LSI to supply 30 units of wafer cleaners to SK Hynix

Parent company LTC acquisition spurring deals with chip giant again

Image: LTC

LSI, previously the fab equipment business of Mujin Electronics, is expected to supply 30 units of wafer cleaners to SK Hynix this year, TheElec has learned.

The company is in talks with the South Korean memory to supply over 60 units in 2023, sources said.

LSI was formed by chip and display material firm LTC in February following their acquisition of Mujin Electronics’ fab equipment business unit for 46.1 billion won.

LTC had been attempting to expand into the lucrative fab equipment sector.

Mujin Electronics had been a major supplier of wet cleaners to SK Hynix up to 2020 having supplied over 350 units up to that time.

But last year in January, South Korean prosecutors indicted employees of Mujin Electronics for allegedly stealing and selling SK Hynix’s trade secrets related to DRAM to a Chinese company.

The deal has caused SK Hynix to reduce the number of wafer cleaners it procures from Mujin and half co-development projects for future equipment.

Mujin had attempted to sell its fab equipment business since then and successfully sold it to LTC.

The supply to SK Hynix by LSI signals a normalization of the cleaner supply relationship.

SK Hynix has also resumed co-development projects, which will focus on dry cleaners instead of wet cleaners, the sources said.

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