According to reports, SK Hynix acquired the electronic materials business unit of Jinhu Petrochemical for approximately RMB 2.22 billion in 2020. Recently, according to The Elec, the thick KrF photoresist (PR) developed by SK Hynix has passed the company's quality inspection.

Samsung uses products from Dongjin Semhem, which are similar to SK Hynix's KrF PR and have a thickness of approximately 14 to 15 microns. SK Hynix has entrusted the research and development of core materials to its subsidiary, which makes its memory products more competitive in the market than its competitors. As the storage market gradually returns to normal next year, SK Hynix's KrF PR sales will also increase accordingly. In addition, Japan's JSR company is also developing its own PR product, which has a thickness of 10 micrometers.

In the production process of NAND flash memory, it is necessary to use a thicker PR because it is more suitable for stacking. For example, when producing 100 layers of NAND chips, the cost of layer by layer production becomes higher, while thicker PR allows memory manufacturers to manufacture multiple layers at once. However, thicker PR has higher viscosity, which can have a negative impact on uniformity and therefore face greater challenges in the development process.

At present, SK Hynix's plan is to use KrF PR for the production of 238 layer NAND flash memory chips, with JSR as a secondary supplier, and both products will be used. Currently, SK Hynix produces approximately 5000 wafers of 238 layer NAND flash memory per month, and with the introduction of KrF PR, production is expected to significantly increase. In addition, SK Hynix is also promoting the localization of key materials required for other semiconductor production.

It is reported that SK Hynix announced the successful development of the world's first 238-layer NAND flash memory with the highest number of layers in the industry as early as August last year, and sent samples of 238-layer 512Gb TLC 4D NAND flash memory to partners.

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