A brief introduction to photoresist

-- Resin is the main material cost
Photoresist, also known as photoresist, is a kind of light-sensitive mixed liquid. Its components include: photoinitiators (including photosensitizers, photoacid-producing agents), photoresist resins, monomers, solvents and other auxiliaries. The photoresist can transfer the required micro pattern from the mask (mask) to the substrate to be processed through photochemical reaction, exposure, development and other lithography processes. Depending on the application scenario, the substrate to be processed can be integrated circuit material, display panel material, or printed circuit board material.

The main components of photoresist are resin, monomer, photoinitiator and additive additives. Among them, resin accounted for about 50%, monomer accounted for about 35%, photoinitiator and additive additives accounted for about 15%.

-- Photoresist application scenarios are divided into four parts
According to the application field, photoresist can be divided into IC photoresist, PCB photoresist and LCD photoresist, of which IC photoresist has the highest quality requirement.
According to the classification of exposure wavelength, photoresist can be divided into ultraviolet photoresist (300-450nm), deep ultraviolet photoresist (160-280nm), extreme ultraviolet photoresist (EUV, 13.5nm), electron beam photoresist, ion beam photoresist, X-ray photoresist and so on. Different exposure wavelengths of photoresist, its applicable lithographic limit resolution is different, generally speaking, in the use of the same process method, the smaller the wavelength, the better the processing resolution.
According to the principle of chemical reaction and development, photoresist can be divided into positive and negative photoresist. Using the positive photoresist process, the pattern formed is the same as the mask plate; Using the negative photoresist process, the pattern is opposite to that of the mask.
The downstream applications of global photoresist are relatively balanced, with PCB photoresist, LCD photoresist, semiconductor photoresist and others accounting for about 25%.

-- The global market size is expected to exceed 10 billion dollars

According to Cision, a leading global media intelligence company, the global photoresist market size is expected to be approximately USD 9.1 billion in 2019, growing at a CAGR of approximately 5.4% since 2010. The market is still expected to grow at an average annual rate of 5% over the next 3 years to reach a global photoresist market size of over $10 billion by 2022.

-- The Chinese market is rising
The comprehensive localization rate of LCD photoresist in China is about 5%, and the import substitution space is huge. Semiconductor photoresist and its supporting materials are characterized by rapid technological change and high purity, which is the most difficult photoresist to produce.
China has leveraged all social resources to invest and support the semiconductor industry through the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund (Big Fund). At the same time, the domestic photoresist enterprises actively seize the century-old opportunity of China's wafer manufacturing expansion, develop the photoresist business, and strive to catch up with the international advanced level as soon as possible, and enter the supply chain of domestic newly built fabs.