World's No.1 Photoresist Company JSR to Build Factory in Cheongju

Groundbreaking Ceremony for Metal Photoresist Factory for EUV

On the 25th, at a booth of the Semiconductor Exhibition (SEDEX) held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, an official is examining a wafer. 2023.10.25. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 12th, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that it held a groundbreaking ceremony for a production plant of Metal Oxide Resist (MOR), a core material for semiconductor extreme ultraviolet (EUV) processes, by the Japanese company JSR in Cheongju, Chungbuk.

At the ceremony, Korean attendees included Kim Dae-ja, Director General of Trade and Investment at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Kim Young-hwan, Governor of Chungbuk Province, and Lee Beom-seok, Mayor of Cheongju. From JSR, Mikio Yamachika, Head of Semiconductor and Display Business, and Takahiro Iijima, CEO of JSR Micro Korea, among others, were present.

Founded in 1957, JSR currently holds the world's number one market share in the semiconductor photoresist sector. The company first entered the domestic market in 2003 by establishing a plant in Ochang, Chungbuk, focusing on display materials, and has since expanded its investments.

Through this groundbreaking ceremony, JSR will establish its semiconductor EUV process Metal Oxide Resist production base in Korea, becoming the first company worldwide to do so, following its existing display business operations in the country. The Metal Oxide Resist plant will be located in the Ochang Science Industrial Complex in Oksan-myeon, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk.

Photoresist is a material applied to the surface of semiconductor wafers to form circuit patterns. Compared to the low-spec chemical amplification photoresists used in existing semiconductor processes, EUV Metal Oxide Resist offers higher resolution and is expected to be applied to ultra-fine semiconductor processes.

JSR plans to complete the production infrastructure and begin mass production of Metal Oxide Resist by 2026. This will enable timely response to domestic companies' demand and is expected to contribute to strengthening the competitiveness of the domestic semiconductor industry. Kim Dae-ja, Director General of Trade and Investment, stated, "We plan to provide full support together with Chungcheongbuk-do and Cheongju City to ensure the successful implementation of JSR's investment and to facilitate further investments."