[News] Japan Ramps Up Photoresist Investment for 2nm Chips — Tokyo Ohka Kogyo, JSR Lead the Charge

As the global foundry race moves toward the 2nm era, Japan’s chip material makers are ramping up investment to secure their position at the heart of advanced manufacturing. According to Nikkei, major Japanese chip material companies have recently announced new investment plans, including Tokyo Ohka Kogyo, Adeka, and JSR.

Tokyo Ohka Kogyo to Invest ¥20B in New Photoresist Plant in South Korea

As the report notes, Tokyo Ohka Kogyo, a major chemical supplier, plans to invest 20 billion yen ($130 million) to build a photoresist plant in South Korea, according to President Noriaki Taneichi. Scheduled to begin operations in 2030, the new facility will expand the company’s South Korean production capacity by three to four times. Its key customers will include Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, as the company will supply photoresists for semiconductor packaging, including memory products, the report indicates.

Tokyo Ohka Kogyo is one of the world’s leading photoresist manufacturers and, together with other Japanese producers such as JSR, accounts for about 91% of the global market, as Nikkei notes. In addition, the report adds that Tokyo Ohka Kogyo is also planning to build a separate 12 billion yen facility in South Korea to produce high-purity chemicals used in semiconductor manufacturing processes.

Japan’s Adeka and JSR Step Up Investments in Metal Oxide Resists

Beyond Tokyo Ohka Kogyo’s expansion, other major Japanese companies are also investing in materials essential for advanced chip manufacturing. As Nikkei notes, Adeka plans to invest 3.2 billion yen to install mass-production equipment for new photoresist materials at its factory in Ibaraki Prefecture. The facility, set to begin operations in or after April 2028, will produce metal compounds that serve as key components for a new type of resist known as metal oxide resist (MOR).

In addition, JSR is also constructing a MOR production facility in South Korea, scheduled to begin operations by the end of 2026. As Nikkei indicates, MOR is used in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography for advanced chip production. Compared to conventional resists without metal, the report notes that MOR resists deliver higher resolution and are considered better suited for fabricating ultra-fine circuits.

Japan Strengthens Grip on Global Photoresist Market

Japan’s large-scale investment in photoresist production is expected to further solidify its dominance in semiconductor materials. As TechNews indicates, emerging players such as China have made progress in photoresist development but still face hurdles in closing the gap. Chinese companies have achieved breakthroughs mainly in i-line and KrF photoresists, yet a substantial technological and cost divide remains before they can commercialize high-end EUV photoresists used in cutting-edge chipmaking.

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(Photo credit: JSR)