EUV photoresist manufacturer Inpria secures $31m funding

Inpria, a provider of metal oxide photoresists for extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV), has raised $31 million in a Series C funding round from organizations involved in semiconductor manufacturing.

The funding round in the Oregon based company was led by JSR Corporation, a photoresist manufacturer and also an existing investor in Inpria, while SK hynix and TSMC Partners are the new investors.

Other existing investors Air Liquide Venture Capital (ALIAD), Applied Ventures, Samsung Venture Investment, and Intel Capital also took part in the funding round.

Mark Slezak – President of JSR said: “Inpria is the world leader in metal oxide photoresists for advanced EUV lithography process.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with Inpria as we collaborate with them on quality and overall market acceptance.”

Made up of tin-oxide nanoclusters, Inpria photoresists are claimed to deliver higher resolution with building blocks that are a fraction the size of conventional polymer-based resists which are tuned for optimized absorption of EUV photons.

Owing to their etch selectivity, Inpria photoresists are claimed to help in simpler manufacturing flows and larger process windows, thereby bringing down the cost of ownership.

Recently, Inpria commissioned a high-volume manufacturing plant for supporting the initial production ramp for customers.

Andrew Grenville – CEO of Inpria said: “We believe our investor participation serves as an indicator for Inpria’s strategic significance to the semiconductor industry. We are delighted that our investor base now includes all semiconductor manufacturers worldwide that are currently adopting EUV patterning. This achievement is complemented by the strong participation of photoresist, equipment and industrial chemical manufacturer investors as well.

“We look forward to working with our global partners to deliver a breakthrough EUV photoresist platform to the industry.”