Kims Reference is a certified reference material manufacturer officially recognized as an internationally accredited producer of standard reference materials. It was founded in December 2020 by CEO Kim, Kyung Joong (62).
As a researcher at the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, CEO Kim has been developing certified reference materials for surface analysis since 1990. Through his participation in the International Committee for Weights and Measures and ISO/TC-201, he has been developing international standards for surface analysis. Kims Reference is a researcher-founded company established based on 30 years of experience in developing certified reference materials at the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science.
“We have become the first private company in the world to obtain the qualification to supply nanostructure certified reference materials globally. We are currently supplying nanostructure certified reference materials required by semiconductor manufacturers and microscope manufacturers.”
Kims Reference produces nanometer rulers as its flagship item. “In other words, it is a certified reference material for calibrating microscope magnification or measurement scales. Just as rulers used in daily life are marked with scales in centimeters or millimeters, nanometer rulers are marked with scales at nanometer intervals. When these nanometer rulers are placed into a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or an atomic force microscope (AFM) and magnified, the nanometer-scale lines can be clearly observed. Based on the certified values, the microscope scale can be accurately calibrated, and as a result, the size of nanostructures measured under the same conditions can be precisely determined.”
Nanostructures manufactured by conventional photolithography methods cannot meet the 10 nm level currently required by semiconductor processes in terms of shape and size. In the case of Kims Reference, a manufacturing method using multilayer thin films is applied to produce structurally perfect nanostructures. A significant strength is the ability to accurately certify the size of nanostructures based on the silicon lattice constant observed on the silicon substrate.
Kims Reference has established a unique certification system for nanostructure reference materials and develops the most precise and advanced certified reference materials. It is developing a Master CRM by integrating standard reference materials for various purposes into a single specimen, meeting the demands of microscope manufacturers. Through this, it aims to firmly secure its position in the global market in this field.
“Kims Reference conducts its marketing targeting B2B. This is because when our main customers, scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope manufacturers, sell their microscopes, certified reference materials must be supplied along with them. In particular, for industrial CD-SEMs and CD-AFMs used in semiconductor manufacturing processes, various certified reference materials are essential for nano-process monitoring. Therefore, we aim to develop sales channels through partnerships with global semiconductor manufacturers, SEM manufacturers, and AFM manufacturers.”
Kims Reference received an investment of \2 billion from late 2024 to March 2025 and completed the establishment of its manufacturing facilities.
How did CEO Kim come to found the company? “At the time of our establishment in 2020, amid significant supply risks for semiconductor materials and advanced reference materials due to Japan’s semiconductor material export restrictions, Park Systems, an atomic force microscope manufacturer, inquired about the possibility of manufacturing reference materials for evaluating AFM probe characteristics. Since we already had sufficient technology at that time, we decided to establish the company.”
Since founding the company, CEO Kim said, “I feel rewarded knowing that a Korean company is manufacturing certified reference materials that serve as the standards for nanometrology, and that these materials form the foundation for product development at advanced companies such as Samsung Electronics.”
CEO Kim founded Kims Reference Co., Ltd., based on more than 30 years of experience in developing certified reference materials for surface analysis. Dr. Jin Choon Woo, head of the affiliated research institute and an expert in KOLAS accreditation, made significant contributions to Kims Reference being officially recognized as an internationally accredited producer of standard reference materials just four years after its founding.
Regarding future plans, CEO Kim said, “Kims Reference will establish a unique certification system for nanostructure reference materials and develop the most precise advanced certified reference materials,” adding, “We will integrate standard reference materials for various purposes into a single specimen to develop the Master CRM required by microscope manufacturers and firmly secure our position in the global market in this field.”
Date of Establishment: December 2020
Main Business: Development of standard reference materials for nano line width measurement using electron microscopes, development of certified reference materials for AFM scale calibration and performance evaluation, and development of nanometer rulers for calibrating semiconductor nanometrology equipment
Achievements: Signed a standard reference material supply contract with Park Systems (December 2022), recognized as an internationally accredited producer of standard reference materials (May 2024), achieved break-even point (December 2024), and established manufacturing facilities through investment (June 2025)
reporter jinho lee
jinho2323@hankyung.com
