Recently, Japanese material companies have been diving into new business ventures, moving towards unchartered areas. Particularly, JX Metals Corp. has established a new division to promote the development of a new business field. Also, it will strengthen expansion into the market for materials used in semiconductor manufacturing processes. Meanwhile, JFE Steel Corp. has put up a website to strengthen the online presence of the Group’s products and technologies, introduced as solutions.

Strengthen Semiconductor-Related Business　

Specifically, JX Metals established a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition)･ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) Material Business Promotion Office under the Advanced Technology & Strategy Department, Technology Group on Feb. 2024. This aims to develop forward-looking business in new areas.

The market for materials for semiconductor device manufacturing process will see continuous growth. Specifically, JX Metals’s sputtering targets for semiconductors, which represent one of its core products, have secured the largest share of the market. Mainly, this is due to high evaluations across the industry for their effectiveness in the Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) of thin-film deposition on semiconductor chips. Further miniaturization and multi-layering in cutting-edge semiconductors will progress in the coming years. Thus, demand for thin-film deposition solutions not only via PVD but also through CVD and ALD will likely grow.

CVD･ALD Material Business Promotion Office will handle the entire scope of CVD and ALD materials for next-generation semiconductors. Generally, this covers everything from the identification of development topics to mass production in an integrated manner. Also, it will work to accelerate the commercialization process.

Proposes Virtual Solutions

Meanwhile, JFE Steel announced that it has just launched a website to introduce products and technologies developed by the JFE Group. Particularly, they will be proposed as solutions related to ‘improving production efficiency’, ‘improving labor productivity’, ‘manufacturing high value-added products’ and ‘reducing environmental impact’.

Through manufacturing steel products, JFE Steel has developed advanced technologies, including advanced digital technologies and equipment/control-related technologies. Aside from the steel industry, JFE Steel will actively provide these accumulated technologies and know-how to a wide range of manufacturing customers as a solution business. Additionally, it will carefully select technologies developed by each company in the JFE Group. Thus, it will work closely together across the group and propose optimal combinations to its customers.

Specifically, the website contains the following contents. For the first time, JFE Steel will introduce six solutions including products from its group companies and technologies. Also, it will introduce services that have been developed independently and contribute to reducing the impact on operations and costs. JFE Steel will continue to expand its solution business technologies and products and will gradually add them to the website, as well as introduce case applications of these solutions.

-15 March 2024-

This is an English translation of a Japanese article originally published in Dempa Shimbun Daily.