Recently, Japan has imposed restrictions on exports of materials to South Korea, which worried the South Korean companies seriously. Yonhap News Agency (YNA) further pointed out that the mask blank, of which the production is monopolized by Japan, might be the next material included in the restrictions. It is worried by people that Samsung Electronics’ EUV (extreme ultraviolet) will bear the brunt of it. According to the report by YNA, Japan may expand the curbs further to the materials including integrated circuits (ICs), power management ICs (PMICs), lithography equipment, ion implanters, wafers, mask blanks, and so on. If Japan adds new materials to the curbs, Japanese exporters will also have to seek approval for the individual shipment of the newly-added materials to South Korea, a procedure that takes about 90 days.

It is noteworthy that besides the photoresists used during the EUV lithography process, for which South Korea cannot procure substitutes, Japanese companies also occupy a very large market share in wafers and mask blanks. Mask blanks are the raw materials for photomasks during the exposure process, which are of great importance in the miniaturization of semiconductor devices. The industry believes that EUV lithography as one of Samsung’s main businesses belongs to a new generation of miniaturization technologies, and that the Korea-made mask blanks are still no substitutes for the Japan-made ones.
NH Investment & Securities’ analyst Doh Hyun-Woo stated that the mask blanks used during the EUV lithography process are exclusively manufactured by HOYA at present, though the Korea-based company S-Tech also produces mask blanks, still its technology is not advanced enough.
Taking photoresist as an example, its core components have to be the advanced Japan-made products, though there are various types and levels of products used during the lithography process. The EUV-used photoresists are still supplied by some Japanese companies such as JSR and Shin-Etsu Chemical. Some South Korean companies such as Dongjin Semichem are still working on developing the related products.
Doh noted that up till now, among all the raw materials used during the EUV lithography process, only photoresists have been restricted by Japan. However, the EUV line has not yet gone in mass production. Therefore, even if the supply of raw materials is cut off, it will only affect the trial production lines in the short term. The problem lies in that Samsung’s EUV line in Hwaseong is expected to go in mass production in January next year.
Some industry insiders insist that the system semiconductor business is one of Samsung’s core businesses, while the EUV technology determines the future of the semiconductor business. If the diplomatic tensions between Japan and South Korea continue to escalate, the prospects of South Korean semiconductor industry will be worrisome.
To make things worse, rival companies such as TSMC and Intel are also making great effort to develop EUV technology. So society is worried that if the situation worsens further, Samsung may have to lose its status as the industry leader.

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