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| The tall white building in this photo is the Korea Advanced Technology Center in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, where Merck's new R&D center is located. / Courtesy of Merck Korea |
By Baek Byung-yeul
Merck has opened a research and development center for semiconductor materials in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, the Germany-based company said Tuesday.
Situated in the Korea Advanced Technology Center in the Songtan Industrial Complex, the R&D center is to develop next-generation materials used for semiconductor manufacturing.
"Korea is an important innovation and production hub for Merck. We have invested more than 35 billion won to complete this technology center and expand our capabilities," Anand Nambiar, global head of Semiconductor Materials within Merck Performance Materials, said in a statement.
"We will continue efforts to expand our supply chain and develop advanced technologies, actively contributing to economic development and growth as well as establishing win-win partnerships with our customers."
The new facility will be dedicated to R&D of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) slurries and post-CMP cleans to support its customer companies in Korea. CMP is a part of chip-making process used to remove excess materials on wafers.
Merck said the new R&D center is well-located close to Korea's semiconductor chip plants. "The site is located in close proximity to the Korean customer base so as to provide local collaboration support and faster time to market," the company's Korean unit said.
Korea's top-tier semiconductor makers ― Samsung Electronics and SK hynix ― have their chip-manufacturing plants in close distance to Merck's R&D center.
"Merck has been present in Korea for 30 years and during this time we have seen the electronics industry flourish. In particular, the semiconductor and display fields are evolving rapidly on a global scale as demand for digital devices and technology grows," said Glenn Young, managing director and representative director of Merck Korea.
"At Merck we have a strong interest in fostering fundamental research to advance technologies in the electronics space. With our capabilities, we are strategically positioned to accelerate and deliver innovations to the semiconductor industry for generations to come."
