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What is electron gas

The gases used in the semiconductor industry are collectively referred to as electronic gases. In the semiconductor production process, from the chip growth to the final device packaging, almost every step, every link is inseparable from the electronic gas. The cost of electronic gas accounts for 5% to 6% of the total cost of IC materials. The purity of electron gas has a great influence on chip quality.

Electronic gas according to its categories can be divided into pure gas, high purity gas and semiconductor special gas three categories. Semiconductor special gases can be divided into electronic grades, LSI(large scale integrated circuit) levels, VLSI (very large scale integrated circuit) levels and ULSI(very large scale integrated circuit) levels according to purity levels and use occasions.

Among them, high-purity gases are mostly used in ultra-large scale integrated circuits and separation devices, optoelectronics and other high-tech fields, including oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, helium, argon, etc. (purity is usually greater than 99.999%). Special gases are mainly used in epitaxy, doping and etching processes. This class of electronic gases is mainly divided into hydrides (ultra-pure hydrogen, silane, phosphones, etc.), fluorides (sulfur hexafluoride, nitrogen trifluoride, silicon tetrafluoride, etc.), and fluorocarbon compounds (carbon tetrafluoride, hexafluoroethane, etc.).

Semiconductor special gas market situation

According to SEMI, the global e-gas market reached $3.5 billion in 2014, of which specialty gases accounted for about 65%. Among them, the five largest gas companies, led by Air Chemical (30%), Praxair (20%), Showa Denko (15%), BOC (which has been acquired by Linde Group, Germany, 10%) and Liquid Air (5%), account for more than 80% of the global special gas market share.

In terms of semiconductor special gases, China still has a big gap with international manufacturers. The high purity electronic gas used in the domestic semiconductor industry is almost entirely dependent on imports. There are some technical difficulties in the storage and transportation of high purity gas. According to relevant data, the various electronic special gas competitors have little difference in cost, price and delivery time, and the main advantages of some gas companies are logistics services and monopoly products such as dangerous goods bonded warehouses.

In addition, the types of semiconductor special gases that can be supplied in China are not complete, so that the relevant manufacturers will also look to international manufacturers for cost considerations. In addition, China's local gas companies are mostly from the chemical industry or industrial gas transformation, its technical level is uneven, it is difficult to meet the requirements of wafer manufacturing, and has become one of the elements restricting the development of domestic semiconductor special gases.

However, in recent years, China is vigorously developing the semiconductor industry, and semiconductor-related products have great potential in terms of output value and scale. This market opportunity also brings opportunities for the development of domestic semiconductor special gases.

Whether domestic manufacturers can produce this "gas"

The national "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" period focuses on the implementation of the "very large scale integrated circuit manufacturing technology and complete process" project, that is, the 02 special "high purity electronic gas research and development and industrialization" project. According to the 2013 revised "National Industrial Structure Adjustment Guidance Catalogue" (2011 edition), high-purity electronic gas and its downstream industries are all national encouraged projects; "National Integrated Circuit Industry Development and Promotion Outline", "Electronic Information Industry Development Fund Guide", "2014-2016 New display industry Innovation and Development Action Plan" and so on put forward a series of electronic chemical materials downstream industry encouragement and support policies.

After several years of development, there have been relevant companies in China that have made breakthroughs in some semiconductor special gases.

Seven hundred and eighteen

718 Institute is the leading unit of the national "02 special" gas project, and has successively developed high-purity nitrogen trifluoride, tungsten hexafluoride gas and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid series products, and achieved large-scale production, and related products have been tested and certified by semiconductor leading enterprises such as SMIC International. It is reported that 718 research Institute special gas materials have been applied to more than 90% of domestic semiconductor plants, and some products have reached 100%. The company expects that by 2020, the production capacity of high-purity nitrogen trifluoride gas will reach 12,000 tons/year, the production capacity of high-purity tungsten hexafluoride gas will be expanded to 200 tons/year, and the production capacity of other special gases will reach 3,000 tons/year.

Walter gas

Huate Gas is the first gas company in China to break the import restriction of high-purity hexafluoroethane, high-purity trifluoromethane, high-purity octafluoropropane, high-purity carbon dioxide, high-purity carbon monoxide, high-purity nitric oxide, Ar/F/Ne mixture, Kr/Ne mixture, Ar/Ne mixture, Kr/F/Ne mixture, etc. And took the lead in realizing the import substitution of nearly 20 products, is the pioneer of China's special gas localization. At present, the company is the only gas company certified by ASML in China, and is also one of the only four gas companies in the world whose products have all passed its certification.

Juhua Stock

Zhejiang Juhua Co., Ltd. and Juhua Group Company have a variety of raw material resources required for the production of high-purity electronic gases, such as HCl, HF, SiF4, F2, Cl2, CO2, CH2F2, CHF3, C2HF5, C4F8, etc., which provides raw material guarantee for the development of high-purity electronic gases. On March 16, Zhejiang Provincial Property Rights Trading Center publicly listed the two subsidiaries of Juhua Stock, Zhejiang Borui Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. and Zhejiang Kaisheng Fluorine Chemical Co., Ltd. with a package price of 940 million yuan. Judging from the announcement related to Juhua shares, the two subsidiary platforms of this transaction are undoubtedly paving the way for the "Zhongju Core Technology" set up by the joint venture at the end of 2017. According to the previous announcement of Juhua shares, the company intends to unite with a number of funds such as the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund Company to jointly fund the establishment of a joint venture company "Zhongju Core Technology".

Bochun material

Bochun Materials is a Sino-foreign joint venture, established in 2009. Bochun Materials is committed to providing high purity electronic gases and related application equipment for semiconductor, LED, LCD and PV markets in the world, especially in Asia. It is mainly engaged in the research and development and production of electronic professional materials, and related products have independent intellectual property rights. Bochun Materials is a company with a new system and vitality of high-tech gases and chemical materials. In 2018, Entegris partnered with Bochun Materials to open a new plant in Quanzhou, China. The event marked the official launch of production operations for special gas products used in semiconductor manufacturing processes. Bochun Materials Quanzhou plant covers an area of 55,000 square meters, including two 2.3 class dangerous goods warehouses and more than 20 electronic gas packaging, purification and synthesis process centers. The plant can manufacture the world's most advanced semiconductor ion implantation materials at home.

The semiconductor industry is about everything, but every little bit matters. As we breathe, it seems to be a very common thing, but it is also an indispensable thing. And this tone is equally important for the semiconductor industry.