Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; Tokyo, Japan; www.sdk.co.jp) has developed new-grade products to be added to the lineup of its high-purity solvents, “Solfine” series, and decided to install a new purification plant to produce the new-grade products at its Tokuyama Plant in Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. Construction of the new purification plant will be completed in May 2017, and SDK will start commercial operation of the new plant in June 2017.
The new-grade products are super-high-purity solvents developed by upgrading purity of existing high-purity solvents which SDK sells under the trade name of “Solfin.” SDK is already selling high-purity solvents mainly as cleaning agents to be used in manufacturing processes of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels and semiconductor integrated circuits. SDK will offer the new-grade super-high-purity solvents mainly as solvents for photoresist for the manufacture of semiconductor integrated circuits.
Photoresist is used as a key material in a manufacturing process of semiconductor integrated circuits, and is now required to have extremely high quality in accordance with the progress in the degree of integration of semiconductor integrated circuits.
Utilizing the new plant, SDK will start to produce cyclohexanone and several other solvents of super-high purity, and then increase the number of varieties of solvents produced after grasping the trends of the market and need of customers. SDK will ship those new products not only with conventional small-sized or middle-sized containers, but also with tank lorries, with which it was formerly difficult to maintain quality of solvents. SDK will secure stable supply of solvents for photoresist through in-house purification and analysis, and provide quality assurance by itself.