Photoresist market: China's challenge to Japan's monopoly will become a new global focus
In recent years, with the rapid development of 5G, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and other technologies, the chip industry has become the focus of competition among countries around the world. Lithography machines and photoresists are indispensable elements in the chip manufacturing process, of which photoresists are particularly critical. And the photoresist market is almost monopolized by Japan, what does this mean for the development of China's chip industry?
It is understood that about 89% of the world's photoresist is produced by Japanese companies, especially in advanced formulations below ten nanometers. Moreover, the shelf life of photoresist is short, generally only a few months, and enterprises cannot hoard a large amount of photoresist, and can only buy it all the time. Once the photoresist supply is interrupted, it will cause the lithography machine to not work properly, and the entire chip industry will be greatly affected.
So why is it difficult for China to get involved in the development and production of photoresists? The author believes that on the one hand, because the photoresist market is limited, the global total is only about 10 billion US dollars, research and development of photoresist requires huge investment, in addition to the purchase of expensive lithography machines, companies must continue to experiment to find a successful formula. In this process, investing in the photoresist field does not have enough commercial momentum. On the other hand, Japanese companies have long dominated the market, and China has a clear gap in technology and experience, which requires more time and investment to catch up.
However, at the same time, the rise of China's chip industry has become the focus of global attention. As the world's largest chip market, China is actively promoting the development of the semiconductor industry, and the government has also introduced a series of support measures. In the photoresist market, China may increase its investment in this field and independently develop advanced photoresists to fill the supply gap of Japanese products and replace Japan's position in the global market.
In general, the photoresist problem exists, but there are many other key technologies and resources to develop and integrate in the development of the chip industry. With the continuous strengthening of China's technology, capital, talents and other aspects, it is believed that China's chip industry will usher in a broader space for development in the future.
#Lithography machine##Photoresist##Great 5G era##人工智能#
