"Science and Technology Innovation Board**" on December 11According to the Korean media "The Elec", industry insiders revealed that Dongwoo Fine Chem, a subsidiary of Japan's Sumitomo Chemical, told South Korean semiconductor companiesDue to the cost of raw materials and labor**, it is proposed to increase the amount of krypton fluoride (KRF) and L-line photoresist**, and the increase varies by product, which is about 10%-20%.
Photoresist is a key material for semiconductor production, which can use photochemical reactions to transfer the required fine patterns from the reticle to the substrate to be processed through photochemical reactions and photolithography processes. There are many varieties of photoresistsThe KRF photoresist involved in this price increase is a high-end photoresist and is one of the main competitive markets for domestic and foreign manufacturers in the future.
Toyu Fine Chemical is wholly owned by Sumitomo Chemical of Japan. According to the data, in 2022, the highest market share of the global semiconductor photoresist industry is Tokyo Yinghua, which is 27%;followed by DuPont, accounting for 17%;The third is JSR and Sumitomo Chemical, both accounting for 13%.
According to industry insiders, due to the deterioration of profitability, Dongyou Fine Chemical has been improving the ** of KRF and L-line photoresists in recent years.
If the price increase plan is successfully implemented, it will inevitably have an adverse impact on Korean semiconductor companies.
According to the report, South Korean semiconductor companies expressed dissatisfaction with the price increase, and some foundry industry insiders said, ".If the photoresist foundry has no choice but to pass on a part of the cost to the customer (fabless).He added, "Dongyou Precision Chemical Photoresist*** may cause a deterioration in the profitability of foundries and the fabless industry as a whole." ”
But this transmission will obviously not be as smooth as imagined, a South Korean semiconductor raw material industry insider said, "since the second half of last year, the semiconductor industry boom has been sluggish, customers continue to ask upstream material manufacturers to further reduce prices." **SMEs with low bargaining power are in a difficult time. ”
Science and Technology Innovation Board**