Mitsui Chemicals Selected for NEDO’s “Development of Manufacturing Technologies for Advanced Semiconductors (Subsidy)”

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: ICHIMURA Satoshi) today announced that it has been selected as part of the “Research and Development Project of the Enhanced Infrastructures for Post-5G Information and Communication Systems / Development of manufacturing technologies for advanced semiconductors (Subsidy)” launched by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). NEDO has selected Mitsui Chemicals as part of Item [2] Development of manufacturing technologies for advanced semiconductors, (c) Development of peripheral lithography technologies, (c1) Development of pellicles for high-power EUV lithography.

This project aims to ensure a stable supply of advanced semiconductors for the post-5G era and strengthen semiconductor manufacturing infrastructure, thereby establishing semiconductor manufacturing technologies that will serve as a core component of Japan’s industrial competitiveness. Increasing the output power of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment is seen as an essential step toward manufacturing next-generation semiconductor devices, creating a strong need for the widespread introduction of pellicle technologies compatible with such environments.

Building on the pellicle manufacturing technologies it has cultivated to date, as well as its nanomaterials design technologies and advanced process technologies, Mitsui Chemicals will work as part of this project to develop pellicle technologies that offer both durability and high transmittance under high-power EUV lithography environments. These efforts are expected to make a significant contribution toward improving yields in the production processes of advanced logic and memory semiconductors, enhancing throughput, and reducing power consumption in lithography processes.