The neologism “K-Semiconductor” is a coined word with “Korea” and “Semiconductor,” which represents the dynamic business movement of Korean semiconductors. Such dynamic business activities are not confined to a specific country and make a significant impact internationally. Remarkably, South Korea’s semiconductor industry in the U.S. market has undergone a notable transformation.
Recently, the most impactful event in the semiconductor industry in the U.S. was the establishment of Samsung Semiconductor, which is famous for its foundry size of five million ㎡ in Texas. Samsung’s semiconductor department announced that the new foundry will operate in the second half of the year to manufacture high-tech semiconductors for 5G, HPC AI, etc.
The prospect of the new foundry is bright because South Korea’s semiconductor exports, which have receded since August 2022, have rebounded since November last year. Amid such positive momentum, experts predict that if Samsung Electronics launches a new foundry, the synergy with its growth trajectory will undoubtedly be substantial.
Taking off of Korean semiconductor companies is not limited to semiconductor companies themselves. Not only Korean semiconductor companies but also the equipment necessary for semiconductor factory operations are showing strength as Korean-made. In the safety equipment sector, particularly in the gas detection market, which was once dominated by foreign companies, the prominence of Korean companies is striking. Korea’s gas detection company Gastron leads this aspect.
Installing a gas detector is not optional because, based on the semiconductor industry characteristics, there are various gases and masses of gases in the industrial site. Furthermore, the gases are hazardous because mainly the gases are toxic and corrosive. That is why detecting target gas time and detecting accuracy is very important. If the detector sends a delayed alarm or false alarm, the detector cannot preempt the industrial disaster. An ordinary gas detector is unsuitable for the semiconductor industry for this reason. For instance, the ordinary sensor in the detector is susceptible enough to react to Ethanol, which is used for cleaning the equipment. Such being the case, other detectors have alarms even though the target gas does not exist. Thus, only the gas detector that can detect the target gas precisely can be applied to the semiconductor industry.
The detector that Gastron developed is applied to the interference gas filtering algorithm with an infrared sensor. The interference gas filtering algorithm and infrared sensor can avoid interference from other gases. It enabled accurate detection of only the target gas, which is the result of analyzing the wavelength band of the gases. These features not only increase safety but also foundry operation efficiency. Based on these values, Gastron is supplying products to large and small sites in the U.S., and it is known that it has also led gas detector facilities in Samsung Electronics’ U.S. foundry mentioned earlier. It is analyzed that Gastron’s business and technology performance are primarily attributed to its experience in collaborating with leading semiconductor companies in Korea, such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.
Korea has been a definite powerhouse in the semiconductor industry, not only in the past but also in the present, and unless there is a significant change in the future, it will be so. As the foundation expands beyond Korea to the United States, attention is being paid to how much synergy the U.S. can generate with Korean semiconductor companies.
