Asahi Kasei transfers its photomask film business to Mitsui Chemicals for 7.4 billion yuan

On May 27, Asahi Kasei announced that it had signed a definitive agreement with Mitsui Chemicals on the transfer of Asahi Kasei's photomask film business to Mitsui Chemicals
.
Asahi Kasei plans to obtain 7.
4 billion yen (about 390 million yuan) from Mitsui Chemicals as a consideration for the rights and obligations after the separation, and the final amount will be adjusted according to the final agreement
.

The transfer includes Asahi Kasei's business of manufacturing, developing and selling photomask films in Japan, Korea, North America and China, as well as all shares in Asahi Kasei EMS Co.
, Ltd.
, a consolidated subsidiary of Asahi Kasei, which is entrusted with the manufacture of photomask films (Business), effective July 1, 2023 (Scheduled)
.

In the future, Mitsui Chemicals will make full use of Asahi Kasei's Iwakuni Otake Plant and Nobeoka Plant, integrate and combine the development and manufacturing capabilities accumulated by Asahi Kasei and Mitsui Chemicals, and plan further business expansion and improvement
.

photomask

Photomask, also known as semiconductor photomask, is a high-precision tool in the semiconductor lithography process.
It is mainly composed of a substrate and opaque materials, and acts as a bridge and link between the lithography machine and the large silicon wafer
.

In terms of scale, photomask only accounts for about 13% of the total chip cost, and its value is much lower than that of silicon wafers, which account for 38%, and the attention is far from that of silicon wafers
.
But the value of a small photomask is extraordinary.
It is not only one of the essential core materials in chip manufacturing, but its quality directly determines the final performance of the chip
.

Most of the world's leading photomask manufacturers are also headquartered in Japan
.
According to CSET estimates, Japanese companies control 53% of the commercial photomask market, U.
S.
companies account for 40%, and Taiwanese companies account for 7%
.
For example, DNP and Japan's Toppan Printing Toppan Photomasks are both Japanese manufacturers
.