Electronic gas, an important raw material for the semiconductor industry

Electronic specialty gases (referred to as electronic specialty gases) are an important branch of specialty gases and an essential raw material for the production of integrated circuits (ICs), flat panel display devices (LCDs, LEDs, OLEDs), solar cells, and other electronic industries.

In the semiconductor production industry, gases are usually divided into two categories: commonly used gases and special gases. Among them, commonly used gases refer to gases that are centrally supplied and used in large quantities, such as N2, H2, O2, Ar, He, etc. Special gases refer to some chemical gases used in the semiconductor production process, such as extension, ion implantation, blending, washing, and mask film formation. They are electronic gases in the gas category, such as high-purity SiH4, PH3, AsH3, B2H6, N2O, NH3, SF6, NF3, CF4, BCl3, BF3, HCl, Cl2, etc. In the IC production process, there are about 100 types of electronic gases used, and around 30 types are commonly used in the core section. It is these gases that give silicon wafers semiconductor properties through different processes, which in turn determine the performance, integration level, and yield of integrated circuits. Even if a specific impurity exceeds the standard, it will lead to serious quality defects. In severe cases, the diffusion of unqualified gases can contaminate the entire production line and even cause a complete production shutdown. Therefore, electronic gas is a key basic material in the electronic manufacturing process and is truly the "blood" of the electronic industry.

The raw materials for electronic gas mainly include air separation gas, low purity raw gas, waste gas, and other basic chemical raw materials generated in the production processes of petrochemical and coal chemical industries. The main raw materials come from a wide range of sources and the market supply is sufficient, making it easier to obtain them from relevant raw material suppliers. Large scale steelmaking and fertilizer enterprises in our country are equipped with air separation equipment, which provides a large supply of air separation gas with stable prices. The consumption of raw gas by electronic specialty gases accounts for a small proportion of the production of raw gas in the petrochemical and coal chemical industries. A stable petrochemical and basic chemical industry can provide sufficient raw materials to the electronic specialty gas industry. The further clarification of environmental protection and industrial waste gas emission targets in the 13th Five Year Plan will lead to more abundant supply in upstream industries. Gas containers have a relatively low proportion of electronic gas costs due to their long-term use, and price fluctuations have little impact on the industry.