News Release
FY2020
December 22, 2020
JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation
Increase in Production Capacity for Semiconductor Sputtering Targets ― Capacity rise of approximately 30% to meet demand growth ―
JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation (President: Murayama Seiichi; “the Company”) will invest a total of 12 billion yen in equipment for manufacturing sputtering targets*1 of copper, copper alloys, titanium, tantalum and other metals, used in forming the ultra-thin circuits (interconnects) inside semiconductor chips. The Company aims to raise production capacity by approximately 30 percent. The equipment is expected to go into operation in stages starting in spring of 2022.
The Company’s sputtering targets for semiconductors (“the Products”) have earned the top share in the industry. They are used mainly as fine interconnect materials in high-end logic and memory chips. With the advance of the data-driven society, demand continues to grow steadily. The Products are core to the advanced materials field, which is positioned as a focus business in the JX Nippon Mining & Metals Group Long-Term Vision 2040*2. The Company has been working for some time to increase production capacity. *3
As demand for telecommunications infrastructure and mobile terminals rises against the background of remote work and other such factors, growth of the semiconductor market is currently accelerating. This pace is forecast to continue, boosted further by progress in 5G communications and digital transformation. Given this background, the Company decided to augment equipment for the overall sputtering target processes ahead of the original schedule in the Medium-Term Management Plan for Fiscal 2020 to 2022. This will enable it to build supply capability to meet expanding demand and continue to earn customer trust.
Advanced semiconductors are essential for employing IoT and AI to tackle climate change, and for realizing better living. The Company remains committed to achieving the SDGs through stable supply of materials used in leading-edge semiconductors.
*1 Materials used in thin-film-forming technology called sputtering. The sputtering target is bombarded with argon ions in a sputtering machine. This causes atoms or molecules to be emitted, which are deposited and form a thin film on a silicon wafer or other substrate. See the following reference for details.
https://www.jx-nmm.com/english/products/sputtering/about_sputtering.html
*2 See the following reference regarding the JX Nippon Mining & Metals Group Long-Term Vision 2040 (Focus Businesses).
https://www.jx-nmm.com/english/company/vision/
*3 See the June 3, 2020 news release, “Completion of Facility Expansion for Raising Production Capacity of Rolled Copper Foil, High-Functionality Copper Alloy Strips, and Sputtering Targets for Semiconductors.”