[Edaily Han Kwangbeom Reporter Kim So-yeon] SamsungElectronics(005930)is expanding the manufacturing and equipment management expertise it has accumulated at its semiconductor factories to 14 public research facilities nationwide. The plan aims to strengthen the domestic semiconductor R&D infrastructure by improving the operational standards of public fabs—which are utilized by small and medium-sized semiconductor companies, universities, and research institutions—and by providing high-cost semiconductor equipment.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and SamsungElectronics announced on the 11th that they held a “Reporting Session on the Results of Consulting for Streamlining Public Nano-Fab Operations and a Ceremony for the Transfer of Used Equipment” at the Korea Advanced Nano Center (KANC) in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. The event was attended by approximately 30 officials, including Koo Hyuk-chae, First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT; Ji Hyun-ki, Head of the Win-Win Cooperation Center (Senior Vice President) at SamsungElectronics’ Device Solutions (DS) Division; and Byun Dae-seok, President of the Korea Advanced Nano Center.

This project is a follow-up to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed last March between the Ministry of Science and ICT and three major semiconductor companies—SamsungElectronics, SK hynix, and DB HiTek Co.,LTD. SamsungElectronics is expanding its “Tailored Consulting for Materials, Parts, and Equipment Suppliers”—a program previously offered to semiconductor partners—to public research facilities.

From June to October—a period of five months—the SamsungElectronics DS Division’s Win-Win Cooperation Center identified areas for improvement in four categories—safety and environment, on-site management, equipment startup, and equipment operation—at the Korea Nano Technology Institute’s semiconductor manufacturing facilities. Expert consultants visited the site in person to inspect facility operations and devised improvement plans tailored to the characteristics of the public fab.

◇ Incorporating Samsung’s Mass Production Plant Management Methods… Standardizing Safety and Equipment Operations

Public nanofabs are facilities that support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), universities, and research institutes by providing access to the equipment and manufacturing processes necessary for semiconductor research and development. SamsungElectronics focused on enhancing operational efficiency and safety by applying the management expertise it has accumulated over decades in semiconductor production to these public nanofabs.

Specifically, the company revised the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), inspection checklists, and training and operational standards for each piece of equipment. By clearly defining the necessary management items and inspection procedures for each piece of equipment, the company ensured that the condition of the facilities could be systematically verified.

In particular, SamsungElectronics developed a customized “On-site Inspection Manual” for the Public Nanofab for the first time, based on management know-how utilized in its mass production plants. This manual establishes standard procedures to enable continuous monitoring of safety and equipment condition, and is expected to be utilized by other public research facilities in the future.

SamsungElectronics has been providing consulting services to public fabs since 2023, starting with the KAIST Nano Integration Technology Institute. It has since expanded its support to institutions such as the Nano Convergence Technology Institute, and plans to apply the best practices identified during this consulting project with the Korea Nano Technology Institute to other institutions as well.

◇Reusing High-Cost Semiconductor Equipment…Strengthening Research Institutions’ Measurement Capabilities

Equipment support for public fabs is also being provided in parallel. Through the Ministry of Science and ICT’s “MoaFab Used Equipment Utilization Support Project,” SamsungElectronics is transferring equipment no longer in use at its existing production facilities to public research facilities and assisting with their installation.

The equipment being transferred to the Korea Nano Technology Institute this time is an “automatic thin-film measurement system.” This system precisely measures the thickness and optical properties of single- and multi-layer thin films formed on 8-inch semiconductor wafers without damaging the wafers.

Thin films are thin layers of material formed on semiconductor wafers, and accurately determining their thickness and characteristics is crucial for process control. With the introduction of this equipment, the Korea Nano Technology Institute will gain the capability to automatically measure thin films on 8-inch wafers, a capability it previously lacked.

This equipment will be utilized for research and development as well as technical support for small and medium-sized semiconductor companies, universities, and research institutes. KINOT plans to integrate it with its existing process support services and specialized workforce training programs.

SamsungElectronics plans to collaborate with the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Nano Infrastructure Council to expand the best practices identified during this consulting project to the 14 institutions participating in the GwaFab initiative. Targets for subsequent implementation include the Specialized Semiconductor Technology Center at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), the Seoul National University Joint Research Institute for Semiconductors, and the Next-Generation Sensor and Semiconductor Research Institute at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST).

Ji Hyun-ki, Head of the Win-Win Cooperation Center at SamsungElectronics’ Device Solutions (DS) Division, stated, “We aim to contribute to a virtuous cycle of mutual growth, where the manufacturing innovation know-how accumulated by SamsungElectronics is passed on to researchers and materials, parts, and equipment companies through the public nanofab.” He added, “In particular, we will continue to actively participate in the process of spreading the consulting model developed this time to other MoaFab participating institutions, thereby continuously contributing to strengthening the competitiveness of the domestic semiconductor ecosystem.”

Koo Hyuk-chae, First Vice Minister of Science and ICT, remarked, “The importance of public-private cooperation—where private-sector equipment and know-how are integrated into public research infrastructure—is growing ever greater,” adding, “We will actively support semiconductor technology innovation and the cultivation of specialized talent.”