[News] China’s Photoresist: Breaking Through and Advancing

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In 2024, the global semiconductor industry has accelerated its development. As a core material, photoresist is experiencing dual opportunities of technological breakthroughs and market expansion. Particularly in China, significant progress has been made in photoresist research and production. Recently, Chinese photoresist enterprises have achieved new milestones.

Hubei Dinglong: ArF and KrF Photoresists Secure Orders from Two Domestic Wafer Manufacturers

On the evening of December 9, Hubei Dinglong Holding Co., Ltd., a domestic semiconductor materials manufacturer, announced that its immersion ArF photoresist and KrF photoresist products had successfully passed client validation and recently received orders from two leading domestic wafer manufacturers, with a total procurement value exceeding one million RMB.

Hubei Dinglong tailored the design of monomer structures, resin structures, and formulations to meet the technical requirements of KrF and ArF photoresists. By enhancing processes such as purification, filtration, and mixing, the company developed dedicated resins and high-purity monomers, photoacid generators, and other key materials, achieving a fully localized production process from critical materials to photoresist products.

Rongda Company: RMB 244 Million Private Placement Application Approved by Shenzhen Stock Exchange

On December 5, Shenzhen Rongda Photosensitive Science & Technology Co., Ltd. (Rongda Company) had its private placement application approved. Rongda plans to raise up to RMB 244 million through a streamlined process to fund the construction of high-end photosensitive dry film photoresist projects, IC substrate solder mask dry film photoresist and semiconductor photoresist R&D capacity enhancement projects, and to supplement working capital.

Rongda Company highlighted that its dry film products are primarily used in PCB and semiconductor fields. With the rapid growth in these sectors, the photosensitive dry film market has also expanded. Since the 21st century, global PCB, display, and semiconductor production capacity has gradually shifted to Asia, particularly China, driving rapid growth in domestic demand for upstream supply chains.

Chinese Photoresist Industry Accelerates Toward Rapid Development

Semiconductor photoresists are primarily used in the production of discrete devices, LEDs, and integrated circuits. They enhance resolution by shortening exposure wavelengths, enabling higher-density IC integration. Based on exposure wavelengths, semiconductor photoresists are categorized as broadband UV (300–450nm), g-line (436nm), i-line (365nm), KrF (248nm), ArF (193nm), EUV (13.5nm), and electron beam photoresists.

The global photoresist market is highly concentrated, with core technologies mainly held by international companies in Japan and the U.S. Leading enterprises such as JSR, Tokyo Ohka Kogyo, Shin-Etsu Chemical, Sumitomo Chemical, Fujifilm, and DuPont dominate most of the global semiconductor photoresist market, especially in high-end technologies.

Chinese companies such as Shanghai Sinyang, Rachem, Bcpharma, and Crystal Clear Electronic Material have made some progress in low-end photoresists. However, in high-end dry film photoresists, domestic market share remains low due to high technical barriers and the late start of the industry. Industry data indicates that domestic penetration rates for semiconductor photoresists are approximately 20% for g-line, 20% for i-line, less than 5% for KrF, and below 1% for ArF.

Nevertheless, growing demand for AI and HPC, coupled with a partial recovery in the smartphone, PC, and automotive markets, is driving the semiconductor industry forward. Consequently, the semiconductor photoresist market is expected to expand.

The Chinese government is vigorously supporting the development of the semiconductor and raw materials industries, rolling out policies to bolster the photoresist sector. These efforts aim to accelerate R&D and production, enabling the domestic substitution of core technologies.

(Photo credit: Dinglong)