We are an integral part of the semiconductor ecosystem. We enable high yields, reliability and scaling in semiconductor manufacturing by combining advanced materials with precision delivery systems and process control technologies, including metrology and inspection, that directly influence defectivity, uniformity and process stability across increasingly complex manufacturing environments. Our broad and innovative product portfolio helps solve key industry challenges. As such, we place a special focus on high-performance chips and chip systems needed for applications including artificial intelligence (AI). We provide our materials, systems and services to all major industry players. To this end, we work closely with our customers in the key regions of North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific and are a reliable and stable partner with our global network of research and development, production and distribution sites.
The Electronics business sector has been a pure-play electronics business since the divestment of the Surface Solutions business unit which was completed on July 31, 2025. It consists of the Semiconductor Solutions and Optronics business units.
Electronics accounted for 17% of Group sales in 2025 and its share of EBITDA pre (excluding Corporate and Other) was 13%. The majority of semiconductors and displays are manufactured in Asia. In 2025, Asia-Pacific generated 72% of Electronics’ net sales, with Europe and North America accounting for 26% of sales.
Semiconductor Solutions
As the largest business unit in terms of sales within our Electronics business sector, Semiconductor Solutions offers products and services for the semiconductor industry. We are developing materials and solutions for the next generation of semiconductor components – helping to make microchips smaller, faster, more powerful, and more sustainable.
A microchip undergoes a large number of process steps during fabrication, and each of these steps is enabled by specialized materials that are subject to tough requirements. We supply a strong portfolio of materials for every key process step, focusing on the high-value wafer processing and advanced packaging segments. Our expertise not only covers the materials themselves, but also how they are integrated during fabrication to make the final components.
We serve manufacturers of logic, memory and analog microchips. The evolution of AI and the unabated growth of data volumes in our digital world are setting ever tougher computing requirements for microchip systems. They need to be able to process (logic chips) and retrieve (memory chips) more data faster. To increase functional density, the industry is moving from planar scaling to stacking components vertically – from transistors to full systems. Front-end advances shrink features while adopting 3D-device and memory structures to drive higher performance and lower power consumption. The same principle now applies to packaging, where heterogeneous 2.5D/3D integration combines processing and memory components vertically, resulting in higher bandwidth and improved energy efficiency throughout the system. Heterogeneous integration requires precise measurements of interconnects and components, leading to growing demand for innovative metrology and inspection tools alongside materials for front-end manufacturing. As miniaturization and vertical stacking accelerate, process flows expand and require new unit steps and material systems to sustain further 3D densification.
We continuously strengthen our comprehensive portfolio in order to play a leading role in developing ever more sophisticated technologies to meet the surging demand for AI and high-performance computing chips. Growing complexity and interdependency require systems thinking – using our broad portfolio and in-depth expertise to identify, sequence and integrate innovations that compound across the stack. To this end, we leverage our Materials Intelligence™ platform – the convergence of materials science and AI – to co-design with customers, accelerate discovery and systematically reduce complexity. As such, we are among the trailblazers when it comes to the next generation of logic and memory chips.
The global semiconductor market is projected to exceed US$ 1 trillion annually by 2030 as AI adoption accelerates, more and more autonomous systems become mainstream and AI applications move further toward the edge. This expected growth is not just driven by scale but requires the aforementioned progress in chip technologies. To meet future demand, major semiconductor manufacturers are investing in ramping up their advanced production capacities. Accordingly, we are expanding capacities at our sites all over the world in lockstep with our customers’ plans. In December 2025, we inaugurated our largest Semiconductor Solutions megasite in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, strengthening our global semiconductor supply chain resilience and supporting the next generation of AI and high-performance chips.
Our Semiconductor Solutions business unit consists of the Thin Films, Formulations, Specialty Gases, and Delivery Systems & Services business fields.
The Thin Films business field delivers advanced dielectric (organosilanes, spin-on dielectrics) and metallic (organometallic precursors, co-reactants) materials. Our technology enables the precise deposition of materials from multi-micron to ångström-level thicknesses – the latter, the uses of which include highly conformal coatings essential to 3D architectures and high-aspect-ratio features, is achieved through atomic layer deposition. With the complementary inverse process (atomic layer etching), we remove material in true atomic-layer increments. Together, these capabilities enable advanced 3D chips with higher performance and improved energy efficiency for next-generation AI chip manufacturing.
The portfolio of the Formulations business field is divided into the areas of Patterning and Planarization. It includes lithography products such as photoresists, anti-reflective coatings and materials for directed self-assembly. Additionally, we offer a range of cleans and selective etch chemistries that help improve the patterning process. The Planarization business encompasses materials for chemical-mechanical planarization, which are essential for achieving the desired surface flatness and precision in semiconductor manufacturing.
The Specialty Gases business field provides high-purity gases for semiconductor manufacturing. These gases are crucial for precise deposition, doping, etching, and cleaning during wafer processing. With a strong commitment to meeting the semiconductor industry’s stringent requirements, our Specialty Gases business supports the industry in the development of advanced electronic devices.
The Delivery Systems & Services (DS&S) business field, with its systems business, develops and installs reliable delivery equipment to ensure the safe and responsible handling of specialty chemicals and gases for semiconductor manufacturing. At many of the industry’s sites, production facilities and delivery systems are operated and maintained by our MEGASYS® Total Gas and Chemical Services employees.
Optronics
Our Optronics business unit materializes light and delivers solutions for the optoelectronic industry through display materials and optical technologies as well as metrology and inspection. We have developed expertise in modulating, creating, engineering, and guiding light. We support our customers in developing novel technologies beyond TV monitors for IT, mobile devices, the automotive industry, gaming, and other applications. In collaboration with partners, we are advancing augmented reality, expanding the application of display materials and enhancing user experiences for future immersive devices. Furthermore, we collaborate very closely with leading panel makers to develop next-generation products with liquid crystal display technology for the electronics market. Optical components are now central to meeting computational demands: By using light for data transfer – from on-chip photonics to optical interconnects – they unlock higher bandwidth, lower latency and better energy efficiency.
With our comprehensive portfolio within Display Materials, we advance display technologies by offering long-standing expertise and a wide range of solutions. We provide high-tech material solutions in liquid crystals, OLED materials (Organic Light-Emitting Diodes) and photoresists to address the demand for high-end displays in smartphones, the automotive industry and IT, among other areas. In Optical Technologies, our expertise in reactive mesogens (RM), which precisely guide light, enables the production of ultra-thin optical films. These materials can improve color accuracy, reduce reflections and enhance contrast in optical devices. We use RMs to create ultra-thin films for wave guides with increased efficiency, reduced light leakage and reduced rainbow artifacts – meeting the need for high-performance, lightweight and robust augmented reality glasses. Metrology and inspection tools enable precise semiconductor manufacturing by helping to reduce production costs and optimize yields. We enhanced our expertise in this area by acquiring Unity-SC SAS, France, in 2024 and subsequently integrating optical metrology and inspection equipment into our portfolio. As such, we can deliver process control solutions in advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration for microchips, which is essential for AI chip systems. Our metrology and inspection tools measure key parameters during wafer processing and packaging steps to obtain further insights into how our materials can increase added value for our customers.
Surface Solutions
The Surface Solutions business unit was divested to Global New Material International Holdings Ltd., Cayman Islands. The transaction closed on July 31, 2025, for a purchase price of € 669 million after purchase price adjustments for transferred cash and financial liabilities.