Zeiss has set up a base in Yongin to strengthen cooperation with its South Korean semiconductor customers. Zeiss said on Thursday it opened the Zeiss Semiconductor Innovation Center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, the first global base for its semiconductor unit. Located in the Surplus Global semiconductor equipment cluster, the center has photomask solutions and high-precision metrology and inspection solutions. It plans to support the application of Zeiss technology to Korean customers' chip mass production and advanced packaging.

Zeiss has expanded cooperation as it sees South Korea as a key region in the global semiconductor market. The 350 square-metre center will quickly support solution development tailored to customers' mass production environments, process optimisation and solution verification. It said the facility is expected to help shorten the time it takes for South Korean customers to move from research and development to real-world application. Through this, Zeiss plans to further strengthen its global network.

The center has 3 types of Zeiss semiconductor solutions. The ZEISS NLX-100, a 3D X-ray metrology and inspection solution, diagnoses package structures at high resolution and is used in advanced packaging processes. The ZEISS DUNE 100, which corrects wafer shapes, corrects wafer distortion without chemicals. The ZEISS MeRiT AE, which repairs defects in photomasks, expanded repair capabilities as a next-generation solution for existing equipment.

Zeiss plans to add key photomask and fab solutions developed through research and development to the center. It plans to strengthen technical cooperation with South Korean customers from the early stages of equipment development.

Frank Loemunt (프랑크 로문트), representative director and chief executive of Zeiss' semiconductor unit, said, "I am pleased to open Zeiss' first global semiconductor center in South Korea." He said, "South Korea is a hub for the global semiconductor industry, and I hope that the opening of this center will make us a trusted long-term partner for South Korean customers. We will continue to further strengthen cooperation."

Karoline Pigdong (카롤리네 피그돈), head of Zeiss' Semiconductor Fab Solutions business, said, "ZSKIC will serve to provide the most advanced technology that South Korean customers want, along with fast and practical support, close to them."