<div id="readability-page-1">China’s push for semiconductor self-sufficiency is shifting from broad aspiration to a precision strike on chokepoint materials, with photoresist – the light-sensitive chemical essential for etching microscopic circuits onto silicon wafers – emerging as a new battlefield. The sector, which provides the key material for lithography, was expected to enter a critical stage of “accelerated breakthroughs and large-scale application” over the coming years, according to Fu Zhiwei, chairman of Xuzhou B&amp;C Chemical, a major domestic supplier of photoresist. Fu, also a deputy to the National People’s Congress, told the South China Morning Post during the “two sessions” annual political gathering last week that the company aimed to achieve mass production of several core photoresist materials used in advanced processes within five years. The comments mark the latest effort by China to expand the scope of its chip self-sufficiency drive under the new 15th five-year plan, amid an intensified tech race with the US in advanced chipmaking. Photoresist, used in processes such as photolithography and photoengraving to form patterned coatings on surfaces, is a key input in chip manufacturing. The material is classified by exposure wavelengths, including broadband UV, G-line, I-line, KrF, ArF, EUV, and electron beam types. KrF, ArF, and EUV are the most advanced. With increased efforts, the domestic field of photoresist was undergoing a transition from “single-point breakthroughs” to “systemic development”, Fu said. China’s 15th five-year plan, proposed during the “two sessions”, calls for efforts to “refine and strengthen mature nodes, enhance capabilities in advanced process technologies, accelerate development of key equipment, materials and components, and advance high-performance processors and high-density memory”. While China has achieved a self-sufficiency rate of more than 20 per cent in older G-line and I-line photoresist used for power chips and LEDs, the high-end market remains dominated by Japanese and US companies including JSR, Tokyo Ohka Kogyo, Shin-Etsu Chemical, Fujifilm Electronic Materials and DuPont.  These foreign companies jointly accounted for nearly 95 per cent of the domestic market, with localisation rates for KrF and ArF photoresist as low as 3 per cent and less than 1 per cent, respectively, according to a Caitong Securities note citing data from the China Electronics Materials Industry Association. For Xuzhou B&amp;C Chemical, the primary objective was to achieve key breakthroughs in bottleneck areas – specifically KrF and ArF photoresist, according to Fu. “We will mobilise our most formidable resources to launch an all-out offensive in the development of high-end photoresist for more advanced process nodes,” he said. Fu said the company had achieved full-chain autonomy – spanning monomers, resins, photoacids, and end-product photoresist. Its KrF and ArF mid-to-high-end products had already “passed verification at leading foundries” and were beginning to scale up, he added. The company, with its research and development centre in Shanghai and production facilities in Xuzhou city, eastern Jiangsu province, is among a handful seen as China’s best hopes for achieving self-reliance in advanced photoresist. Nata Opto-electronic Material, which focuses on ArF photoresist, said in February that it had an annual production capacity of 50 tonnes and could maintain stable supply for its early-stage orders. Other competitors in the sector include Shanghai Sinyang, Red Avenue, and Suzhou-based Jingrui. Most have made progress in entry-level materials and are now eyeing a share of the high-end market. </div>

SOXX

159325

512480

<p>China is intensifying its semiconductor self-sufficiency efforts, focusing on photoresist materials crucial for chip manufacturing. Fu Zhiwei, chairman of Xuzhou B&C Chemical, announced plans for mass production of advanced photoresist within five years, as part of China's 15th five-year plan. Currently, foreign companies dominate the high-end photoresist market, with localization rates for advanced types like KrF and ArF being very low. The company aims to achieve breakthroughs in these areas, mobilizing resources for high-end photoresist development, as competition in the sector heats up.</p>

Precision strike: China targets US, Japan stranglehold on photoresist supply