Merck opens molybdenum production facility in Korea, CEO pledges close semiconductor support

"You cannot support Korean customers from the United States or Japan. When a problem arises, you need to be able to drive to the fab within an hour and resolve it on the spot. Collaboration becomes much easier when you speak the same language and share the same time zone."

Benjamin Hain, CEO of Merck Electronics, made the remarks Wednesday at a press conference held ahead of the inauguration of a new molybdenum oxytetrachloride (MoO₂Cl₂) production facility in Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province. The official opening ceremony takes place Thursday. It is Hain's first visit to Korea since he took office in May.

Merck produces molybdenum precursors at the Eumseong site and combines that output with supply system and service capabilities at its Ansan facility to support Korean semiconductor customers with materials adoption and process operations.

"The new Eumseong molybdenum production facility is built on close collaboration between our thin-film business, which handles the chemistry side, and our supply systems and services business," Hain said. "The Ansan site plays the role of localizing materials supply."

The Eumseong production facility and the Ansan site serve as the core hubs of Merck's "Local for Local" strategy. The company announced a 600 million euro ($674 million) investment plan for the Korean market in 2021, backing its localization push. In 2023, it acquired MChemical, a manufacturer of precursors used in semiconductor thin-film deposition, gaining a manufacturing plant in Eumseong and a research and development center in Daejeon.

The newly established Eumseong molybdenum production facility will supply a range of molybdenum precursors, including molybdenum oxytetrachloride. Molybdenum is a solid-state precursor used in advanced memory chips and logic semiconductors. Molybdenum oxytetrachloride is used in chemical vapor deposition and atomic layer deposition processes.

Molybdenum will be supplied together with the CK VAPOR delivery system. The solution, which combines the precursor with a delivery system, is designed to support mass production through stable materials supply and high process uptime, and can also help reduce total cost of ownership.

Bing Han, senior vice president of thin-film materials at Merck Electronics, said molybdenum is a critical material for achieving finer process nodes and increasingly sophisticated chip architectures. "We have also equipped it with an optimal delivery system so that customers can achieve a materials utilization rate of 99 percent or higher," he added.

Hain said the strategy of combining materials supply with process support is becoming increasingly important not only for molybdenum but also for HBM and advanced packaging. He said Merck is well positioned to deliver on that front.

"When we talk with global chipmakers, they ask us to help solve problems that arise during integration in a more comprehensive way," he said. "HBM in particular requires guaranteed purity, consistency and quality, which means combining a deep understanding of materials and processes with very precise process control."