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By Kim Hyun-bin
Global semiconductor equipment companies are rushing to build plants, and research and development facilities in Korea in order to reduce China risk while strengthening partnerships with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, according to industry officials, Thursday.
"In Korea, there are global semiconductor companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, and as the processes become more advanced, the importance of close collaboration between component suppliers and these customers is increasing," an official from a major local semiconductor company said.
"Furthermore, as both companies plan to establish large-scale semiconductor fabs in their respective countries, the Korean market will become even more attractive to component suppliers."
Dutch semiconductor equipment company ASM held a groundbreaking ceremony for its second Manufacturing Research and Innovation Center in Dongtan, Gyeonggi Province. ASM is the world's leading company in the atomic layer deposition (ALD) equipment field, which is used in advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Korea serves as ASM's key hub for research and the production of plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD).
"We all know that semiconductors are a big industry here in Korea. Two of the top 10 global semiconductor companies are based in Korea, and they are our customers," ASM CEO Benjamin Loh, during the first press conference in Korea on May 23, said. "Korea is the only place where PEALD is produced, and the demand is increasing. Therefore, we have decided to expand with the second Manufacturing Research and Innovation Center. We will continue to invest in expanding production capacity and maintain close collaboration with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix."
Not only ASM, but also U.S. companies such as Applied Materials (AMAT), KLA, Lam Research and Dutch company ASML are focusing on domestic investments centered on Dongtan and Yongin in Gyeonggi Province. These companies hold over 60 percent of the market share in global semiconductor equipment.
Industry officials say that the global companies' expansion of domestic investments is driven not only by the growth potential and investment value of the domestic semiconductor industry but also by the desire to alleviate the burden of business and investments in China. In October last year, the U.S. government announced regulations banning the export of equipment necessary for advanced semiconductor manufacturing to China.
AMAT, the global leader in front-end equipment, has begun construction for a Memory Equipment R&D Center in Gyeonggi Province. Lam Research, the world's number one in semiconductor etching equipment, opened an R&D facility in Goksan Industrial Complex in Yongin in April last year. In 2021, they established a third factory in Hwaseong. U.S.-based KLA is also expanding its R&D and organizational presence in Korea.
Japanese equipment companies are also expanding their investments in Korea. Tokyo Electron (TEL) invested 200 billion won ($150.8 million) last year to expand its existing R&D facilities. TEL is the world leader in track equipment, essential for the lithography processes.
Additionally, Japanese semiconductor equipment companies such as Kokusai Electric, specializing in semiconductor thermal processing equipment, and Hitachi High-Tech, manufacturing etching and metrology equipment, plan to expand their Korean factories and R&D facilities.
ASML, which dominates the production of Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment, is investing 240 billion won in a 16,000-square-meter site in Dongtan to establish a new campus that includes a re-manufacturing facility for EUV-related components and a training center. Completion is targeted for December next year. Recently, they also opened a global training center equipped with a EUV live module in the Surplus Global Semiconductor Equipment Cluster in Yongin.
During his visit to Korea in November last year, ASML CEO Peter Wennink announced the investment plan for the new campus and stated, "Collaboration with Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, and others will strengthen, and the domestic semiconductor ecosystem will be enhanced. This investment is just the beginning," leaving open the possibility of further expansion of investments in the future.
The domestic investments by these global semiconductor equipment companies are expected to contribute to the growth of the domestic semiconductor industry by enhancing their research and production capabilities, creating jobs, promoting cooperative growth with partner companies, and fostering regional development.
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