Industrial Technology Promotion Agency Strengthens Support for Localization of Core Semiconductor Technologies

Seok Young-cheol, Director of KIAT (left), is touring the semiconductor research facilities within the Next-Generation Convergence Technology Institute.

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Dongwoo Lee] The Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) announced on the 29th that it visited the Next-Generation Convergence Technology Research Institute located in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, to review the progress of the semiconductor materials, parts, and equipment (SoBuJang) specialized complex project and held a meeting.

The SoBuJang specialized complex is an advanced industrial cluster aimed at achieving technological independence in materials, parts, and equipment and establishing a cooperative system between demand and supply companies. In February last year, specialized complexes were designated for five industrial sectors including semiconductors and displays.

The SoBuJang specialized complexes include semiconductors (Yongin, Gyeonggi), displays (Cheonan, Chungnam), secondary batteries (Cheongju, Chungbuk), carbon materials (Jeonju, Jeonbuk), and precision machinery (Changwon, Gyeongnam).

KIAT is responsible for planning and operating the SoBuJang specialized complexes together with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. In May last year, customized support plans for the SoBuJang specialized complexes were prepared considering the conditions of industries, complexes, and regions, and from this year until 2024, testbeds for demonstrating core technologies for each specialized complex will be established.

For the semiconductor specialized complex, plans are in place to build a demonstration base necessary for the localization of semiconductor front-end and back-end processes, such as atomic layer deposition equipment for DRAM and electromagnetic shielding spray coating processes.

In particular, discussions were held on models for joint development using testbed-based facilities to reduce development time and costs, and plans to support a fast-track analysis system for rapid reliability verification of domestically produced semiconductor materials, parts, and equipment.

Seok Young-cheol, President of KIAT, said, "The semiconductor industry requires infrastructure such as facilities, equipment, and manpower," adding, "We will do our best to build semiconductor infrastructure to enhance the technological competitiveness and localization rate of SoBuJang companies."