Hanwool Materials Science Subsidiary Receives Approval for Sejong Campus Manufacturing Building 2... Accelerates Construction of Large-Scale Polymer Line

JK Materials, a subsidiary of Hanwool Materials Science, is accelerating the construction of a large-scale polymer production line after receiving use approval for Manufacturing Building 2 at its Sejong Campus. With production infrastructure now in place at both Manufacturing Building 1 and Manufacturing Building 2, the establishment of a fully integrated production system for photoresist and polymer materials across all front-end processes is becoming a reality.

On August 10, Hanwool Materials Science announced that JK Materials had obtained approval from Sejong Special Self-Governing City for use of Manufacturing Building 2 at the Sejong Campus.

The newly approved Manufacturing Building 2 is a four-story production facility. Including Manufacturing Building 1, which was completed in March, the total floor area of the Sejong Campus amounts to 11,088.76 square meters.

Previously, Manufacturing Building 1 received notification last July of passing the Process Safety Management (PSM) review from the Chungnam Regional Center for Major Industrial Accident Prevention under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, completing preparations for mass production. With approval now secured for Manufacturing Building 2 as well, the company explained that the large-scale production infrastructure at the Sejong Campus is entering its final phase of completion.

In particular, Manufacturing Building 2 is expected to house a polymer production line approximately twice the size of the one in Manufacturing Building 1. JK Materials plans to establish an integrated production system capable of producing both photoresists and polymers used in semiconductor front-end processes.

Furthermore, by expanding its product lineup to include PSPI and PBO, materials used in back-end process packaging, the company is broadening its business area to become a comprehensive materials provider covering both front-end and back-end semiconductor production processes.

JK Materials has invested over 85 billion won over the past four years to develop Sejong Campus into its core manufacturing base, aiming to strengthen the domestic semiconductor materials supply chain.

This construction of the polymer production line is seen as a response to increased demand for semiconductor materials driven by the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) markets. The strategy is to expand production capacity to meet large-scale demand while simultaneously improving production efficiency and cost competitiveness.

As microfabrication processes in semiconductors become more advanced and the AI data center and HBM markets expand, the demand for high-purity materials is also increasing. As securing a stable supply chain for core materials is directly linked to the competitiveness of the semiconductor industry, the expansion of production capacity by domestic materials companies is becoming more important.

JK Materials plans to connect the research and development capabilities of its Giheung Research Center with the mass production infrastructure at the Sejong Campus, thus establishing a value chain that spans from R&D to production.

A company representative said, "With the use approvals for Manufacturing Buildings 1 and 2 proceeding as scheduled, the construction of the Sejong Campus production infrastructure is nearing completion. We intend to complete a value chain linking the Giheung Research Center's R&D capabilities with the Sejong Campus's mass production infrastructure, growing into a leading domestic semiconductor materials specialist able to support both front-end and back-end processes."

Hanwool Materials Science added that, going forward, it will reinforce the stable supply base for core semiconductor materials through the large-scale polymer production line and expand its competitiveness in the domestic semiconductor material market, especially in high-growth sectors such as AI and HBM.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.