Merck To Produce Molybdenum In Korea...Facility Construction To Be Completed This Year

Stepping Up Production of Next-Generation Semiconductor Materials
"Most of the 600 Million Euro Investment in Korea Has Been Executed"

German semiconductor materials company Merck will complete this year the construction of facilities for producing molybdenum, a next-generation semiconductor material. The company also mentioned the possibility of using Korea as a key hub to supply molybdenum to other Asian countries.

Kim Woogyu, President of Merck Korea, held a press briefing in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 10th and said, "We have already decided to produce molybdenum in Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province," adding, "We plan to complete construction by 2026 and are preparing to supply it to our Korean customers." He continued, "If necessary, we will use Korea as a hub to supply molybdenum to other Asian countries."

Kim Woogyu, President of Merck Korea, is speaking at a press briefing held on the 10th in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jang Bokyung

Merck, which started in Germany and has expanded its global business for 358 years, made a full-fledged entry into the Korean market in 1989. It currently supplies materials and chemicals required for semiconductor manufacturing processes to domestic and overseas customers, including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. In particular, it has strengths in materials and specialty gases used in semiconductor planarization and patterning, as well as thin-film processes.

Molybdenum, on which Merck is focusing, is regarded as a potential replacement for existing materials such as tungsten and copper due to its low electrical resistance. It is considered a key new material needed for implementing fine nodes and complex chip architectures. It is scheduled to be applied sequentially, starting with NAND flash, followed by logic chips and DRAM.

Cass Catherineday, Senior Vice President of Merck Electronics, and Kim Ugyu, President of Merck Korea, are answering reporters' questions at a meeting on the 10th. Photo by Jang Bokkyung

Catherine Day Kas, Senior Vice President of Merck Electronics, said at the briefing that day about molybdenum, "It is a candidate material that can replace tungsten and copper in some situations," explaining, "It connects the components of semiconductor chips and helps electrons move from one point to another."

However, she noted, "There are several challenges remaining when it comes to using molybdenum in practice," and added, "Because molybdenum is in a solid state, it must be heated to 175 degrees in order to be deposited on the wafer surface." She also said, "A high temperature must be maintained throughout the entire delivery line," emphasizing, "When installing equipment, it is important to ensure that the temperature does not drop in certain sections of the line."

Merck plans to showcase its artificial intelligence (AI)-based materials intelligence solution and comprehensive semiconductor materials portfolio at SEMICON Korea, which will be held on the 11th. Senior Vice President Kas said, "To respond to the increasing complexity of chip architectures and accelerate innovation, we have built an integrated solution that combines capabilities in materials science, equipment, metrology, and inspection," adding, "Based on our materials intelligence platform, we are accelerating the discovery and optimization of new materials."

Merck's major Korean customers are Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. With the two companies' combined share of the global memory market approaching 70%, Korea is a market Merck cannot afford to miss. Merck's announcement in 2021 that it would invest 600 million euros in Korea also came against this backdrop. In 2023, the company acquired M Chemical (formerly the chemical business unit of Mekaro), which produces high-k dielectric precursors, a type of semiconductor material.

In response to a question about the execution status of the "600 million euro investment plan," President Kim said, "Not all of the investment has been executed due to factors such as customers postponing their investments, but most of it has already been carried out," adding, "Investment in molybdenum is of course included."

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