OS is a startup that manufactures equipment necessary for semiconductor manufacturing processes based on plasma and atomic layer technology. In particular, it focuses on deposition and etching, two of the eight major processes in semiconductor manufacturing. Deposition is the technique of thinly applying required materials such as insulators or metals onto a wafer, while etching is the process of removing unwanted portions of materials stacked on a semiconductor.
OS was founded in December 2020 by CEO Lee Eung-gu. He said, "At a point where material and process technology underpin the national industry, I wanted Korea to regain leadership through next-generation technology, which is why I ventured into atomic layer processes." CEO Lee has worked for over 10 years as an engineer in the semiconductor and display industries before founding the company.
OS sees opportunities particularly in the atomic layer etching (ALE) equipment market. This is because the deposition market is already dominated by U.S. equipment companies such as Applied Materials. The reactive ion etching equipment market is also dominated by U.S. company Lam Research, Japan's Tokyo Electron, and Korea's WONIK, while atomic layer deposition is dominated by Jusung Engineering, leading to the conclusion that it is not suitable for startups to venture into.
On the other hand, in processes below 5 nanometers, especially in those below 3 and 2 nanometers, the ion etching method encounters limitations, resulting in increasing demand for more sophisticated atomic layer etching. CEO Lee noted, "Particularly, there is a market opportunity as major semiconductor equipment companies have not sufficiently conducted R&D on atomic layer etching." The scale of the semiconductor etching market as perceived by him is approximately 30 trillion won. Among this, the atomic layer etching market is estimated to be around 3 trillion won, accounting for about 10% of the total.
The atomic layer etching method is more sophisticated than the ion etching method, but it has the drawback of a slower mass production speed. Since semiconductor process technology is expensive, reducing time per process to mass-produce and sell a large number of chips is crucial for revenue. However, the atomic layer etching method can take anywhere from tens of minutes to several hours for mass production. CEO Lee stated, "Semiconductors are a business that swings between seconds and minutes," adding that "refining the etching process while increasing the mass production speed is the key technology for success in the atomic layer etching equipment market."
OS is focusing on reducing the etching speed to the minute level. CEO Lee said, "The key to reducing speed is a technology that switches rapidly between high temperature and low temperature conditions," and he added, "We are developing technology to reduce mass production time to the minute level and plan to lower it to single-digit minutes in the future."
In particular, he noted that "the goal is to develop verifiable equipment this year and to create mass production-level products that corporations can take interest in by 2026 for promotion and testing." Semiconductor equipment increasingly demands higher standards in terms of technical specifications, safety, and maintenance as it transitions from research to proof of concept and then to mass production.
OS is also focusing on expanding its overseas market. Recently, OS has entered into an exclusive contract with Tokyo Trading in Japan to supply its products to Japanese semiconductor research labs. CEO Lee explained the rationale behind their expansion, saying, "Since Japan is a leader in the semiconductor field, it is important to access the infrastructure within Japan to win sales contracts in the Japanese market." He also added, "We plan to increase our contacts with global corporations for collaboration with U.S. equipment companies in the future."
As of 2024, OS's revenue is approximately 500 million won. In 2023, it was selected for the TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startups) support and received the KDB STARTUP 2023 Grand Prize. In June 2024, it won the Technology Innovation Award at the Korea Leading Companies Awards in the semiconductor equipment manufacturing sector, and that same month, it won first place in the finals of the 13th Young Entrepreneurs Competition.