Fujifilm Press Releases

Fujifilm Further Expands the Semiconductor Materials Business in the U.S.A Due to the Increasing Use of AI, IoT and Next-Generation Communication Standard “5G”

Fujifilm's semiconductor process material
Fujifilm's semiconductor process material

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NEWS RELEASE

Fujifilm to invest approximately 10 billion yen in U.S. sites to further expand the semiconductor materials business

Expanding facilities for development, manufacturing and quality assurance of cutting-edge semiconductor materials

Accommodating demand increase and performance boost in semiconductors due to the increasing use of AI, IoT and next-generation communication standard “5G”

December 12, 2018

FUJIFILM Corporation (President: Kenji Sukeno, Fujifilm) has announced that it will significantly expand facilities for the development, manufacture and quality assurance of cutting-edge semiconductor materials at FUJIFILM Electronic Materials U.S.A., Inc. (President: Brian O’Donnelly, FEUS), its U.S. subsidiary for developing, manufacturing and marketing semiconductor materials, in order to continue the growth its semiconductor materials business. The company will make investments for approximately 10 billion yen over three years, starting in December 2018.

Fujifilm's semiconductor manufacturing chain

Fujifilm’s semiconductor manufacturing chain

Miniaturization of semiconductor devices continues as the increasing use of AI, IoT, and next-generation communication standard “5G” and the advancement of autonomous driving technology are expected to bring further demand increase and performance boost for semiconductors. In the given situation, the market is increasingly demanding stable supply of high-performance, high-quality and high-purity semiconductor materials.

Fujifilm has research, development, manufacturing and marketing bases in countries / regions including Japan, the United States, Taiwan, South Korea, and Belgium to globally supply a broad range of cutting-edge semiconductor materials including photoresists*1, developers, CMP slurries*2, high-purity solvents and image sensor materials*3. At each location, the company is working to provide meticulous, individually targeted support for greater customer satisfaction. This includes expansion of facilities for product development, manufacturing and quality assurance to support demand increase and performance boost for semiconductors devices.

Through this investment, Fujifilm is expanding the facilities for development, manufacturing and quality assurance of cutting-edge semiconductor materials at FEUS’s facilities in Arizona and Rhode Island.

FUJIFILM Electronic Materials U.S.A., Inc., Arizona

FUJIFILM Electronic Materials U.S.A., Inc., Arizona

At the Arizona location, new buildings will be constructed to boost the development of CMP slurries and high-purity solvents. The new buildings will feature clean rooms and latest inspection devices to accelerate product development and expand its quality assurance structure. Additional investment will be made to increase the production of CMP slurries to accommodate increasing demand.

FUJIFILM Electronic Materials U.S.A., Inc., Rhode Island

FUJIFILM Electronic Materials U.S.A., Inc., Rhode Island

At the Rhode Island location, the production facilities will be expanded to manufacture advanced NTI*4 solvents, supporting market needs for greater purification.

Fujifilm has been expanding business by actively investing its management resources in the field of semiconductor materials that is expected to achieve strong growth. The company will continue to develop and supply cutting-edge semiconductor materials globally to contribute to the further advancement of the semiconductor industry.

*1 Material coated on the wafer substrate when drawing circuit patterns in the pre-process of semiconductor manufacturing
*2 Stands for Chemical Mechanical Polishing. Abrasive agent for polishing and planarization of wafers used in the process of semiconductor manufacturing
*3 Pigmented photosensitive materials for manufacturing the color filters of image sensors (e.g. CMOS sensor) used in digital cameras and mobile phones
*4 Stands for Negative Tone Imaging. Patterning process that uses a negative-type developer that retains exposed areas on the substrate to achieve more refined details than when using the conventional positive-type development approach

<Overview of capital investment>

1. Company name FUJIFILM Electronic Materials U.S.A., Inc.
2. Location Mesa, Arizona / North Kingstown, Rhode Island in the United States
3. Total investment Approximately 10 billion yen (over 3 years starting in December 2018)
4.  Main investment description, construction commencement, operation commencement 【Arizona】

Main investments Construction commencement Operation commencement
New building for reinforcing the development of CMP slurries and high-purity solvents

(including the establishment of clean rooms and introduction of the latest inspection devices)

2018 2020
Production facilities for boosting the production of CMP slurries 2019 2020

【Rhode Island】

Main investments Construction commencement Operation commencement
Production facilities for further enhancing the purity of NTI solvents 2018 2020

For inquiries on information in this media release, contact:
(Customer contact)
Electronic Materials Business Division        TEL +81-3-3406-6914