en.Wedoany.com Reported - Asahi Kasei Corp. has built a new SUNFORT™ dry film photoresist (DFR) slitting facility at its Tainan manufacturing base in Taiwan, China, on July 3, with commercial operations scheduled to commence this month.

Asahi Kasei has been slitting SUNFORT™ DFR at its Tainan plant since 1997. In recent years, the growth of artificial intelligence and the subsequent increase in data processing demand have driven a significant rise in demand for advanced semiconductor packaging. The DFR used in semiconductor packaging must meet stricter standards in terms of quality and supply reliability. Taiwan is a strategically important region with a high concentration of semiconductor packaging-related companies, making it crucial to establish a supply system that can deliver products quickly and reliably while being close to customers.

Slitting is the process of cutting a master roll of film into narrower widths according to customer requirements, directly impacting product quality and supply reliability. To address the growing demand for DFR, Asahi Kasei's new slitting facility is equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and the strictest cleanroom standards to enhance productivity and supply reliability. The facility involves an investment of approximately 2 billion yen (about 12 million USD or 11 million EUR), expanding capacity by 40% with the potential to double current output.

SUNFORT™ DFR achieves ultra-high resolution in both traditional stepper exposure systems and laser direct imaging (LDI) systems, transferring circuit patterns onto packaging substrates to improve the performance and precision of back-end semiconductor manufacturing processes. Asahi Kasei's investment in SUNFORT™ DFR aligns with the company's strategy of positioning its electronics business as a strategic growth driver. In May 2025, Asahi Kasei also launched SUNFORT™ TA, its latest DFR series, specifically designed for advanced semiconductor packaging used in AI servers.