Photoresists and lithography chemicals

Why the concentration exists

Photoresists are light-sensitive materials that transfer circuit patterns onto semiconductor wafers through photolithography. Light passes through a photomask and exposes the photoresist in specific areas, causing a chemical change that makes those regions either soluble or insoluble in a developer solution. After development, the remaining pattern serves as a mask for etching, deposition, or implantation processes that build transistor structures.[2]

The resolution of these materials defines the smallest features that can be printed on chips. Mainstream high-resolution lithography uses 193nm wavelength light, while extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography operates at 13.5nm for the most advanced nodes. EUV photoresists must meet line-edge roughness specifications of 1.5nm or below for 3nm node patterning, requiring precise control over at least 12 to 18 independent formulation variables.[8][13][19]

Chemically amplified resists (CARs), which use photoacid generators to drive reactions, face limitations at the 5nm node and beyond. Alternative approaches include metal-oxide resists (MOR) that use tin-based chemistry and dry resist application technologies that deposit reactive precursors in a vapor phase. These new materials aim to improve etch resistance and reduce the exposure doses needed for high-throughput manufacturing.[3][6][10]

What the evidence shows

Who supplies it

Only three suppliers are qualified as volume suppliers of EUV resist at leading-edge foundries: TOK, JSR, and Shin-Etsu Chemical. These three companies account for nearly 85% of EUV resist production volume. TOK's market share for EUV photoresists specifically reaches 28.0%, while its share for KrF excimer laser photoresists is 32.4%.[4][6][20]

South Korea's Dongjin Semichem ranks as the fourth company globally to produce photoresists and holds the world's largest market share for KrF photoresist used in 3D NAND flash. The company launched an organic EUV photoresist in 2022 and supplies it to a customer for DRAM production. DuPont also operates in the market with its Eon EUV photoresist line and expanded production capacity at its Sasakami facility in Japan in October 2024.[7][9][11][14]

What it depends on, and what depends on it

Asia-Pacific holds 54% of the photoresist chemicals market share, with Taiwan and South Korea as the largest markets for advanced node production. The United States operates over 250 semiconductor fabs with annual consumption of approximately 18,500 tons of photoresist chemicals. Japan relies on the Middle East for more than 40% of its naphtha supply, a key precursor for photoresist solvents PGME and PGMEA.[15][16][17]

Where it sits in the stack

What would break it

The 2019 Japan-Korea trade dispute demonstrated the leverage of concentrated supply when Japan restricted exports of EUV photoresist to South Korea, threatening production at Samsung and SK hynix. This event highlighted how geopolitical tensions can disrupt the supply of these specialized chemicals. Japanese suppliers have since announced investments in South Korean production capacity to mitigate such risks.[4][5]

Environmental regulations targeting PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) pose a substitution challenge for the industry. Approximately 100 or more photoresists containing PFAS photoacid generators would need replacing, with a drop-in success rate likely below 70%. Fluorinated compounds provide up to four-fold increased absorption at EUV wavelengths compared to carbon-based materials, making substitution technically difficult.[1][18]

What to watch

Tokyo Ohka Kogyo plans to invest 20 billion yen ($130 million) to build a photoresist plant in South Korea scheduled to begin operations in 2030, expanding its South Korean production capacity by three to four times. Adeka plans to invest 3.2 billion yen to install mass-production equipment for metal oxide resist materials at its factory in Ibaraki Prefecture, with operations set to begin in or after April 2028.[5]

Rapidus installed Japan's first EUV scanner for mass production, the ASML TWINSCAN NXE:3800E, in December 2024 at its IIM-1 foundry in Chitose, Hokkaido, and aims to begin mass production of 2nm chips by 2027. In January 2025, Lam Research announced that a leading memory manufacturer selected its Aether dry photoresist technology for use in advanced DRAM development.[12][14]

Related nodes

Sources

1. semiconductors.org · 2023-06-08T00:00:00
2. en.wikipedia.org · 2026-06-22T06:30:49
3. semiengineering.com · 2025-04-03T00:34:29
4. semiconductorx.com · 2019
5. trendforce.com · 2025-11-06
6. tomshardware.com
7. thelec.net
8. chemcopilot.com · July 2019
9. en.namu.wiki · 2026-07-14
10. newsroom.lamresearch.com · 2021-03-01
11. dupont.com
12. rapidus.inc · 2024.12
13. lithoguru.com · early 1990s
14. knowledge-sourcing.com · March 13, 2026
15. 360researchreports.com · 28 November 2025
16. industryresearch.biz · 06-Apr-2026
17. sourceability.com
18. halocarbon.com
19. semiconductor.alfachemic.com
20. tok.co.jp · 2024