About our Electronic Materials Business
JSR’s Electronic Materials Business
JSR accelerates development of next-generation devices, enhances yields, and ensures stable production through high-performance materials that are essential for advanced semiconductor devices. Many of the electronic materials that drive the ever-evolving electronics industry are created by JSR’s cutting-edge technologies. Leveraging our strength in providing a broad lineup of materials on a one-stop approach, we continue to push innovation forward to help build a more prosperous society.
What is a semiconductor?
A wide range of electrical devices support our daily lives—and at their core are semiconductor chips that play a critical role. A semiconductor is a material with properties that lie between those of a “conductor,” which readily conducts electricity, and an “insulator,” which hardly conducts at all. Depending on the conditions, it changes how electricity flows and enables precise control of current. This characteristic underpins essential functions in electronic devices, such as switching signals on/off, amplification, computation, and storage.
From home appliances like refrigerators and washing machines to automobiles, PCs, and smartphones—and more recently, rapidly advancing AI technologies. As communication chips and sensors have improved, internet-connected smart appliances have emerged, enabling remote operation and monitoring. In automobiles, driver-assistance technologies have grown more sophisticated, while in factories, robotics and automation have boosted safety and production efficiency. PCs and smartphones have also achieved higher processing speeds, enabling instant, high-accuracy translation and image correction. The technologies that support our lives are evolving at a breathtaking pace day by day. With this progress, the volume of data handled by society and the required processing speeds continue to grow. As a result, there is a strong and growing need for “higher-performance semiconductor chips” to support these advancements.
Achieving higher semiconductor performance relies on several key elements: superior architecture (designing the structures and processing mechanisms that serve as the chip’s “brain”), circuit scaling (drawing finer electrical pathways), and high-density packaging (efficiently integrating components into chips). To realize smaller chip sizes, faster processing speeds, and lower power consumption through these advances, JSR provides a wide range of materials.
How semiconductors are made?
Advanced semiconductor chips are manufactured through more than 1,000 process steps. JSR supplies materials used at multiple stages throughout this process.
01. Slicing Substrate
“Slicing into Wafers”
Semiconductor chips are made from high-purity silicon ingots. These ingots are thinly sliced and processed into disk-shaped silicon wafers.
- JSR products used in this step
- None
02. Deposition
“Forming films”
On the wafer, thin layers of the required materials are deposited to form films using ALD (ALD: Atomic Layer Deposition) and CVD (CVD: Chemical Vapor Deposition)
- JSR products used in this step
- ALD/CVD precursors, Dopants
ALD/CVD precursors
Materials that serve as the basis for thin films formed on the required areas of a circuit.
Dopants
Substances added to modify factors such as the number of electrons and electrical resistance.
03. Resists coating
“Drawing the circuits”
While the wafer rotates, photoresist is uniformly applied (resists coating).
- JSR products used in this step
- Photoresists, Multilayer Materials
Photoresist
Photoresists are Photo-imageable liquids that enable the formation of ultra-fine circuit wiring in semiconductors. There are positive-tone types, in which only the areas exposed to light are removed by a developing solution, and negative-tone types, in which only the exposed areas crosslinked and remain. JSR offers an extensive lineup compatible with various exposure sources, including EUV (MOR), EUV (CAR), ArF, KrF, i-line, and g-line.
Multilayer Materials
In the Lithography process, ultra-fine circuits are formed by applying underlayers and topcoats and building up layers to improve exposure accuracy and etching resistance. At JSR, we collectively refer to these as multilayer materials and offer a diverse range of chemicals tailored to specific applications.
04. Exposure
“Drawing the circuits”
Next, light is exposed through a “photomask” bearing the circuit pattern to induce a chemical reaction in the resist. The wafer is then processed with a developer to remove unwanted areas, formed a precise pattern. This series of steps is called lithography.
- JSR products used in this step
- Photoresists, Multilayer Materials
Photoresist
Photoresists are photo-imageable liquids that enable the formation of ultra-fine circuit wiring in semiconductors. There are positive-tone types, in which only the areas exposed to light are removed by an developing solution, and negative-tone types, in which only the exposed areas are crosslinked and remain. JSR offers an extensive lineup compatible with various exposure sources, including EUV (MOR), EUV (CAR), ArF, KrF, i-line, and g-line.
Multilayer Materials
In the lithography process, ultra-fine circuits are formed by applying underlayers and topcoats and building up layers to improve exposure accuracy and Etching resistance. At JSR, we collectively refer to these as multilayer materials and offer a diverse range of chemicals tailored to specific applications.
05. Etching
“Removing”
Using the resist pattern formed in the exposure step as a guide, unwanted areas of the film are removed (Etching).
- JSR products used in this step
- Functional Cleaning Solutions
Functional Cleaning Solutions
Cleaning Solution that leverages chemical reactions to remove only the unwanted areas for circuit formation.
06. CMP
“Planarizing”
Using Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP), the surfaces of films deposited on the wafer are planarized. This step is particularly critical for advanced semiconductors, where both the number of manufacturing process steps and the number of circuit layers continue to increase.
- JSR products used in this step
- CMP Slurries
CMP Slurries
CMP Slurries are liquids used to planarize wafers at the nanometer scale. Containing abrasive particles that act like polishing powder, they smooth out surface irregularities on the wafer.
07. Cleaning
“Cleaning”
During manufacturing, microscopic residue and chemicals can adhere to the wafer. To remove them, wafers are carefully washed with ultrapure water (water containing virtually no impurities) and specialized cleaning solutions. Maintaining cleanliness helps prevent chip defects.
- JSR products used in this step
- CMP Cleaning Solutions
CMP Cleaning Solutions
During the polishing process, fine residue can remain on the wafer surface. These are cleaning agents used to remove such residue.
08. Multilayer Wiring
“Building up layers”
Inside a chip, numerous “metal pathways (wiring)” are required to carry signals. By repeating the preceding steps—Deposition, Exposure, Etching, CMP, and Cleaning—multiple layers of metal wiring are stacked with insulating films in between. This enables countless transistors and circuits to be interconnected so that information is transmitted accurately.
- ※Repeat process steps 02–07.
09. Dielectric Materials Coating and Wiring
“Wiring”
An insulating film is applied to the wafer surface. On top of this, fine metal lines are formed to create wiring, establishing routes for electrical signals and power. The precision achieved here directly affects the overall chip performance.
- JSR products used in this step
- Photo-Imageable Dielectric Materials, Thick Layer Plating Photoresists
Photo-Imageable Dielectric Materials
These are materials used to insulate areas where electricity should not pass, enabling the formation of wiring on the circuit.
Thick Layer Plating Photoresists
High-performance, coating-type photo-imageable materials used to form plated wiring.
10. Dicing
“Cutting”
Many chips are arranged on a single wafer. They are cut into individual chips using diamond blades or lasers (Dicing). The finished chips are then sent to the packaging process.
- JSR products used in this step
- None
11. Packaging
“Connecting to the Substrate”
To protect the diced chips, they are encapsulated in resin or a metal frame. Terminals for external electrical connection are also attached at this stage. By enhancing heat dissipation and durability, the chips become final products that can be integrated into smartphones and home appliances. As power consumption and performance demands increase with rapid technological advancement, advanced packaging has become increasingly critical for thermal management and high-speed data transfer.
- JSR products used in this step
- Thick Layer Plating Photoresists
Thick Layer Plating Photoresists
Traditionally, wire bonding—connecting the chip to the substrate with metal wires—has been the mainstream method for chip-to-substrate interconnection. However, in high-performance semiconductors, including those for AI, a flip-chip mounting approach is used, in which small metal protrusions (bumps) are formed on the chip to connect to the substrate. This enables compact, high-density packaging, shortens current paths, and increases the number of I/O connections, thereby reducing energy loss when transferring massive volumes of data. JSR manufactures thick layer plating photoresists optimized for this bump-formation process.
Global business structure
JSR has established a global business structure and works closely with customers to advance cutting-edge technology development.
