ASMK Established a R&D and manufacturing plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do
Immediately responding to the needs of Korean customers [Semicon Korea 2019 Exhibitor]
Kim Yong-gil, CEO of ASM Korea (ASMK), said, "We completed the R&D and manufacturing plant in Dongtan, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province last October." He added, “As a foreign equipment company for the first time, we have established the base for providing research, manufacturing, and service all together. We are able to actively respond to our customers' needs."
Headquartered in the Netherlands, ASM was founded in 1968. And it is specialized in deposition equipment including atomic layer deposition (ALD) equipment. It is considered to be one of the world's top 10 semiconductor front-end equipment makers in terms of sales.
ASMK entered into full-fledged investment after completing an investment plan with Gyeonggi-do in September 2015 and completed production planning and line design for two years. Last October, it completed the R&D center and manufacturing factory. It is unusual for an overseas semiconductor equipment maker to have a complete production line in Korea. Some US equipment companies have production plants in Korea, but core parts are procured from the head office. ASMK said it will produce core equipment in Korea and export the equipment to not only domestic clients but also other Asian countries.
ASMK's representative products include ALD equipment Synergis, plasma-based ALD equipment Titan NT, and epitaxy deposition equipment Intrepid. Synergis is a device used to form metal lines and evaporated films in the next-generation semiconductor manufacturing. It is suitable for operations requiring high-quality ALD films to be processed at low temperatures.
Titan Entity is a PEALD device used in gap fill and selective deposition processes to form a film without bubbles or voids when producing the next-generation 3D structured semiconductors. ASM's PEALD equipment has been introduced in the world's first production line of the related equipment.
Intrepid used in the epitaxial deposition process is a device capable of depositing silicon-based compounds such as silicon (Si), silicon-germanium (SiGe), and silicon phosphorescent (SiP) on the wafer surface. It has four chambers and high productivity. Precise temperature control is possible for each chamber.
CEO Kim said, "ASMK will continue to provide innovative solutions to its clients in the equipment and process field." In addition, he added, “ASMK will contribute to the Korean economy by creating high-quality domestic jobs."