President Moon Jae-in visited the SK Hynix Icheon Campus in Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, on the morning of the 9th, inspecting the hydrofluoric acid cooperation process while being guided by SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] President Moon Jae-in visited SK Hynix and highly praised semiconductor material companies such as those producing photoresist and hydrogen fluoride, which are undergoing localization efforts due to import restrictions caused by Japan's export regulations.
According to related industries on the 9th, President Moon visited SK Hynix located in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, and said, "Although Japan's unfair export restrictions have continued for a year, we have overcome the crisis well without a single production disruption so far," adding, "We will take a different path from Japan" and "We will turn this crisis into an opportunity to leap forward as a global advanced materials, parts, and equipment (SoBuJang) powerhouse."
On the same day, President Moon visited SK Hynix's Analysis and Measurement Center. SK Hynix opens this center, which houses various semiconductor analysis and measurement devices, to its partners to assist in equipment and material development.
Accordingly, semiconductor material manufacturers such as Dongjin Semichem, Soulbrain, Amogreen Tech, and SK Materials collaborate here with SK Hynix as well as various other companies to develop products.
It is reported that President Moon toured the development process sites of core semiconductor materials such as photoresist and hydrogen fluoride. Photoresist refers to the photosensitive material applied on wafers, the raw material for semiconductors and displays. It is an essential material that forms semiconductor circuit patterns by reacting to light exposure. Although it has been a year since the Japanese government imposed export restrictions along with hydrogen fluoride, dependence on Japan remains high, making localization urgent.
Regarding photoresist, President Moon inspected the cooperative process between SK Hynix and Dongjin Semichem. Dongjin Semichem has been jointly developing high-end fluorinated argon (ArF) photoresist with SK Hynix since the end of last year, aiming for mass production by the end of this year.
President Moon visited the cooperative process of hydrogen fluoride at Soulbrain. Hydrogen fluoride is also an essential semiconductor material used for etching semiconductor wafers and removing impurities.
Since Japan's export restrictions, Soulbrain developed high-purity hydrogen fluoride with impurity levels below one part per trillion and, through collaboration with SK Hynix, shortened the mass production application evaluation period from one year to three months. It is reported that President Moon highly praised the development of high-purity hydrogen fluoride that rivals Japan's quality.
President Moon emphasized, "Through experiencing Japan's unfair export restrictions, we deeply realized the importance of international division of labor based on trust," and added, "Our path, 'Korea's way,' is to leap forward as a global materials, parts, and equipment powerhouse while cooperating with the international community."
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