© Ministry of Trade and Energy of South Korea
Electronics Production |
DuPont aids S. Korea in photoresist shortage
The office of Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry, Sung Yun-mo, met with DuPont President Jon Kemp last week to confirm DuPont’s investment in the country’s need for diversification of its EUV photoresist supply.
The investment by the global chemical firm of USD 28 million will include the build-out of production lines for EUV photoresists and chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) pads, both key materials for chip-making, by 2021. Last week, Reuters reported that the investment will utilized at two existing factories and for the construction of a new plant. No details on the site or size of the new build were disclosed.
South Korea is seeking to reduce dependency on Japan for its supply of EUV photoresist, one of three exported items that Japan restricted effective July 1, 2019. Following the export ban, Korea has scrambled to find other sources of the critical material for its semiconductor needs.
