FUJIFILM Corporation has unveiled ZEMATES, a new brand of photosensitive insulating materials for semiconductor back-end processes, centered on polyimide. The move underscores the company’s commitment to innovation in the semiconductor industry.

The company says the brand reflects its mission to remain a “trusted partner” that supports the future of the semiconductor industry and creates innovation together with customers by providing highly reliable materials.

The ZEMATES lineup includes liquid-type polyimide for redistribution layers (RDL) and protective films, film-type polyimide for RDL, and polybenzoxazole (PBO) for protective films.

These products are used as insulating layers in semiconductor packaging, spanning applications from power semiconductors to high-performance AI chips. Known for their heat resistance and insulation properties, the materials have “earned a strong reputation for reliability,” according to FUJIFILM.

With a supply network in Japan, the US, and Europe, FUJIFILM reports that global sales are expanding rapidly, with inquiries from new customers continuing to grow.

The launch comes amid rising demand for advanced semiconductor packaging, driven by the need for higher performance and lower power consumption in AI and other cutting-edge chips. Within this trend, the market for photosensitive insulating materials used as interlayer dielectrics in RDLs—key for wiring miniaturization, planarization, low thermal expansion, and low dielectric constant—is expected to grow at an annual rate of 15%.

FUJIFILM plans to “focus on further expanding sales of liquid-type polyimide as the core product,” while targeting the early market launch of film-type polyimide developed with its precision coating technology. The company aims to “expand sales of photosensitive insulating materials to five times the level of FY2024 by FY2030.”

The new film-type polyimide is compatible with panel-level packaging (PLP) processes, crucial for finer wiring and larger substrates in build-up substrates. It is expected to expand applications beyond interposers, where liquid-type polyimide is currently used, to build-up substrates. The film enables planarization of insulating layers, reducing surface irregularities in multilayer substrates and improving both production efficiency and product quality.

All ZEMATES polyimide products are PFAS-free, containing no per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances, addressing growing environmental concerns.