South Korean chemical firm YCChem is planning to start production thinner and developed used with the metal oxide photoresist for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) process in the second half of the year, TheElec has learned.
However, the company didn’t develop the thinner and developer on its own but will rather produce them as OEM by licensing the technology for US firm Inpria, a subsidiary of Japanese firm JSR.
Thinner is used to remove unwanted materials from the wafer after it is coated with PR. Developer is used to forming the pattern on the wafer after the PR is removed.
YCChem, until March called Youngchang Chemical, was listed on the Korean exchange in July last year.
The company had said during its listing that it planned to produce key materials used in semiconductor production domestically.
However, it is expected to continue to act more as an OEM. This is because the company only has 13 researchers as of last year; a drop from 20 researchers when it listed in July.
Out of the 36 billion won it secured, only 2.1 billion won has been earmarked for researchers, while 15.7 billion won will be spent on facilities and 11.5 billion won used to pay back debts.
