Samsung Electronics has held a tool-in ceremony for its semiconductor research and development (R&D) complex, NRD-K, in Giheung, Korea, with operations scheduled to begin in 2025.
The semiconductor specialist broke ground on site in 2022 and will invest up to $15bn on campus as part of an investment plan that will run until 2030. In Q3 2024, Samsung invested a record $6.34bn in R&D.
Once complete, the facility will be a key research base for the company’s memory, system LSI, and foundry semiconductor R&D. Research and product-level verification will also happen at the facility.
NRD-K will also feature high NA extreme ultra-violet (EUV) lithography and new material deposition equipment to support the development of next-generation semiconductors such as 3D DRAM and V-NAND, with more than 1,000 layers.
Young Hyun Jun, Vice Chairman and Head of the Device Solutions Division at Samsung Electronics, said, “NRD-K will bolster our development speed, enabling the company to create a virtuous cycle to accelerate fundamental research on next-generation technology and mass production.”
The new facility will also support Samsung’s partnership with Applied Materials.
Jun continued, “Applied Materials is committed to accelerating innovation velocity through deep collaboration with Samsung Electronics, working together to drive a new wave of growth for the semiconductor industry.”
Samsung’s Giheung campus, located in the south of Seoul, is the birthplace of the world’s first 64-megabit DRAM in 1992, marking the beginning of the company’s semiconductor journey.
Back in May, Samsung Electronics appointed Young Hyun Jun to lead its semiconductor business. In addition to the company’s efforts in Korea, Jun is also overseeing some of Samsung’s mega projects in the US.
With the addition of investment through the CHIPS and Science Act, Samsung is expected to invest a further $40bn+ in the US in the coming years, making it one of the largest foreign direct investments for a greenfield project in US history.
Read more: Samsung to invest over $40bn in Texas semiconductor projects, bolstered by Biden’s CHIPS Act
The role of specialty gases in semiconductor manufacturing
Specialty gases are often thought of as the lifeblood of the electronics industry and the beating heart of semiconductor manufacturing. These gases, including those used in creating silicon for chips, are directly linked to the advancement of current technology. Remarkably, a single wafer – a thin slice of semiconductor material crucial for integrated circuits – can comprise up to one thousand chips.
Semiconductor manufacturing may use up to 30 different gases in all the various processes, including gases such as helium, nitrogen, and argon, which are used to create an inert atmosphere, flush chambers at the end of a process, or before cleaning.
Other specialty gases such as hydrogen, ammonia, and chlorine, in addition to less common examples like hexafluoroethane, octafluorocyclobutane and germane, are used in the etching and deposition processes.
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