Chip industry supplier Showa Denko to boost output of wafer polishing agent

Materials maker will spend $150m on new capacity in Japan and Taiwan

Showa Denko Materials is the top supplier of cerium oxide-based wafer polishing slurries. (Photo courtesy of Showa Denko)

SHOYA OKINAGA, Nikkei staff writer

August 3, 2022 05:41 JST

TOKYO -- Japanese materials group Showa Denko will expand production of a chemical slurry used to polish silicon wafers, a key link in the supply chain for high-performance semiconductors.

Subsidiary Showa Denko Materials plans to boost capacity for CMP slurry by about 20%, investing roughly 20 billion yen ($150 million) in production facilities in Japan and Taiwan. The additional capacity will begin coming online next year.