ADEKA to Add Photoacid Generator Production Line at Chiba Plant
ADEKA to Add Photoacid Generator Production Line at Chiba Plant
ADEKA Corporation will add a new photoacid generator (PAG) production line inside an existing building at its Chiba Plant in Sodegaura City, Chiba Prefecture, roughly doubling current PAG capacity. The investment is about 1 billion yen, with construction starting January 2027, completion in February 2028, and commercial operation scheduled for September 2028. The PAGs are used in advanced photoresists for ArF and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, with output held to a 1 ppb metal contamination control standard.
Doubling PAG output for EUV photoresists adds supply for chipmakers' advanced lithography, and ADEKA's parallel PAG monomer work at its Kuki center targets EUV and High-NA EUV generations.
Key facts
| Companies | ADEKA Corporation, ADEKA |
|---|---|
| Chemicals | Photoacid generators (PAG), PAG monomers (polymer-bound PAGs), Organometallic compounds for metal oxide resists (MOR) |
| Capacity | Approximately 2 times the current PAG capacity |
| Investment | About 1 billion yen |
| Location | ADEKA Chiba Plant, Sodegaura City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan; Semiconductor Innovation Center, Kuki City, Saitama Prefecture |
| Timing | Aug. 20, 2026, Starting construction: Jan. 2027, Completion of construction: Feb. 2028, Start of commercial operation: Sep. 2028, Semiconductor Innovation Center began full-scale operations in July 2026 |
| End uses | Semiconductor manufacturing, Advanced photoresists for ArF and EUV lithography, High-NA EUV lithography |
Market context
Photoacid generators are compounds that release acid when exposed to light, and they are a key component of chemically amplified photoresists. These resists are coated onto silicon wafers and patterned by lithography to define the fine circuit features of advanced semiconductors. Demand is driven mainly by logic and memory chipmakers that use ArF immersion and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography at leading-edge nodes, so supply of high-purity PAGs is tightly linked to photoresist output and to the pace of advanced fab investment. Because trace metal contamination can degrade wafer yields, suppliers of these materials operate under strict impurity limits, which makes qualified capacity difficult to add quickly. Expansion by an established specialty chemical producer can ease supply tightness and strengthen its position against other resist-material suppliers, while polymer-bound PAG monomers and metal-oxide resist chemistries are emerging alternatives for future EUV generations.
Source: official release on adeka.co.jp. Summary and context written by Market Krystal.
About Adeka
Specialty chemicals · Japan · No. 199 in the Market Krystal chemical company ranking · chemical sales about $2.6B.
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