Chemical-maker Tosoh to launch first quartz glass plant in South Korea

SEOUL – Chemical-maker Tosoh Corp. will launch its first quartz glass plant in South Korea to capitalize on growing local demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

Tosoh will establish a local arm through its subsidiary, Tosoh Quartz Corp., to begin making quartz glass products by the end of March 2021, according to a plan unveiled Thursday.

For the project, it plans to acquire an existing building with a floor space of some 10,000 square meters, according to Tosoh.

The plant will process quartz glass materials into products and supply them to local semiconductor-making equipment producers that currently import them from Japan.

Tosoh’s share in the estimated ￥200 billion ($1.8 billion) global quartz glass-processing market is 20 to 30 percent, according to a company official.

Quartz glass products are used widely for wafer-fixing devices and other parts of microchipmaking equipment.