The government has decided to streamline the safety licensing procedures required when introducing the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment, an essential machine for semiconductor production, according to reports on the 9th. This equipment projects light (extreme ultraviolet) to draw semiconductor circuits. It is essential for producing advanced semiconductors at 7 nanometers (nm) and below.
It currently takes 15 days to bring this equipment into the country. That is because small amounts of high-pressure gas used in the machine require various technical inspections under the High-Pressure Gas Safety Control Act. This is known to be a procedure not required in other semiconductor equipment-importing countries such as the United States or Taiwan.
In response, the head of the Korea office of Netherlands-based ASML, the world's No. 1 semiconductor equipment maker and the only exporter of this equipment, requested regulatory improvements at a meeting presided over by President Lee Jae-myung. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources is said to have begun follow-up measures. If the system is improved, the current process, which takes about 15 days, is expected to be shortened to two days.
◇ It takes 15 days just for the "technical inspection"… a procedure absent in the U.S. and Taiwan
Choi Han-jong, head of ASML Korea, proposed "simplifying EUV lithography equipment safety licensing regulations" at the Dec. 10 "AI era, K-semiconductor vision and development strategy briefing" presided over by the president.
Choi said, "In the United States, Taiwan, and the European Union (EU), after conducting (safety) inspections in accordance with international standards on their own, it is possible to install and operate (EUV lithography equipment). But to install it at domestic business sites, document inspections, interim inspections, and final inspections apply not only to new equipment but also when upgrading or moving equipment." Choi added, "Please relax the regulations so that Korean semiconductor manufacturers can compete on equal terms with overseas competitors."
In response, Minister Kim Jung-kwan of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) told the president, "In my view, this is an unnecessary regulation, but since it exists, I will take steps to address it."
◇ "We will cut the time needed to within two days," but it still falls short of global standards
According to reporting by ChosunBiz, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources plans to significantly streamline the EUV lithography equipment safety inspection process by revising the enforcement decree of the High-Pressure Gas Safety Control Act in the first half of this year. Instead of classifying EUV lithography equipment uniformly as high-pressure gas facilities, it will be designated separately as "specific equipment," to which a shorter inspection method will apply. As a result, the inspection period is expected to be reduced to within two days.
Industry officials say that since the safety of EUV lithography equipment has been proven to some extent, it should be excluded entirely from high-pressure gas regulations. Ahn Ki-hyun, executive director of the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association, said, "If regulations are eased, the burden on corporations will be reduced, but we will still be carrying a regulation that does not exist overseas."