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JNC: Launching Liquid Crystal Compound Products
JNC will launch liquid crystal compound development products to the market. Focusing on characteristics such as low dielectric constant and dielectric anisotropy, they have developed liquid crystal materials that meet the market demands in semiconductor and high-speed communication fields. They are leveraging the foundational technologies accumulated in the display liquid crystal materials business while proactively entering new business areas.
In the semiconductor field, JNC has proposed an innovative material solution—Polymerizable Liquid Crystal (PLC). Unlike Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP) that exhibit liquid crystal properties in a polymer state, PLC involves the polymerization of liquid crystal monomers with polymerizable functional groups that are oriented beforehand. Its features include low dielectric properties and high thermal conductivity.
During sample testing with downstream customers, the demand for improved material heat dissipation has garnered special attention. In addition to rigid substrates and flexible multilayer substrates, it is also planned to be used as packaging materials and additive films, among other high-value-added semiconductor materials. Currently, product application development with downstream customers is nearing completion, with plans for market launch in 2026.
As a new material contributing to the high-speed communication field, JNC has high hopes for liquid crystals used for millimeter-wave control. This material exhibits significant dielectric constant anisotropy in the millimeter-wave band, allowing for changes in transmission or reflection direction based on applied voltage. It also has a very high refractive index anisotropy, making it suitable for controlling visible light and infrared.
The fifth generation of mobile communication (5G) is expected to officially become widespread around 2028, and JNC plans to start selling liquid crystals for millimeter-wave control. It is envisioned to be used as a material for reflective surfaces (RIS) that facilitate the propagation of high-linearity high-frequency waves into the usage space of electronic devices. It is particularly suitable for antenna materials in low Earth orbit satellite communications, where positions relative to the ground change constantly, and supply expansion is also being considered.
For reflective surfaces and antennas that do not use liquid crystal materials, JNC aims to create a market by enhancing cost competitiveness, striving for adoption and mass production by 2026. JNC plans to target the world’s top manufacturers in the new field of millimeter-wave control liquid materials.
Japan Catalyst: Innovations in Various Material Processes
Japan Catalyst has developed a range of material products that enhance reliability and production efficiency across various fields, including packaging materials, cleaning agents, and photoresists, thereby increasing its influence in the semiconductor materials sector.
The characteristics of silicon microparticle products include a narrow particle size distribution, free from coarse particles, and excellent filling properties for fine parts. They possess linear expansion coefficients for both metals and resins, which helps suppress cracking. With high purity, they also offer high reliability in equipment, and applications in sealing materials are being advanced.
The reactive monomer “AOMA” has excellent dilution properties, allowing for high-fill formulations without increasing viscosity and maintaining fluidity. Utilizing UV curability and solvent-free characteristics, it has received praise in recent years for applications requiring high adhesion and instant curing, such as inkjet coating. Additionally, polymers using AOMA exhibit excellent adhesion, heat resistance, flexibility, and hardness balance, making them widely used in high-reliability packaging materials and insulation layers.
Aromatic fluorine-containing acid generators serve as raw materials for curing catalysts used in semiconductor resins. Catalysts produced by customers using this material enhance curing speed through high acid generation capability, shortening curing time. They are not restricted by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and do not use antimony. Balancing safety and reactivity, they are highly anticipated as next-generation eco-friendly products.
Furthermore, photosensitive resins with alkaline developability and UV curing have been developed. They offer high heat resistance and adhesion to metals like copper, and are being advanced for insulation applications requiring patterning in later processes, such as molten anti-etching agents and RDL. For front-end processes like CMP and cleaning, the product lineup includes four types of water-soluble polymers. Polyethylene polyamines can agglomerate and remove foreign substances, while PVP offers high heat resistance, high purity, and stable cleaning performance. Secondary alcohol ethoxylates do not gel even at high concentrations, making them easy to dilute and handle, with low foaming and good process compatibility. Polyacrylic acid has metal ion capture and high electrostatic repulsion functions, meeting various cleaning needs.
San-Apro: PFAS-Free Photoacid Generators
San-Apro, a subsidiary of Sanyo Chemical Group, plans to expand the sales of photoacid generators in the semiconductor and electronic materials fields. Photoacid generators are chemicals that generate acid under light exposure, facilitating curing and deprotection reactions. In recent years, the company has increased applications centered around polymer initiators for adhesives used in polarizer films for flat panel displays and photoresists for semiconductor circuit pattern transfer. This year, they will officially launch eco-friendly products that are PFAS-free, with high transparency and heat yellowing resistance, further solidifying their market position.
Photo-curing technology using photo-curable resins is widely applied in various fields, including 3D printing materials and semiconductors, due to its ease of fine design and processing. The photoacid generators responsible for the photo-curing process are strong suppliers of photoacid generators for curing epoxy resins and other materials.
The company adopts a non-factory model, focusing on research and development and marketing, with strengths in synthetic technology and quality management systems. They offer products tailored to customer needs by freely combining cationic structures that absorb light and decompose, along with acidic anionic sites generated during decomposition. Through independent design, they provide a series of product grades based on light absorption wavelengths, acid strength, solubility, and storage stability for various applications.
This year, they officially launched a photoacid generator combining gallium-centered anionic components with characteristic cationic components. It achieves acid strength comparable to widely used high-performance antimony-based photoacid generators while being PFAS-free. Additionally, heat-generating acid generators that produce acid upon heating are also being advanced for PFAS-free formulations, expanding market opportunities.
In the future, they will continue to focus on customer needs for development, accelerating development speed using computational chemistry and planning to expand the photosensitive wavelength field (near-infrared, etc.).
On the business side, they are promoting digital marketing, having updated their website last year to enhance product visibility. Detailed data and sample requests can also be made on the website, with services available in both Chinese and English. In recent years, inquiries from overseas have been increasing, and the company will continue to improve usability and expand sales.
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