Trouble in Your Tank: At 40 GHz, Everything Matters, Part 1
It’s Only Common Sense: The Underrated Business Strategy of Joy
Punching Out: How to Stay Focused in Business and M&A
Asahi Kasei, a diversified global company, constructed a new slitting facility for SUNFORT™ dry film photoresist (DFR) at its manufacturing site in Tainan, Taiwan, on July 3. Commercial operations are scheduled to commence this month.
Asahi Kasei has been slitting SUNFORT™ DFR at its Tainan site since 1997. In recent years, demand for advanced semiconductor packaging has grown significantly, driven by AI and the resulting increase in data processing requirements. Accordingly, DFR used in semiconductor packaging must also meet increasingly stringent standards for both quality and supply reliability. In this context, Taiwan is a strategically important location with a strong concentration of semiconductor packaging-related companies, making it essential to have a supply system capable of supplying products rapidly and reliably in close proximity to customers.
Slitting is the process by which master rolls of film are cut into narrower widths in accordance with individual customer requirements. It is a critical process that directly impacts both product quality and supply reliability.
To respond to growing market demand for DFR, Asahi Kasei’s new slitting facility is equipped with state-of-the-art machines and some of the most rigorous cleanroom standards for improved productivity and dependable supply. The facility represents an investment of approximately ¥2 billion (approximately $12 million or €11 million) and will expand capacity by 40% with the potential to double current output.
SUNFORT™ DFR delivers ultra-high resolution with conventional stepper exposure systems and laser direct imaging (LDI) systems, which transfer circuit patterns onto substrates for packaging. This approach improves performance and precision in semiconductor manufacturing back-end processes.
Asahi Kasei’s investment in SUNFORT™ DFR aligns with the company’s positioning of its Electronics Business as a strategic growth driver. In May 2025, Asahi Kasei also launched SUNFORT™ TA, its newest DFR series tailored for advanced semiconductor packaging used in AI servers.
