Iljin Materials said Tuesday it has shipped the first batch of domestically produced ultrathin copper foils to be used for semiconductor packing to Samsung Electronics.

According to the electronic material producer of Iljin Group, it became the first South Korean company to commercialize the ultrathin copper foils, which had been produced exclusively in Japan.

“When the Great East Japan Earthquake broke out in 2011, Samsung Electronics experienced difficulties importing the copper foils from the country and asked us to localize them. It took us 10 years since Samsung made such request,” an Iljin Materials official said.

The ultrathin copper foils are 2 micrometers thin, 50 times thinner than a strand of hair, requiring an extreme level of technological expertise.

“Ultrathin copper foils had been produced exclusively by Japanese firm Mitsui. By localizing the product, the quality of our copper foils has been certified by Samsung Electronics. Also, we will contribute to the explosive growth of the semiconductor industry,” Iljin Materials CEO Yang Jeom-sik said.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)