Fujifilm expands with new semiconductor materials facility
Fujifilm says it plans to build a new advanced semiconductor materials manufacturing facility in South Korea as it looks to further expand the electronic materials business.
In its most recent step, Fujifilm Electronic Materials Korea Co., Ltd. has started the construction on a new production plant in PyeongTaek, South Korea, to produce color filter materials for image sensors. The company states in a press release that it expects to have the new factory operational by 2024 – ready to start local production of color filter materials for image sensors.
This new facility in South Korea will become the company’s second production site for semiconductor materials in the country. The company says that the facility will feature "cutting-edge manufacturing capabilities and state-of-the-art evaluation equipment to enable the production of high-quality and high-performance products."
With its close proximity to major technology manufacturers, the facility will cater to the growing demand for locally-sourced production of color filters for image sensors in South Korea. With the recent expansion of image sensor applications in cars with autonomous driving features, and security devices, the image sensor market is expected to grow at the rate of 7% per annum.
In Japan and Taiwan, Fujifilm produces photosensitive color materials required for manufacturing color filters used in image sensors, and supplies them globally. The company says that it currently holds over 80% of the global share in color filter materials for image sensors. The move will establish a production structure with three sites in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea – something that will allow Fujifilm to maintain stable production and distribution of color filter materials.