated at $1.2B to $1.5B, similar to the Memory market, and is expected to grow by more than 7% annually through 2030, driven primarily by AI and automotive applications.

Until now, we have been supplying Logic products to Samsung in the SoC and CIS sectors, as well as to OSAT companies in the Cantilever and DDI (Display Driver IC) segments, but we have faced limitations in expanding our market share. As a result, based on technology verified at Samsung LSI, we have developed probe pins with differential characteristics, such as long lifespan and high current-carrying capacity (CCC), to actively participate in the emerging VPC global market.

In addition, to expand our reach to global Fabless, Foundry, and OSAT customers, we plan to conduct overseas marketing activities aimed at establishing international customer service bases and sales networks.

Could you clarify the differences between logic chips and NAND memory, particularly in terms of challenges for probe card suppliers?

In general, logic and NAND memory chips require the development of probe cards with ultra-fine pitches and extreme precision to keep pace with technological evolution, which optimizes yields in the testing process, reduces overall test costs, shortens the time-to-market for advanced chips, and enables high integration. A specific technical challenge common to probe cards is maintaining current-carrying capacity (CCC) and mechanical durability as the pins become thinner.

The differences between logic chips and NAND memory chips in terms of probe card technology are as follows. Memory chip probe cards face the technical challenge of performing full-wafer contact tests with an increased number of DUTs (Devices Under Test) per wafer, requiring high parallelism through probe pins that satisfy both fine pitch and high precision.

On the other hand, logic chips, such as APs and CPUs, have much higher IO integration than memory chips relative to the number of channels available between probe cards and testers. Therefore, it is not feasible to increase the DUT count at the wafer test stage to the same level as memory probe cards.

Because a low DUT count requires multiple shots per wafer for inspection, the durability and precision of the probe pins must be further enhanced. Vertical-type probe pins are applied to handle finer pitches than those used in memory chips. Through the design of MEMS probe pins and the development of new materials, we have expanded business opportunities by demonstrating our technological capabilities in addressing these challenges. KI's Long Life, High CCC VPC products, which I mentioned earlier, are expected to perform well in the market, as they effectively address these technical challenges.

With AI, 5G, IoT, and automotive sectors driving semiconductor demand, how do you assess long- and short-term growth opportunities across these fields?

Artificial Intelligence is undoubtedly the strongest growth driver. As AI workloads expand, demand in the server and data center markets will increase dramatically. In contrast, the mobile phone sector faces limitations unless new breakthrough technologies emerge.

From a mid- to long-term perspective, I believe servers and data centers will be the most dynamic growth segments. These applications require cutting-edge semiconductors produced at 2nm and below, often with complex 3D architectures. This creates both economic and technical challenges for testing. As requirements become more exacting, probe cards must evolve to match.

At Korea Instrument, we are already preparing next-generation probe cards capable of supporting these fine processes, including DDR5 for servers and LPDDR for mobile applications. By the end of this year, we aim to deliver DRAM probe cards to customers, and from next year, expand into HBM.

DRAM and HBM MEMS Probe Cards

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Korea Instrument has been a long-standing partner of Samsung. What differentiates your company from competitors in probe card manufacturing?

Our biggest strength is our end-to-end integration. From the initial design stage through simulation, production, fabrication, and final assembly, we manage the entire process internally. This allows us to respond quickly and precisely to customer’s requirements.

We also develop customized equipment exclusively for our use, ensuring we maintain technical independence and efficiency. Our simulation and electrical design capabilities, particularly in signal integrity and power performance, give us a one-to-two-year competitive lead over peers.

Ultimately, what sets us apart is our ability to collaborate closely with clients from conception to delivery, providing consistency, speed, and tailored solutions that others struggle to match.

How does Korea Instrument approach collaboration with global equipment suppliers across Japan or the U.S.?

Collaboration is essential. In bonding equipment, technologies like fine pitch movement, laser power, and precision control must be integrated with probe card design. Without close cooperation, equipment cannot deliver full performance.

From a perspective of test performance verification, currently, we are co-developing high-speed probe cards with one of global test maker, particularly for logic chip test. This kind of joint development is a model we intend to expand, not only with this company but also with other Japanese and American partners when opportunities arise.

In memory, collaboration tends to be more predetermined with Samsung. But in LSI, because requirements are more specialized, joint development with equipment makers is both possible and necessary.

Finally, what is your long-term vision for Korea Instrument?

My vision is for Korea Instrument to become a truly global player in the probe card market. Within the next three to five years, we aim to move beyond our domestic leadership position and establish ourselves as a top-tier supplier in the global probe card market.

We are already making progress: this year we entered DRAM and HBM supply, and in parallel we are preparing for expansion into the LSI sector, particularly in Taiwan and China. DRAM and LSI together will significantly expand our market share.

Diversifying across both memory and LSI not only spreads risk but also strengthens our resilience. I believe this dual strategy is the right approach to ensure stability and long-term growth. Korea Instrument has the history, the technical foundation, and now the strategic ambition to play a central role in the global semiconductor ecosystem.

For more details, explore their website at https://www.kicl.co.kr/