According to Korean media The Korea Economic Daily Global Edition, South Korean chipmakers are expected to reduce imports of the core solvent for the EUV process as local companies have successfully mass-produced the material.

Petrochemical and electronic materials maker Jaewon Industrial Co. has commercialized propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), a solvent commonly used in the semiconductor industry for use on silicon wafers, according to industry sources. Apply surface adhesive.

Jaewon said the company is the first Korean company to mass-produce PGMEA, although some companies have successfully developed the solvent.

PGMEA is made from a thinner for semiconductors, and during EUV exposure, the photoresist on parts that are not EUV photosensitized is cleaned. The solvent also helps to evenly distribute the photosensitive material in smaller amounts when it is applied to the wafer prior to the exposure process.

Semiconductors made through the EUV process have very fine circuits, so very small impurities reduce yield. The EUV process requires PGMEA with a purity of 99.999% or higher.

Japanese manufacturers such as Daicel Corp. have been dominant in producing this pure PGMEA, while the South Korean company previously had technology that simply improved the purity of PGMEA rather than synthesizing propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME) into PGMEA.

Jaewon developed his own PGMEA synthesis technology in 2018. The company expanded its PGMEA capacity to 30,000 tonnes last year for mass production.

The company expects South Korean chipmakers to start using their PGMEA for EUV processes in the first half of the year, reducing solvent imports by about 100 billion won ($83.7 million) a year.

Jaewon, which was founded in 1987, will consider producing PGMEA in the U.S. and will build a battery material factory in the U.S., a company source said.