Japan’s JSR Corporation, the world's top photoresist manufacturer, kicked off construction of its first semiconductor photoresist factory in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, on Tuesday.

The new plant, being built under its Korean unit JSR Micro Korea, is set to become operational in 2026 and start supplying its advanced photoresist metal oxide resist (MOR) to Korean chipmakers, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix.

MOR has been rising as a cutting-edge alternative to low-quality, chemically amplified photoresists used in conventional semiconductor manufacturing processes.

While photoresists are light-sensitive materials that change in response to UV light exposures, MOR offers enhanced chemical reactivity, better for high-resolution patterning on chips.

According to JSR, MOR is being considered for adoption by major customers in Korea, which adopts an extreme ultraviolet lithography process to produce cutting-edge chips.

The envisioned plant will execute the final production process for MOR and ensure local quality assurance and manufacturing capacity, the company said.

JSR has worked to commercialize MOR since it acquired US-based MOR designer Inpria Corp. in 2021.

JSR, founded in 1957, has been the world’s No. 1 supplier of semiconductor photoresist, taking about 30 percent of the global market share. The company established a display materials production factory in Korea in 2003 in Ochang, North Chungcheong Province, and has since expanded investment in the country.