South Korea’s LG Chem Company has announced that it has developed a high-performance silver paste in collaboration with Japan’s Noritake Company, designed specifically for bonding silicon carbide (SiC) chips to substrates in automotive power semiconductors.
Noritake is a 120-year-old company with expertise in advanced ceramics, and it supplies grinding wheels, materials for electronic components, and kilns (thermal processing equipment) for applications in the semiconductor and automotive industries.
Demand for automotive power semiconductors is growing rapidly, driven by the rapid adoption of automotive electrification and autonomous driving technologies. LG Chem pointed out that that “traditional soldering methods, which rely on melting metals to join components, have become less effective as the operating temperatures of power devices increase. This has created a growing need for paste that can maintain stability and performance under high thermal conditions.”
LG Chem stated that the silver paste co-developed with Noritake is a high-performance paste containing nano-sized silver (Ag) particles, combining LG Chem’s particle engineering technology with Noritake’s particle dispersion expertise, offering superior heat resistance and thermal conductivity in a single formulation.
LG Chem said in a statement: “Unlike conventional silver pastes, which require cold storage and have a short storage life that complicates inventory management, the new product offers long-term stability at room temperature. This improvement enhances transportation and storage efficiency, while also extending the usable time within customer processes—ultimately reducing material loss.”
LG Chem expects that the global market for silver paste for automotive power semiconductors will grow from KRW 300 billion (US$ 220 million) in 2025 to KRW 850 billion by 2030. The two companies plan to pursue further joint development of next-generation materials for future automotive applications.
LG Chem’s CEO, Shin Hak-Cheol, said that by “leveraging our accumulated technological expertise and advanced materials design capabilities, LG Chem has provided customized solutions across various industries, including automotive electronics. Through our partnership with Noritake, we aim to strengthen our differentiated competitiveness in the global automotive materials market.”
