1. Background and objectives of the business acquisition
According to Mitsui Chemical's Long-Term Business plan VISION 2030, it is aiming with creating and growing a 'unique' ICT Solutions business to grow products that will let it create and grow operations here into our third pillar of earnings under the business portfolio transformation. This will see the pellicle business in particular positioned as a key product lineup on the ICT materials front, as well as a business to focus on further going forward. Hopes then are to offer highly competitive new products and solutions that contribute to innovation in the semiconductor production process, allowing
Still, with the LSI pellicle market trending toward higher resolutions and more advanced quality assurance standards, it will be essential to develop technologies here further and keep up investments.
Asahi Kasei's own pellicle business was first commercialized in 1986. Since then, this business has propped up the FPD pellicle*2 market as its number one player. It has also forged ahead with manufacturing process improvements, production capacity increases and more for LSI pellicles, facilitating an increasing market share in recent years in the cutting-edge market posed by ArF immersion lithography.
By acquiring this business,
2. Business acquisition scheme
The effective date of the absorption-type separation is scheduled on
The business in
The total compensation for the absorption-type separation and business transfer will be determined at a later date. This will be done by taking a
3. Overview of the business to be acquired
(1) Business Operations for the development, production and sale of pellicles
(2) Production site Nobeoka Plant,Asahi Kasei EMS Co., Ltd.
(3) Employees Approximately 170 on a consolidated basis
4. Outlook
As the impact of this deal on the financial performance of the
Reference
Overview of
(1)Name Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
(2) Head officeShiodome City Center , 1-5-2 Higashi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku,Tokyo
(3) Business Comprehensive chemicals business
(4) Capital125.41 billion yen (as ofMarch 31, 2022 )
(5) EstablishmentOctober 1, 1997
(6) Employees 18,780 (consolidated; as of the end of March, 2022)
Overview of Asahi Kasei
(1)Name Asahi Kasei Corporation
(2) Head office 1-1-2 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku,Tokyo
(3) Business Comprehensive chemicals business
(4) Capital103.39 billion yen (as ofMarch 31, 2022 )
(5) EstablishmentMay 21, 1931
(6) Employees 46,751 (consolidated; as of the end of March, 2022)
Overview of target products
Employed in the exposure process that facilitates the production of semiconductors, LCD panels and more, photomask pellicles serve as a protective cover for intricately patterned photomasks, preventing dust from attaching to the photomask and affecting the imaging on the silicon wafer or panel substrate. The products to be acquired from Asahi Kasei through this deal are large FPD pellicles, which are used in the production of flat-panel displays, and small LSI pellicles, which are used in the production of semiconductors.
*1LSI pellicle:for semiconductors
*2FPD pellicle:for LCD & OELD. Main applications are smartphones, tablets, personal computers and TVs.
Pellicle
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