Precision strike: China targets US, Japan stranglehold on photoresist supply
Essential material for advanced semiconductor processes expected to enter stage of accelerated breakthroughs, major Chinese supplier says
Fu, also a deputy to the National People’s Congress, told the South China Morning Post during the “two sessions” annual political gathering last week that the company aimed to achieve mass production of several core photoresist materials used in advanced processes within five years.
Photoresist, used in processes such as photolithography and photoengraving to form patterned coatings on surfaces, is a key input in chip manufacturing.
The material is classified by exposure wavelengths, including broadband UV, G-line, I-line, KrF, ArF, EUV, and electron beam types. KrF, ArF, and EUV are the most advanced.
With increased efforts, the domestic field of photoresist was undergoing a transition from “single-point breakthroughs” to “systemic development”, Fu said.