Mitsui Chemicals EMS Begins Doing Business

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo: 4183; President & CEO: HASHIMOTO Osamu) today announced that new affiliate Mitsui Chemicals EMS Corporation has begun doing business after its establishment on July 1, 2023.

Created to take over the pellicle business acquired from Asahi Kasei Corporation (Tokyo: 3407; President: KUDO Koshiro), Mitsui Chemicals EMS is the No. 1 player in the market for FPD pellicles, which are used in the LCD panel exposure process. Mitsui Chemicals EMS has also gained a good reputation in the marketplace with DUV pellicles for semiconductor exposure processes. These DUV pellicles primarily find application in ArF immersion lithography, which is used in many cutting-edge domains.

At the same time, Mitsui Chemicals has been able to secure its own significant presence in the pellicle market. The company has become a leader in cutting-edge DUV pellicles, and also stands at the forefront in achieving commercialization of EUV pellicles – these being used in EUV lithography, an advanced technology in the semiconductor industry.

With the establishment of Mitsui Chemicals EMS, Mitsui Chemicals aims to further expand the pellicle business of the Group as a whole, developing new products and enhancing cutting-edge technologies as it seeks to become the world’s No. 1 diversified pellicle manufacturer.

Overview of the new company

What are pellicles?

Employed in the exposure process that facilitates the production of semiconductors, LCD panels and more, photomask pellicles serve as a protective cover for intricately patterned photomasks, preventing dust from attaching to the photomask and affecting the imaging on the silicon wafer or panel substrate. The Mitsui Chemicals Group’s pellicle business covers the following types of pellicles.

• LSI pellicles
  (1) DUV pellicles: Small pellicles employed in a semiconductor exposure process using deep ultraviolet (DUV) as the light source.
  (2) EUV pellicles: Small pellicles employed in a cutting-edge semiconductor exposure process using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) as the light source.
• FPD pellicles
  Large pellicles employed in exposure processes for LCD, OLED and other flat-panel displays (FPDs).

■ Reference: Mitsui Chemicals to Acquire Pellicle Business From Asahi Kasei (news release; May 27, 2022)
https://jp.mitsuichemicals.com/en/release/2022/2022_0527_02.htm