Pinetek Forms Strategic Investment and Partnership with Quantum Standard Technology Specialist SDT

FineTec, a specialized company in OLED and secondary battery equipment (CEO Kang Won-il), announced on the 14th that it will establish a strategic partnership along with a strategic investment in SDT (CEO Yoon Ji-won), a quantum standard technology specialist company.

SDT, in which FineTec has decided to make a strategic investment, aims to become the "first listed quantum technology company." It is conducting technological cooperation while exchanging with global quantum computer companies such as IQM, Anyon Computing, SemiQon, and domestic research institutions including Korea University, Seoul National University, KIST, and KRISS. SDT is working toward the commercialization of Korea's first quantum computer by 2025.

SDT is the only domestic quantum computer manufacturing company that possesses commercialization of quantum control equipment (essential equipment controlling entanglement and superposition) necessary for quantum computer manufacturing, compatibility and technical know-how encompassing various physical platforms such as superconductors, neutral atoms, ion traps, silicon spins, and diamond NV centers (nitrogen-vacancy center), as well as abundant partnerships within the global quantum computing ecosystem and extensive intellectual property (IP) across the technology spectrum.

Through this strategic investment and partnership, both companies expect to enhance product performance, cooperation, and synergy across each business field. As a priority, as part of this partnership, SDT’s ‘quantum dot camera technology’ will be applied to FineTec’s specialized fields of OLED and secondary battery equipment business to produce equipment with significantly improved performance.

OLED and secondary battery manufacturers adopt ‘inline systems’ (systems where substrates move while bonding processes occur) to maximize productivity of automation solutions. In this process, automated optical inspection is applied to all processes to improve yield and inspect defect rates.

SDT’s quantum dot SWIR (short wavelength infrared, ultra-high sensitivity short-wavelength infrared) camera is a vision camera equipped with a quantum sensing solution that applies quantum dot technology, the research field of the 2023 Nobel Chemistry laureate, to thermal imaging cameras. It can measure temperature over a vast area based on images. Absorbing wavelengths from 400 to 1700 nm, it exhibits high transmittance and excellent visibility, enabling the production of more precise equipment. FineTec plans to apply this technology to OLED and secondary battery equipment.

Additionally, they will develop an ‘inspection solution.’ SDT plans to build quantum sensing solution software using its quantum standard technology and implement this software through physical platforms manufactured with FineTec’s high-precision, high-accuracy display equipment and secondary battery equipment technology.

SDT CEO Yoon Ji-won stated, “FineTec and SDT agree that solutions based on quantum engineering have great potential value to contribute across various industrial fields, and we will closely cooperate to improve the performance of products applying these solutions.” He added, “In the future, SDT will be responsible for building software based on quantum technology, and FineTec will handle hardware, creating synergy through this partnership.”

FineTec CEO Kang Won-il said, “We decided on a strategic investment after recognizing the growth potential and technological capabilities of SDT’s quantum standard technology,” and added, “By providing improved OLED and secondary battery manufacturing equipment through collaboration with SDT, we will contribute to enhancing customer productivity and expand related sales.”