PHS resin (polyhydroxystyrene) is a photoresist resin and local companies have independent research and development capabilities.

PHS resin, also known as polyhydroxystyrene and polyparahydroxystyrene, is a resin used in the production of photosensitive resins and other photosensitive imaging systems. Compared with traditional phenolic resin, PHS resin has the advantages of low absorption rate of deep ultraviolet light, high sensitivity, high resolution, and can improve the etching resistance of polymers. It can be used as a chemical amplification resist in electron beam lithography, deep UV lithography, extreme ultraviolet lithography, X-ray lithography and other fields are widely used.

PHS resin belongs to photoresist resin and is an important component of photoresist. It has good industry development prospects. For a long time, my country’s photoresist resin has been highly dependent on imports. Japan’s Soda, Japan’s Sumitomo, and the United States’ Dow Chemical are my country’s main suppliers. In recent years, driven by positive factors such as national policy support and the improvement of independent research and development capabilities of local companies, the localization process of my country’s photoresist resin market has accelerated, which provides favorable conditions for the development of the PHS resin industry.

According to the “2023-2028 China PHS Resin (Polyhydroxystyrene) Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report span>》shows that PHS resin has excellent performance and a wide range of applications, including electron beam lithography, deep ultraviolet lithography, extreme ultraviolet lithography, X-ray lithography, etc. With the accelerated development of semiconductor, display panel and other industries, the demand for photoresist market is becoming increasingly strong. my country’s photoresist market size will reach 10.76 billion yuan in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 13.7%. KrF photoresist is an end product of PHS resin. Benefiting from the improved prosperity of the downstream industry, my country’s PHS resin market space continues to expand.

The PHS resin industry has high technical barriers, and there are only a small number of companies with production capabilities in my country. Bayi Spacetime, Tongcheng New Materials, Beixu Electronics, Huafei Microelectronics, etc. are the main manufacturers of PHS resin in my country. Bayi Shikong focuses on the R&D and mass production of PHS resin. Currently, the company has the mass production capacity of 50 kg PHS resin for KrF photoresist, and has reached the world’s advanced level in terms of production technology and product quality. According to the annual report of 800 million Spacetime Enterprise, the company will achieve revenue of 930 million yuan in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 5.4%.

In terms of scientific research, attracted by market prospects, the enthusiasm for research and development in my country’s PHS resin industry continues to rise. Local companies and related scientific research institutions have obtained a number of invention patents. The patent project “A high molecular weight and narrow distribution PHS resin and its preparation method and application” applied for by 800 million Spacetime has successfully produced high-performance PHS resin using living anionic polymerization method, which has been used in industrial production.

Industry analysts said that as a photoresist resin, PHS resin has excellent performance and a wide range of applications. Driven by downstream demand, The industry development space continues to expand. my country’s PHS resin industry started late, but is developing rapidly. In the future, as local companies continue to improve their independent research and development capabilities, the market share of high-performance PHS resin will further increase.