The level of localization of domestic photoresist resin is low. In the future, local companies will need to speed up their efforts to improve their capabilities.

Photoresist, also known as photoresist, is a photosensitive material, which refers to a corrosion-resistant thin film material whose solubility changes under the irradiation or radiation of ultraviolet light, electron beam, X-ray, etc. Photoresist is one of the key materials for micro-pattern processing in microelectronics technology and is widely used in the electronics and printing industries. Photoresist is mainly composed of photoinitiators, resins, solvents, monomers and other materials.

Photoresist resin is the core raw material of photoresist, and its cost accounts for about 55% of the total raw material cost. Photoresist resin plays a decisive role in the adhesion, line width length, and chemical resistance of photoresist. According to the “Photoresist Resin Industry Market In-depth Research and Investment Prospects Forecast Analysis Report 2023-2028” released by the Industrial Research Center , the main types of photoresist resin include cyclized rubber resin used in the field of G-line photoresist, phenolic resin used in I-line photoresist, polyparahydroxystyrene resin (PHS) used in KrF photoresist, Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) resin for ArF photoresist, PHS/HS-methacrylate copolymer resin for EUV photoresist, etc.

Photoresist is the core material of the photolithography process. In recent years, against the background of the deepening transfer trend of global PCB, LCD, semiconductor and other industries to China, the domestic photoresist market has developed rapidly. In 2021, the scale of my country’s photoresist market has reached 9.54 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 12.1%. Driven by the rapid development of the photoresist market, the market demand for photoresist resin, as its core raw material, has grown rapidly, and the industry has shown good development prospects.

At present, my country’s photoresist resins are still mainly imported. The domestic market is dominated by companies from Japan and the United States. Major companies include Shin-Etsu Chemical, DuPont, Toyo Gosei, Soda, Sumitomo Bakelite, Mitsubishi Chemical, Dow Chemical, etc. , the domestic market has a low degree of localization.

Photoresist resin is a technology-intensive industry. my country’s photoresist industry started relatively late. Therefore, the research and development time of its raw material photoresist resin was also relatively late. For a long time, my country’s photoresist resin market has been dominated by foreign countries. The company occupies a monopoly position. In recent years, with the rapid development of the electronics industry and the deepening trend of the global electronics industry moving to China, my country’s key photoresist resin technologies have continued to make breakthroughs. At present, domestic companies with photoresist resin mass production capabilities mainly include Shengquan Group, Qianli New Materials, Changxing Materials, etc.

Industrial analysts said that although my country’s photoresist resin market has been domestically produced, local companies have limited technology, scale, and experience. There is still a big gap compared with leading foreign companies in fields such as equipment and equipment. In the future, local companies will need to continue to improve their technology and increase product research and development capabilities. There is huge room for industry growth. In the future, against the background of the sustained and rapid development of the domestic electronics industry, my country’s photoresist resin market demand is expected to continue to grow, and the industry has broad room for development.