Push for Localization
Samsung Electronics is accelerating the localization of materials and equipment used for semiconductor lithography.
The company announced on Oct. 5 that it has successfully completed an approval test for argon fluoride (ArFi) track equipment developed by its subsidiary SEMES.
Passing the qualification test means that the equipment will be applied to mass-production lines before long. The equipment is expected to be applied to Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor lines in 2023.
A lithography process prints circuits with light on round wafers. It is considered one of the most important operations in a semiconductor production process. However, most of the materials and equipment used for lithography are imported from overseas.
Track equipment applies a material called photoresist (PR) to a wafer evenly before putting it into a lithography machine. Korean chipmakers depend on foreign companies for this equipment, just as they depend on foreign lithography equipment. Tokyo Electron (TEL), Japan’s largest semiconductor equipment maker, is leading the global track equipment market.
Samsung Electronics is expected to accelerate localization of semiconductor production equipment and materials. SEMES is also developing track equipment for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, which requires a more advanced technology and is currently supplied by Japanese companies.