Samsung Etching Process Formulas Flow to Lam Research Korea

Samsung Electronics' etching process formulas used in semiconductor manufacturing have been reported to flow to equipment supplier Lam Research Korea. An internal investigation by Samsung found that unauthorized data transfers had occurred multiple times, which is considered a serious technical leak incident. Lam Research is a supplier of equipment for Samsung's semiconductor production lines, providing etching and deposition equipment. Data generated during equipment operation is stored in systems such as monitoring servers. According to the agreement, Lam Research can access certain equipment data within a limited scope for performance optimization and maintenance, and submit data requests to Samsung. Samsung's investigation revealed that some unauthorized process formulas were transferred to Lam Research Korea in the form of independent documents, stemming from non-compliant requests and not as a one-time occurrence. Samsung discovered this issue in the second half of this year. Semiconductor process formula records key parameters such as equipment temperature, chamber pressure, gas flow, and processing time, which directly affect chip yield, performance, and production stability, and are considered core technical information. On November 6, Lam Research Korea announced that Kim Tae-won would succeed Park Jun-hong as CEO. Some industry insiders have linked this leadership change to the data leak incident, but there is currently no public information proving a direct relationship between the two. Both Samsung Electronics and Lam Research Korea have not responded to interview inquiries.