Photronics opens manufacturing facilities in China

Photronics announced the grand opening of two new manufacturing facilities in China to engage in research and development, manufacture and sale of photomasks, becoming a critical local supplier to the China integrated circuit (IC) and flat panel display (FPD) industries.

The new IC manufacturing facility in Xiamen, China is the result of a $160 million investment agreement with The Administrative Committee of Xiamen Torch Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone (Xiamen Torch), a national-level hi-tech zone in China, announced in August 2016. The facility will support semiconductor manufacturing for a wide range of technologies and nodes in both logic and memory. Plans are for initial production to ramp quickly at 40nm and 28nm nodes, with process introduction leading to 14nm and beyond nodes shortly thereafter.

The facility in Hefei is wholly owned and focused on the FPD industry. Created under a $160 million investment agreement formed in August 2017 with the Hefei State High-tech Industry Development Zone (High-tech Zone), a national-level high-tech zone in China, to establish a manufacturing facility in Hefei, China, the factory is equipped to support Generation 10.5+ (G10.5+) substrate production. With this investment, Photronics is the first producer of G10.5+ photomasks in China, with more capacity than any other competitor. The cleanroom is fully automated, and the facility will employ approximately 70 people in manufacturing and supporting functions.

“I am extremely pleased to celebrate this milestone, opening two new state-of-the-art facilities in China to support our customers’ operations with locally sourced photomasks,” said Peter Kirlin, chief executive officer. “A tremendous amount of hard work and dedication have contributed to this achievement. The teams in Xiamen and Hefei have gone above and beyond, ensuring that we reach this goal. In addition, the support we have received from local authorities and investment agreement partners has been remarkable. We are proud to play a part in the development of these industries in China, and look forward to future growth opportunities. With the opening of these facilities, which are among the most advanced sites in our global network, we are the well on our way to extending our leadership position in the merchant mask market.”