[News] China’s Domestic Photoresist Successfully Validated!

Recently, Wuhan Taiziwei Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. in China launched its T150 A photoresist product, which has successfully passed mass production validation for semiconductor processes. With a fully self-designed formula, this achievement is expected to pave the way for a new era in China’s domestic semiconductor lithography manufacturing.

The T150 A product is benchmarked against the mainstream KrF photoresist series from leading international companies. Compared to the widely recognized UV1610 product in the same series, the T150 A demonstrates an extreme resolution of 120nm during the lithography process, offers greater process tolerance, higher stability, and excellent film retention after post-baking

Additionally, it is more compatible with subsequent etching processes. Validation revealed that dense patterns made with T150 A exhibit outstanding verticality of sidewalls in the underlying dielectric after etching.

Industry insiders have commented that, among KrF series photoresist products, the UV1610 product, which T150 A is benchmarked against, is considered a “commonly used resist” with high demand. Currently, Chinese manufacturers such as Beijing Kehua and Xuzhou Bokang have the capability to produce UV1610.

Currently, China’s semiconductor photoresist, especially for high-end products, is still heavily reliant on imports, with Japan being China’s largest source of photoresist imports.

According to data from China’s General Administration of Customs, the total import value of photosensitive chemicals in China reached USD 2.177 billion in 2023, with imports from Japan amounting to USD 1.149 billion, accounting for 52.8% of the total.

From January to June 2024, imports from Japan amounted to USD 638 million, up 16.7% year-on-year. In Q2 of 2024 alone, the total import value was USD 338 million, a year-on-year increase of 15.6% and a 12.6% rise compared to the previous quarter. Japan’s share of imports averaged around 51.5%, remaining at a historically high level in recent years.

Globally, the photoresist market is dominated by Japanese and American manufacturers. Six major companies—JSR Corporation (Japan Synthetic Rubber), Tokyo Ohka Kogyo (TOK), DuPont-Rohm and Haas (USA), Shin-Etsu Chemical (Japan), Sumitomo Chemical (Japan), and Fujifilm Electronic Materials (Japan)—hold a significant monopoly over the semiconductor photoresist market.

Moreover, leading manufacturers in Japan, South Korea, Europe, and the US have already achieved mass production of high-end photoresists. In contrast, the localization rate of China’s photoresists remains low. According to industry data, the domestic production rate of KrF photoresist in China is less than 5%, while the rate for ArF photoresist is less than 1%.

Despite these challenges, China’s photoresist industry has experienced rapid growth in recent years. China has now become one of the largest photoresist markets globally. There are dozens of domestic companies involved in the photoresist industry, and some have achieved significant progress. Notable examples include bcmaterial, RedAvenue, Jingrui, Shanghai Sinyang, and Nata Optoelectronic Material.

(Photo credit: Fujifilm Electronic Materials)