South Korea considers decentralizing semiconductor industry cluster, Nearfield Instruments warns of need for complete support system

[Financial Channel/Comprehensive Report] In order to enhance the competitiveness of the semiconductor industry, South Korea is considering dispersing its next-generation industrial clusters to multiple regions including Hunan. However, Nearfield Instruments, known as the "second ASML" in the industry, warned that it is not enough for the wafer fab to simply obtain land. The question of whether the fab can be moved is not only whether the land, water and electricity are in place. If South Korea's new chip manufacturing base does not have a complete support system covering all aspects from equipment delivery to yield management, and lacks complete local infrastructure and support ecology, the most critical yield rate of advanced processes may face yield risks.

Sadeghian, co-founder and CEO of Nearfield Instruments, said that as the geographical distance between wafer fabs and existing large-scale settlements increases and the layout becomes more dispersed, maintaining close technical support, rapid response and efficient cooperation between equipment suppliers and chip manufacturers will become an important challenge.

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It is reported that Nearfield is headquartered in the Netherlands and specializes in developing non-destructive measurement equipment based on 3D atomic force microscopy (AFM), which is used in ultra-fine processes such as GAA and 3D advanced packaging such as HBM. Its QUADRA solution can perform ultra-high-precision vertical measurements, making up for the shortcomings of traditional optical and electron beam tools. The company is growing so fast that it is even called the "second ASML" by the industry.

He emphasized that for global equipment manufacturers, the key conditions for smooth support for new semiconductor clusters include a sound logistics network, local technical talents and perfect digital connection capabilities. The reason is that as advanced manufacturing processes become increasingly complex, real-time support provided by equipment manufacturers is increasingly important for yield management.

Nearfield currently has a legal representative in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, where the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes in South Korea are concentrated. The company also cooperates with Samsung Electronics and other companies to supply measurement equipment. High-value processes, including fine sidewall profiles, hybrid bonding surfaces, etc., require the support of high-level engineers from equipment manufacturers and real-time process control to maintain yield.

Sadeghian said that the Korean semiconductor ecosystem has the advantage of optimizing yields on highly stacked and complex products such as HBM, and Nearfield's Korean base in Hwaseong allows the company to directly participate in this advanced manufacturing ecosystem and provide close technical support. This also means that if the customer's wafer fab is far away from the existing base in the future, the new region will also need to re-establish a similar level of support network.

It is reported that Nearfield has deep connections with South Korea's advanced semiconductor industry, and Samsung has also been reported to have invested in Nearfield at the group level. Sadeghian said that South Korea's leading position in advanced memory, AI chips and 3D integration technology is an extremely important market for Nearfield. As AI infrastructure continues to expand, we will continue to cooperate with the South Korean semiconductor value chain to support increasingly complex chip architectures.

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