Axcelis invests $35m in a Korean ion implantation equipment factory
Axcelis is investing $35m in a new ion implantation equipment factory in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, expanding the manufacturing operation it established there in 2021.
The facility will provide approximately 200,000 square feet of gross floor area, equivalent to 18,600 square metres. Warehousing, cleanrooms and a training centre form part of the plan, with production scheduled to begin in the second half of 2028.
The existing Axcelis Asia Operations Center is the company’s only manufacturing facility outside the United States. According to South Korea’s industry ministry, it has supplied Korean customers including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, as well as exporting equipment to other Asia-Pacific markets.
Ion implantation introduces dopants into semiconductor material using a controlled ion beam. The equipment sits within the wafer fabrication process, making this an expansion of the machinery supply chain rather than a new source of finished chips.
The ministry says Axcelis also intends to develop the Korean operation’s R&D, prototype production and technical training capabilities. Neither announcement specifies the additional number of implantation systems the factory will produce each year.
