APTC installs additional kits at Icheon factory

Fab equipment maker APTC has installed 1 billion won worth of new production equipment at its factory in Icheon, TheElec has learned.

The company also recently formed a subsidiary at Wuxi, China.

These moves were made to strengthen its sales to major customer SK Hynix, sources said.

APTC specializes in dry etching equipment __ it manufactures plasma etching equipment used to remove unwanted materials on the wafer.

It offers Leo-NK I-C and Leo WH for 300mm polysilicon wafers as well as Nardo-M for 300mm metal wafers.

SK Hynix has spent a lot this year to expand its memory chip production, which has helped APTC’s earnings.

The fab equipment maker recorded 114.8 billion won in revenue and 34.6 billion won in operating profit during the first half of this year, already exceeding its earnings for the entire year of 2020 of 93 billion won in revenue and 29.6 billion won in operating profit.

APTC’s 10 billion won spending recently was for scanning electron microscopes, the sources said.

The equipment can inspect circuit width in the nanometer range, they said.

The subsidiary at Wuxi was formed in July and is its second overseas operation after the US, which it formed a company at in October 2019.

The latest company was formed as its customer SK Hynix has a fab in the Chinese city.

APTC has also been hiring ex-SK Hynix executives since early in the year to further strengthen its ties with the memory maker, the sources also said.