SKC will mass-produce high-end blank masks for semiconductors that depend more than 90% on Japan by the end of this year.
SKC is currently testing high-end blank mask prototypes, a key material in the semiconductor process, with domestic demand companies and plans to mass-produce them in earnest in the second half of the year, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) said on April 20.
Blankmask is classified into fluorocrypton (KrF), ArF (ArF), and EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) depending on the wavelength of light that reacts, and the ArF and EUV are high-end. This product is one of the top 20 core materials, components and equipment items imported from Japan.
For the top 20 items, the ministry is seeking to expand domestic production, develop technologies and diversify importers with the aim of securing supply stability by 2021.
It also plans to achieve complete supply stabilization of Japan's three export-regulated items by the end of this year. The rest of the items also plan to bring basic supply stability through R&D worth 1.2 trillion won this year.
SKC invested 43 billion won (some $35.2 million) from 2018 to complete its new blank mask plant late last year. Its goal is to mass-produce more high-tech products next year than this mass-production.
Chung Seung-il, vice minister of the MOTIE, visited SKC blank mask plant in Cheonan and stressed that the government should further accelerate its material, parts and equipment policy performance.
"Closer cooperation between the government and demand and supply companies is important for certain changes such as strengthening technology and establishing a healthy industrial ecosystem," Vice Minister Chung said. "We will focus more than 210 billion won on commercializing the top 100 key items this year to generate early results."
The size of the blank mask market is growing every year. According to SKC, the size of the global market, which stood at 800 billion won ($655.7 million) in 2018, is expected to grow 7 percent annually to 1.3 trillion won ($1.1 billion) in 2025.
