Sumitomo Chemical to Enhance Global Production Capacity for Photoresists for Advanced Semiconductor Processes

Aug. 31, 2021

Sumitomo Chemical has decided to expand its production capacity for photoresists for advanced semiconductor processes. The Company will install additional production lines for photoresists for ArF (argon fluoride) immersion and EUV (extreme ultraviolet) lithography at its Osaka Works (Konohana-ku, Osaka, Japan), and also build a new production plant for photoresists for ArF immersion lithography at the Iksan Plant of Dongwoo Fine-Chem Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary in South Korea. The new production lines are due to commence operation in the first half of fiscal 2023 for Osaka Works, and the first half of fiscal 2024 for the Iksan Plant.

Photoresists are light-sensitive resin materials used in semiconductor photolithography processes. Sumitomo Chemical has expanded its photoresist business, with the Osaka Works as the center of operations, by establishing advanced product designing technology and a rigorous quality assurance system based on the organic synthesis technology cultivated in a variety of its fine-chemical businesses, while also showing its strong ability to respond to customer needs in a timely manner. In particular, the Company’s photoresists for ArF immersion lithography, mainly used in advanced processes that require a high level of precision, boast a large global market share because of their superior performance and quality stability. Dongwoo Fine-Chem has been operating as a production site for i-line and KrF (krypton fluoride) photoresists that are used for wider line-width processing for over twenty years.

Since fiscal 2019, in anticipation of growing demand for advanced photoresists backed by the spread of 5G data communications, Sumitomo Chemical has carried out production capacity increases in stages at its Osaka Works, while also taking measures to strengthen its development and quality assurance system, such as building new clean rooms. As the semiconductor market is expected to continue its growth, driven by faster and higher capacity data communications, the Company has decided to expand production capacity for advanced photoresists at its Osaka Works and, based on the perspective of business continuity planning, build a new production plant at Dongwoo Fine-Chem at the same time. By carrying out these measures, in fiscal 2024, the Sumitomo Chemical Group’s production capacity for advanced photoresists will increase by two-and-a-half times compared to fiscal 2019. In order to further expand its photoresist business, the Company will continue to strengthen its supply capacity in a flexible and proactive way to meet strong demand and provide a stable supply of high quality products that meet exact market needs.

Sumitomo Chemical positions contribution to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) innovation as one of the material issues to be addressed as management priorities. The Company continues to contribute, by expanding its entire semiconductor materials business, including photoresists, to the growth of the semiconductor industry, which is indispensable for achieving smart mobility and a smart society, as represented by Society 5.0 in Japan.

Overview of Dongwoo Fine-Chem

Company name	Dongwoo Fine-Chem Co., Ltd.
Location of head office	Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Chairman	RHA IN HO
Established	December 1991
Business	Development, manufacturing and sales of processing chemicals for semiconductors, photoresists, optical functional films, color filters, touchscreen panels, and other IT-related materials

Contact

Corporate Communications Dept.
27-1, Shinkawa 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-8260, Japan
TEL: +81-3-5543-5102 FAX: +81-3-5543-5901