【DT New Materials】It has been learned that recently, Sumitomo Chemical announced that the company has decided to expand and install new development and quality assessment equipment for both the front-end and back-end of advanced semiconductor processes at its Osaka plant, in order to strengthen the development and mass production evaluation system for new photoresist products used in advanced semiconductor processes. These new facilities are scheduled to be put into use successively from fiscal 2025 to the first half of fiscal 2026, with the aim of expanding orders from advanced semiconductor manufacturers.

Sumitomo Chemical stated that under the backdrop of future trends towards miniaturization and multi-layering of semiconductors, the ArF photoresist market will continue to steadily expand, and with innovations in post-processing technology for semiconductors, demand for thick-film i-line photoresists that support high aspect ratios is also expected to grow.

In light of this, to strengthen the development and mass production evaluation systems for immersion ArF photoresists and thick-film i-line photoresists, Sumitomo Chemical has decided to introduce advanced exposure machines compatible with higher resolutions required for each type of photoresist application.

Sumitomo Chemical further indicated that, including this latest investment, the company's capital expenditure in the field of semiconductor materials over the next few years will reach a scale of 100 billion yen. In addition to steadily expanding sales of cutting-edge EUV photoresists, Sumitomo Chemical is also developing next-generation EUV products such as organic molecular photoresists. By accelerating the expansion of its advanced photoresist business, Sumitomo Chemical expects to achieve core operating profits of 100 billion yen for its ICT and mobility solutions division by 2030.

Under factors such as industrial relocation, rapid development of emerging economies, and the rise of developing countries, global chemical giants have been making significant adjustments in market layout and strategy in recent years. Sumitomo Chemical, while divesting assets, has increased investment in certain products, with photoresists being a key area of focus. The investment situation in recent years is as follows:

(1) In 2023, adding immersion ArF and EUV photoresist production lines at the Osaka plant;

(2) In 2023, expanding the production line for high-purity chemicals (high-purity ammonia water) used in semiconductors in South Korea;

(3) In 2024, constructing a new ArF immersion photoresist production plant in South Korea;

(4) In 2024, expanding the production line for high-purity chemicals (high-purity sulfuric acid) used in semiconductors at the Ehime plant;

(5) In 2024, establishing a new research center for next-generation business development in South Korea;

(6) In 2024, increasing the production of high-purity chemicals used in semiconductors in the United States.

Based on different exposure wavelengths, photoresists can be further categorized into G-line photoresists (436nm), I-line photoresists (365nm), KrF photoresists (248nm), ArF photoresists (193nm), and EUV photoresists (13.5nm). Currently, in terms of EUV photoresists, the domestic production rate is almost zero, while the domestic production rates for KrF and ArF photoresists are only around 1-2% and less than 1%, respectively. For g-line and i-line photoresists, the situation is slightly better, but the domestic production rate still only reaches about 10%.