Hanul Material Science Subsidiary JKM Begins In-House Mass Production of Core PR Materials in August... Global Supply to Start as Early as October

JK Materials (JKM), a subsidiary of Hanul Material Science, has begun in-house mass production of core photoresist (PR) materials for semiconductors, accelerating the expansion of its advanced semiconductor materials business.

JK Materials announced on August 18 that, starting early this month, the company began in-house production of several core PR materials at its Sejong Campus, which were previously outsourced. With the completion of construction, regulatory approvals, trial operations, and process stabilization, the Sejong Campus has now been converted into a full-scale commercial production site.

This marks the first case of converting previously outsourced products to in-house production. The company explained that by internalizing key manufacturing capabilities from production to quality control, it has established a foundation for improved cost, quality, and lead-time competitiveness.

In July, JK Materials secured its mass production foundation after receiving notification of compliance from the Process Safety Management (PSM) review for Manufacturing Building 1. The produced materials will go through customer supply procedures and are expected to be shipped as early as October or November this year.

Notably, these materials will be supplied to photoresist manufacturers via the global supply chains of client companies, and then applied to the high-performance semiconductor manufacturing processes of major domestic semiconductor manufacturers. JK Materials aims to leverage this in-house production as a starting point to enter the global semiconductor materials supply chain in earnest.

As semiconductor miniaturization advances, requirements for photoresist materials have increased to include higher purity, quality stability, and product uniformity. JK Materials plans to directly manage manufacturing conditions and quality via its in-house production system and respond quickly to customer requirements.

The company is also expanding its production portfolio. A dedicated polymer production line has been established at Manufacturing Building 2, which recently received operational approval. This is a large-scale polymer production line with a maximum annual capacity of 280 tons, enabling JK Materials to establish a mass production system for front-end semiconductor photo-materials, including both photoresists and polymers.

JK Materials is also targeting the back-end materials market. The company is expanding its business scope to include photosensitive polyimide (PSPI) and polybenzoxazole (PBO), which are used in advanced packaging processes such as high-bandwidth memory (HBM).

Additional procedures are underway to enable full operation of the photoresist production facilities. Starting with PR core materials and polymers for front-end processes, and extending to advanced packaging materials, JK Materials plans to gradually expand the manufacturing capabilities at the Sejong Campus, aiming to become a comprehensive semiconductor materials company.

A JK Materials representative stated, "This first case of in-house mass production is significant, as it marks the transition of the Sejong Campus from a preparatory phase to a true commercial production hub. Beginning with bringing previously outsourced products in house, we will gradually expand our production portfolio to include PR core materials, polymers, PSPI, PBO, and photoresists."

They added, "Based on our manufacturing and quality management capabilities and R&D competitiveness, we aim to grow into a leading advanced semiconductor materials company, covering everything from front-end photo-materials to advanced packaging materials."

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