SKC to Mass-Produce 'Blank Masks' in H2 Previously Dependent on Japanese Imports... "Expecting Supply Stability"

Comprehensive materials specialist SKC will begin full-scale mass production of high-end 'blank masks,' a key semiconductor process material that has so far relied on imports from Japan, in the second half of this year.

On the morning of the 20th, Jeong Seung-il, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, visited SKC's blank mask factory located in Cheonan, Chungnam, to announce the achievements of the materials, parts, and equipment policy and to listen to opinions on difficulties faced by companies on site.

During the visit, SKC stated that high-end blank mask prototypes are currently being tested with domestic demand companies and are scheduled for full-scale mass production in the second half of the year.

Blank masks are key materials used to engrave electronic circuit patterns on semiconductor wafers, and most high-end blank masks have depended on imports from Japan.

Earlier, SKC invested a total of 43 billion KRW since 2018 and completed a new blank mask factory at the end of last year. Utilizing this year's supplementary budget, they are developing advanced products beyond the current mass production items, aiming for mass production next year.

Vice Minister Jeong expressed gratitude for the efforts of SKC's executives and employees toward the localization of blank masks and explained the government's materials, parts, and equipment policy achievements.

He stated that for the top 20 items imported from Japan, the government is promoting expansion of domestic production, technology development, and diversification of import countries with the goal of securing supply stability by 2021.

In particular, for the three items subject to Japan's export regulations, the plan is to achieve complete supply stabilization within this year through factory expansions and foreign-invested company investments.

For the remaining 80 items, the government is promoting R&D support worth 1.2 trillion KRW this year and plans to secure basic supply stability through diversification of supply sources.

Lee Yong-seon, Vice President of SKC, expressed gratitude for the government's timely support such as expedited processing of permits required for the completion of the new factory, application of tariff allocations on imported equipment, and R&D support, and requested interest and support for cooperation models to help domestic companies maintain momentum in the materials, parts, and equipment policy.

In response, Vice Minister Jeong emphasized, "Close cooperation among the government, demand and supply companies is important to strengthen materials, parts, and equipment technology and build a healthy industrial ecosystem," adding, "To achieve early results, we will focus more than 210 billion KRW this year on the commercialization of the top 100 core materials, parts, and equipment items."

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