COXEM, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) specialist, is transforming itself into a maker of nondestructive inspection equipment for advanced semiconductor packaging. The company has begun supplying modules for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) analysis and plans to introduce automated inspection equipment for panel-level packaging (PLP) and glass substrates.

"The ion beam polisher, which precisely polishes semiconductor cross sections, was developed into equipment in collaboration with a domestic equipment company," COXEM CEO Lee Jun-hee said in a recent interview at the company's headquarters in Daejeon. "It has already been supplied to major semiconductor manufacturers and is undergoing mass-production evaluations."

COXEM, founded in 2007, is a South Korean developer and manufacturer of SEMs. The company started by licensing technology from the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS). It localized compact tabletop SEMs in the early 2010s and ranked fifth globally in sales in 2022, establishing its competitiveness in the market.

Lee, who holds a doctorate in electrical and electronic engineering from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), joined COXEM as head of its research center in 2010 and led research and development (R&D) of the technology. Lee was recognized for his technology development capabilities and business planning skills in 2012.

Ion Beam Polisher Module for HBM, MLCC Targets Qualification Early Next Year

An ion beam polisher is preprocessing equipment used to etch and polish a sample before it is examined with an electron microscope. It is based on ion miller commercialization technology that COXEM completed in 2019. COXEM's ion gun module, which emits an argon (Ar) ion beam, is installed inside the equipment. A separate SEM is also installed to observe and analyze the sample after preprocessing. AP Systems handles assembly and sales of the complete equipment.

Semiconductor analysis laboratories have traditionally polished sample cross sections manually, mainly using blades or sandpaper. The ion beam polisher automates the process. It uses a nanometer-scale particle beam to create flat cross sections without errors. It also minimizes sample damage and contamination compared with chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), preserving the sample's fine structures.

The system is similar to focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) systems from global competitors such as Thermo Fisher Scientific and ZEISS, but differs in processing area and speed. FIB-SEM can precisely process extremely small areas of several micrometers or less and is suited to detailed analysis of nanoscale defects.

The ion beam polisher can rapidly remove material across areas as wide as several millimeters at a rate of 1,000 micrometers per hour. It can be used to inspect structures and defects including through-silicon vias (TSVs) and microbumps in HBM, as well as internal layers of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). It is also less expensive. COXEM's CP-SEM lineup combining an ion miller and SEM costs about one-tenth as much as competing FIB-SEM systems.

"We initially guaranteed 100 hours of durability for the ion gun module, but have increased that to several thousand hours to meet the requirements of actual semiconductor mass-production lines," Lee said. "We expect to pass customer qualification tests around the end of this year or early next year and move into mass-production supply."

Nondestructive Inspection Equipment for Large Substrates Under Development

COXEM is also preparing semiconductor inspection equipment under its Eirtron brand. The equipment is designed for nondestructive observation of large-area samples, including wafers, large panels and glass substrates, during manufacturing. It is based on atmospheric-pressure scanning electron microscope (A-SEM) technology developed by COXEM.

Conventional inspection of large substrates requires cutting cross sections and moving them to an analysis laboratory. This is because conventional SEMs used for inspection rely on sealed high-vacuum chambers, limiting sample size. SEMs inspect samples by analyzing signals reflected from an irradiated electron beam. If the beam collides with air particles and scatters, the signal weakens and the detected image becomes blurred. High-vacuum chambers are used to prevent this.

A-SEM addresses this issue while maintaining high-resolution imaging with 30-nanometer resolution. This is achieved by completely separating the electron column, including the electron gun that emits the beam, from the external environment using a graphene membrane.

Graphene has high electron transmittance, allowing the beam to pass while blocking outside air. A multi-window structure allows it to withstand pressure of one atmosphere. The graphene membrane and signal detector are positioned as close as possible to the sample, while helium gas is injected to minimize electron-beam scattering and signal loss. These are all proprietary technologies patented by COXEM.

A-SEM can observe samples in ambient air at atmospheric pressure, eliminating size restrictions. It also removes the need for complex preprocessing steps such as evacuating a vacuum chamber or cutting samples, helping reduce process time.

"A-SEM technology enables real-time observation and analysis on production lines without damaging samples, making it an innovation that could shift the paradigm of semiconductor inspection processes," Lee said. "By commercializing automated A-SEM equipment, we aim to take the lead in the semiconductor equipment market currently dominated by overseas companies such as Applied Materials and Hitachi."

A test model of COXEM's automated equipment is currently undergoing validation by a major South Korean substrate company. The company plans to expand its target customer base to outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) companies.

YMC, a maker of components and materials for semiconductor and display equipment, plans to distribute at least 15 billion won in dividends to shareholders over three years starting this year.

YMC disclosed the shareholder value enhancement plan on Sept. 16. The company updated a plan announced in April, setting numerical targets for shareholder returns.

YMC will use 30% of net income as a source for dividends. It also set a minimum dividend level. The company plans to pay at least 5 billion won annually from this year through 2028, for a cumulative total of at least 15 billion won over the three years.

The company will also continue to cancel treasury shares. YMC canceled 500,000 treasury shares in March and plans to cancel at least another 630,569 shares by year-end, equivalent to about 50% of the 1,261,138 shares it currently holds. If completed as planned, the total number of shares outstanding will decline by at least 3.32%. Including shares canceled in February 2023, cumulative cancellations are expected to exceed 1.63 million shares.

YMC has also established a system to monitor implementation of its shareholder value enhancement plan. The company will carry out the plan under the management and supervision of its board and conduct a self-assessment at least once a year, disclosing its implementation status. It also plans to expand investor communications through domestic and overseas investor relations events and press releases.

"The shareholder value enhancement plan demonstrates our strong confidence in improving the company's future performance and our commitment to shareholder returns," YMC said. The company posted consolidated revenue of 100.5 billion won and operating profit of 3.89 billion won in the first half of 2026, up 19.2% and 55.3%, respectively, from a year earlier. A new semiconductor plant in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, completed last year, began full-scale mass production this year, driving revenue growth and improved profitability.

YMC manufactures and supplies diffusers and susceptors for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment as well as vacuum equipment components. Diffusers uniformly distribute gas inside process equipment chambers to help form even thin films on treated surfaces or facilitate etching. Susceptors support wafers or substrates to maintain uniform temperatures during thin-film deposition.

Novathermo, a thermal management materials startup, is focusing its resources on thermal materials for artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors and automotive electronics. Following the commercialization of a high-thermal-conductivity material for printed circuit boards (PCBs), the company has added silicone thermal pads to its product lineup. It aims to reach 36 billion won in sales by 2030.

Kim Hyung-chul, CEO of Novathermo, said on Sept. 16 that PCB thermal materials require significant time for final validation because they undergo multiple processes while still in a semi-finished state, while thermal interface material (TIM) silicone pads can be evaluated by customers in a form close to the finished product after production and before shipment.

"It is significant because this is our first commercial product line that expands our thermal management technology into the TIM market, where demand is substantial," Kim said.

Novathermo develops and produces new polymer-based thermal materials using carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Its main products are designed to rapidly transfer heat generated by semiconductors and automotive electronic components while maintaining electrical insulation. The company is developing thermal materials for PCBs, semiconductor packaging and power electronics.

Its core technology involves uniformly dispersing highly thermally conductive materials such as CNTs and alumina within polymers. Novathermo uses a high-shear mixing process to reduce material agglomeration and create pathways for heat transfer. The technology is designed to improve thermal performance while maintaining electrical insulation and mechanical strength.

Its flagship product is Aqua, a high-thermal-conductivity material for PCBs. PCBs are substrates that connect semiconductors and other electronic components. Aqua enables the PCB material itself to conduct heat efficiently, allowing heat generated by chips to dissipate through the substrate as well.

Heat generated by semiconductors is typically removed through heat sinks or cooling systems positioned above the chip. Aqua adds another heat-transfer path through the underside of the substrate. In Novathermo's own tests, replacing only the material with Aqua while keeping the substrate thickness and component configuration unchanged reduced chip temperatures by as much as 30% and substrate temperatures by 20%. The product was commercialized in November last year.

The material achieves thermal conductivity of about 2 watts per meter-kelvin (W/m·K) on mass-production equipment. Novathermo has achieved up to 3.3 W/m·K at the laboratory stage. Thermal conductivity measures how effectively a material transfers heat, with higher values indicating faster heat transfer.

Novathermo has also completed customer validation for automotive components. In a comparison of identical circuits using different PCB materials in an automotive lidar module, Aqua lowered the temperature of the transmitter (Tx) chip by more than 10 degrees Celsius compared with the conventional material. The company said that exceeded the customer's initial target of a 4-degree reduction.

The company is also conducting proof-of-concept (PoC) projects with global companies. PoC involves applying the material directly to a customer's product to determine whether it meets required performance specifications. Successful validation could lead to additional reliability testing and discussions on mass-production supply.

Novathermo has also introduced FLEXURE, a silicone thermal pad brand. It has established mass-production capabilities for products with thermal conductivity ratings of 3, 5 and 8 W/m·K. The company has also completed prototype design for a high-performance 12 W/m·K product line.

FLEXURE is placed between a semiconductor chip and a heat sink. Microscopic gaps form between the surfaces of the chip and heat sink, and air trapped in those spaces can impede heat transfer. The silicone pad fills the gaps, transferring heat generated by the chip to the heat sink.

A key challenge in product development is achieving both thermal performance and suitable physical properties. Adding more filler to increase thermal conductivity can make a pad harder or more prone to tearing while reducing its ability to conform to component surfaces. Novathermo adjusted the filler composition, silicone structure, cross-linking and molding processes to improve thermal conductivity, dimensional stability and surface conformity.

Novathermo plans to expand its customer base in semiconductor packaging, power electronics and automotive electronics, centered on its high-thermal-conductivity PCB materials and silicone TIM pads. Its current mass-production yield is about 70%.

The company also plans to expand production capacity. Monthly output is targeted to rise from 10,000 panels this year to 1.2 million panels in 2030. Over the same period, the number of key customers is expected to increase from three to 25, while exports are targeted to rise from 10% to 55% of sales. Novathermo aims for 36 billion won in revenue by 2030.

"Customers requesting samples are focusing not only on thermal performance but also on the pads' ability to resist tearing and maintain surface conformity even under high-hardness conditions," Kim said. "We will improve product quality and mass-production reliability to help localize high-performance thermal materials that are heavily dependent on overseas suppliers and stabilize the supply chain."

HD Construction Equipment will supply 45 mid- to large-sized excavators for a railway extension project in Hong Kong.

HD Construction Equipment said on Sept. 16 it will supply 45 DEVELON excavators for the Tung Chung Line Extension project led by MTR Corporation.

The order consists of seven 53-ton large excavators and 38 mid- to large-sized excavators ranging from 14 to 36 tons.

The equipment will be deployed for construction of a new station and an approximately 1.2-kilometer railway extension. As the construction site is located on reclaimed coastal land, demand is also expected for specialized equipment such as long-reach arms for extended-range operations.

Including this order, HD Construction Equipment has sold 75 excavators in Hong Kong this year. The company plans to increase annual sales in the market to more than 100 units by 2029.

Japan's Tokyo Ohka Kogyo (TOK) held a completion ceremony on Sept. 15 for its manufacturing facility in the Poseung district of Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. About 100 officials attended, including Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone Authority Commissioner Kim Neung-sik, Pyeongtaek Mayor Choi Won-yong, TOK President Noriaki Taneichi and TOK Advanced Materials CEO Kim Ki-tae.

TOK Advanced Materials will invest a total of 101 billion won on a 55,560-square-meter site to establish a high-purity chemical manufacturing facility in the first phase. The company also plans to build photoresist (PR) production capacity in the future. Of the total investment, 70.6 billion won is foreign direct investment. The project will create about 70 new jobs.

TOK Advanced Materials is the Korean subsidiary of TOK. TOK is the market leader in photoresists, supplying products to Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, TSMC and Intel. Photoresist is a key material used to form circuit patterns on silicon wafers during semiconductor patterning.

The project follows a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in April 2023 after the Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone Authority visited TOK's headquarters in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The two sides discussed cooperation aimed at attracting a world-class semiconductor materials production base. The plant was completed three years after the investment was secured.

Gyeonggi Province has what it describes as the world's largest semiconductor cluster, linking semiconductor industry hubs including Pyeongtaek's Poseung and Hyeondeok districts with Yongin, Icheon, Hwaseong and Anseong. The Poseung and Hyeondeok districts are expected to become a hub for advanced materials within the semiconductor belt.

"Semiconductors are a strategic high-tech industry that determines national competitiveness," Kim Neung-sik said. "The completion of TOK's plant will help the region emerge as a hub for key semiconductor materials."