High-purity photoresists are essential for making chips on advanced production nodes. As China strides to build a self-sufficient semiconductor industry, it has to develop not only sophisticated chipmaking tools but also high-purity resists. In 2024, China made notable strides in photoresist development, supported by government initiatives and rising demand from local chipmakers, reports TrendForce.
Semiconductor photoresists are classified by exposure wavelengths, including broadband UV (300–450nm), g-line (436nm), i-line (365nm), KrF (248nm), ArF (193nm), EUV (13.5nm), and electron beam types. KrF, ArF, and EUV photoresists are the purest and the most advanced of all. The global market is dominated by major players from Japan and the U.S., such as JSR, Tokyo Ohka Kogyo, Shin-Etsu Chemical, Sumitomo Chemical, Fujifilm, and DuPont, who control most of the advanced photoresist technologies.
