Merck opens chip materials plant in South Korea — Korea Herald
German science and technology company Merck has opened a new semiconductor materials plant in Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. The facility will produce molybdenum dichloride dioxide, a chemical used to deposit ultrathin metal films during chip manufacturing.
The plant's products will be supplied to customers in South Korea and other Asian countries, Korea Herald reports. At the initial stage, production will focus on materials for advanced 3D NAND flash memory, in which memory cells are arranged in vertical layers to increase storage capacity.
Molybdenum instead of tungsten
Samsung Electronics began using molybdenum in its ninth-generation V-NAND in 2024. According to the publication, SK hynix is preparing to use this metal in next-generation NAND memory with 375 layers.
Molybdenum is viewed as an alternative to tungsten, whose electrical resistance becomes increasingly problematic as components shrink and the number of layers in microchips rises. The use of molybdenum may also reduce the need for barrier films that take up space inside microscopic chip structures.
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Betting on growing demand
Benjamin Hein, CEO of Merck Electronics, called South Korea one of the three key markets for semiconductor materials. He said the company aims to be prepared for a possible doubling of demand for semiconductor materials and solutions over the next five years.
Merck will combine precursor production in Eumseong with chemical delivery systems manufactured at the company's facility in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. Merck said the integrated system can use more than 99% of the material loaded into containers, potentially reducing waste and production costs.
The expansion is part of Merck's €600 million investment program, which the company announced in 2021. The company also expects demand for advanced chip packaging to grow as manufacturers combine several microchips into more complex systems.
