Fujifilm to Invest 6 Billion Yen for Advanced Semiconductor Materials Production

FUJIFILM Corporation announces a capital investment of approximately 6 billion yen in its Kumamoto site to further expand its Electronic Materials business.

FUJIFILM Electronic Materials Co., Ltd., the core company that leads Fujifilm’s Electronic Materials business, will install a production facility for color filter materials used in image sensors at the Kyushu site of its manufacturing subsidiary, FUJIFILM Material Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (FFMT Kyushu). This facility is expected to start operations in the spring of 2025.

Image sensors, a type of semiconductor that converts light into electrical signals for visual display, are used in digital cameras, smartphones and other electronic devices. With the recent expansion of image sensor applications in automobiles and security devices, the image sensor market is expected to grow at a rate of 7% per annum, according to CCD & CMOS market’s marketing analysis for H1 2023 by the market research company, Techno System Research.

Fujifilm manufactures color filter materials for image sensors in Shizuoka, Japan as well as in Hsinchu of Taiwan. Fujifilm is also building a new color filter materials production site in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, increasing the number of production sites.

In addition, Fujifilm is promoting the development and introduction of products that target a wider range of wavelengths beyond the visible light range by leveraging its expertise in advanced functional molecular technology and nano-dispersion technology. Fujifilm is introducing color filter materials or the Wave Control Mosaic (WCM)2 to further expand the business.

FFEM is introducing the latest production facility at FFMT Kyushu to expand its production capacity for color filter materials to be used in image sensors.

Fujifilm will establish a global production structure with a total of four sites. This structure will enable Fujifilm to ensure stable production and distribution of high-quality color filter materials for image sensors and fulfill its supply responsibility as the market leader. Fujiflm will expand sales of WCM by accelerating the launch of new products that meet customer needs.

In addition, by the end of January 2024, FFMT Kyushu is scheduled to begin full-scale operation of a new production facility for CMP slurries, a basic material in semiconductor manufacturing.

Fujifilm acquired the semiconductor high purity process chemicals (HPPC) business of U.S. semiconductor materials manufacturer, Entegris, Inc. in October 2023. Leveraging the resulting strengthening of its broad product lineup and global supply structure, as well as its advanced R&D capabilities and solid trusting relationships with customers, the company is striving to accelerate its business growth, with the goal of achieving 500 billion yen in revenues in the global Electronic Materials business by FY2030.