Zhejiang Jinruihong Technology Co., Ltd.'s national project, "Research and Industrialization of 8-inch Silicon Wafers and Key Technologies for 12-inch Silicon Wafers," has successfully passed acceptance testing.

On May 6, 2017, the Implementation and Management Office of the National Key Science and Technology Major Project “Manufacturing Equipment and Complete Process Technologies for Ultra-Large-Scale Integrated Circuits” (Project No. 02) organized and held the official acceptance meeting for Project 02 in Ningbo. The project titled “Research and Industrialization of 8-Inch Silicon Wafers and Key Technologies for 12-Inch Silicon Wafers,” led by Zhejiang Jinruihong Technology Co., Ltd. (Project No. 2010ZX02301), successfully passed the acceptance review.

The National Key Science and Technology Special Projects are major strategic initiatives aimed at achieving national goals through breakthroughs in core technologies and integrated resource utilization, with the objective of completing significant strategic products, critical common technologies, and major engineering projects within a specified time frame. The “National Medium- and Long-Term Plan for Science and Technology Development (2006–2020)” identified 16 such key special projects, including large-scale aircraft. These key special projects represent the top priorities for China’s scientific and technological development through 2020. The “Special Project on Manufacturing Equipment and Complete Processes for Ultra-Large-Scale Integrated Circuits” is the second among these special projects and is therefore commonly referred to as “Project 02.”

Zhejiang Jinruihong Technology Co., Ltd., which is undertaking the National Key Science and Technology Special Project (Project 02), is the only domestic semiconductor enterprise in China with a complete industrial chain covering silicon single-crystal ingots, silicon grinding wafers, silicon polished wafers, and silicon epitaxial wafers. It is a leading enterprise in China’s semiconductor industry and has consistently ranked first in the Top 10 Chinese Semiconductor Materials Enterprises评选 organized by the China Semiconductor Industry Association since its inception in 2015, winning the top spot for both 2015 and 2016.

The expert panel for this acceptance review consisted of 17 experts, including members of the National Major Science and Technology Special Project Advisory Committee, senior technical experts from the industry, intellectual property specialists, and financial experts. After listening to the company’s report, conducting on-site inspections, and performing on-site tests, the expert panel unanimously concluded that Jin Ruihong Technology has successfully built a complete, state-of-the-art production line for 8-inch silicon wafers, with a monthly capacity of 120,000 polished 8-inch silicon wafers and 50,000 epitaxial silicon wafers. The company has independently developed 12-inch single-crystal growth technology and, in collaboration with equipment suppliers, has also developed key technologies for 12-inch silicon wafer chamfering, grinding, polishing, and epitaxy. The project has filed a total of 52 national patent applications, of which 35 invention patents have been granted. The company’s products have passed procurement certification and are being used by leading domestic integrated circuit manufacturers such as HuaRun ShangHua, HuaHong Macro, SMIC, and CAS Microelectronics. The product quality has reached internationally advanced levels. Currently, 8-inch silicon wafers account for 64% of domestically produced wafers and 6.3% of the domestic market (including imported silicon wafers). Moreover, the project’s financial management complies with the regulatory requirements for major national special projects. In conclusion, the expert panel unanimously agreed that the “02 Special Project” undertaken by Jin Ruihong Technology has successfully passed the acceptance review.

For a long time, China’s semiconductor silicon wafer industry has lagged behind advanced international standards in both technology and equipment. However, as the core foundational material for the manufacture of integrated circuits and discrete devices, silicon wafers are irreplaceable and occupy a critical position throughout the entire semiconductor industry chain, making them one of the key links driving the development of the semiconductor industry. Yet, as the largest and most critical material used in integrated circuit manufacturing, large-size silicon wafers have long relied on imports, severely restricting the competitiveness of China’s integrated circuit industry and the security of its supply chain. The industrialization of large-size semiconductor silicon wafers is one of the core tasks under the “02 Special Project.” Ye Tianchun, Chief Technical Advisor of the “02 Special Project” and Director of the Institute of Microelectronics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, highly praised Jin Ruihong Technology’s unwavering commitment to the semiconductor silicon wafer business since its establishment during his summary remarks. He fully recognized the significant technological achievements made during the implementation of the “02 Special Project.” While congratulating the successful completion of the acceptance process, he expressed the hope that Jin Ruihong Technology would continue to maintain its leading edge in the domestic semiconductor silicon wafer industry, further intensify its efforts in developing the 8-inch silicon wafer market, promote the application of its related achievements, and, with an even more open and inclusive attitude, continue to grow and strengthen the company.

The implementation and successful completion of the “02 Special Project” mark a further consolidation of Jin Ruihong Technology’s leading position in the domestic semiconductor silicon wafer sector, a milestone of great significance. First, it has greatly enhanced the company’s independent innovation capabilities; second, it has significantly accelerated China’s efforts to achieve domestic production of large-diameter silicon wafers; third, the application of the project’s achievements has reduced production costs for downstream enterprises in China, spurring robust growth in upstream related industries such as polysilicon, thereby providing strong support for the development of China’s integrated circuit industry. Fourth, this achievement once again demonstrates Jin Ruihong Technology’s solid and powerful technological capabilities and competitive advantages. Mr. Wang Minwen, Chairman of Jin Ruihong Technology, stated that elevating the overall level of China’s semiconductor silicon wafers is a crucial step in revitalizing the nation’s semiconductor industry and advancing the modern information technology sector. The implementation and successful completion of the “02 Special Project” have given the company greater confidence and capability to build an integrated industrial chain for integrated circuits—oriented toward the market, driven by innovation, and integrating production, academia, research, and application—thus making an even greater contribution to accelerating China’s independent innovation and sustainable development in the field of integrated circuits.

From a global market perspective, the silicon wafer market exhibits a high degree of monopolization, a trend that is particularly pronounced in the large-size semiconductor silicon wafer segment. The world’s top four semiconductor silicon wafer manufacturers are concentrated in Japan, the United States, Germany, and Taiwan, China, collectively accounting for as much as 90% of global sales. Therefore, enhancing the overall technological level of China’s semiconductor silicon wafers is a crucial step in revitalizing the nation’s semiconductor industry and fostering the development of a modern information technology sector. Faced with an unfavorable international competitive landscape, Jin Ruihong Technology—a company long dedicated to the R&D and production of semiconductor silicon wafers—has, over the years, collaborated closely with the State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials at Zhejiang University, overcoming numerous challenges and devoting itself wholeheartedly to the localization of high-end, large-size semiconductor silicon wafers. It has continuously improved the quality of domestically produced 8-inch semiconductor silicon wafers. Leveraging its technological and R&D strengths, premium positioning, superior quality, scale advantages, early-mover benefits within the industry, and integrated upstream-downstream supply chain capabilities, Jin Ruihong Technology has achieved mass production of 8-inch semiconductor silicon wafers, breaking the foreign monopoly on this critical product. As a result, China has significantly narrowed the gap between its domestic capabilities and international standards, making substantial contributions to accelerating independent innovation and sustainable development in China’s integrated circuit industry.