WILMINGTON, DE — Qnity Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: Q) secured a 2025 R&D 100 Award for its UV 26GNF photoresist, a new material designed to reduce environmental impact in semiconductor fabrication while maintaining the precision demanded by advanced chip production.
The award, presented Thursday in Scottsdale, Ariz., recognizes the year’s most influential scientific and engineering breakthroughs. Qnity’s honor places its photoresist among technologies widely regarded as the industry’s most innovative.
Randal King, the company’s chief technology and sustainability officer, said the recognition reinforces Qnity’s mission to merge technical progress with environmental responsibility. He described UV 26GNF as a proof point that semiconductor performance and sustainability can advance together.
The UV 26GNF resist provides tight control in lithographic patterning, an essential stage of integrated circuit manufacturing. Qnity said the formulation replaces traditional PFAS-based components with non-fluorinated alternatives, supporting efforts to remove substances of concern from chipmaking workflows without compromising reliability.
To accelerate development, Qnity’s R&D team used computational modeling and digital design tools, allowing the company to move rapidly from concept to customer testing. That work previously earned SPIE’s Jeffrey Byers Best Poster Award in Patterning Materials and Processes.
Sang Ho Kang, president of semiconductor technologies, said the product is already gaining commercial traction and helping customers increase efficiency and safety in fabrication plants. He added that Qnity intends to scale its non-fluorine material portfolio to additional wavelengths and process nodes as demand grows.
The company said UV 26GNF, now available for KrF lithography, marks the start of a broader push to redefine material standards across the semiconductor supply chain.
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