The 2019 China Semiconductor Materials Innovation and Development Conference was successfully held in Ningbo.

The “2019 China Semiconductor Materials Innovation and Development Conference” (hereinafter referred to as the “Conference”) was grandly held on September 10-11, 2019, in Beilun District, Ningbo City. Under the guidance of the Office for Implementation and Management of the National Major Science and Technology Project 02, the People’s Government of Ningbo City, the China Semiconductor Industry Association, and the Integrated Circuit Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance, the Conference was organized by the Overall Expert Group of the National Major Science and Technology Project 02, the Integrated Circuit Materials Industry Technology Innovation Alliance, and the Semiconductor Supporting Industries Branch of the China Semiconductor Industry Association, with co-organizers including the People’s Government of Beilun District, Ningbo City, and the Ningbo Electronics Industry Association.
Qiu Gang, Deputy Inspector of the Major Special Projects Division of the Ministry of Science and Technology and Deputy Director of the Office for Implementation and Management of the National 02 Major Science and Technology Project; Ye Tianchun, Chief Technical Advisor of the National 02 Major Science and Technology Project and Director of the Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Wang Weiwei, Director of the Electronic Information Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; and Chen Bingrong, Vice Mayor of Ningbo City, delivered speeches at the conference.
Shi Ying, Secretary-General of the Integrated Circuit Materials Industry Technology Innovation Alliance and Secretary-General of the Semiconductor Supporting Industries Branch of the China Semiconductor Industry Association, Sun Xudong, District Mayor of Beilun District, Ningbo City, Wu Wangrong, Deputy Secretary-General of the Ningbo Municipal Government, Shi Lei, General Manager of Nantong Fujitsu Microelectronics, Zhou Limin, Vice President of Shanghai Huali, Hong Feng, CEO of Shanghai Jita Semiconductor, as well as leaders from the Ningbo Science and Technology Bureau and relevant departments in Beilun District, attended the opening ceremony. The conference is themed “Strengthening International Cooperation, Accelerating Technological Upgrades, and Promoting the Development of the Industrial Ecosystem,” and explores a path for the development of semiconductor material supply chains based on “Innovation, Integration, Openness, and Win-Win Cooperation.”
The conference specially invited Dr. Zhang Rujing, Chairman of Xinxin (Qingdao) Integrated Circuit Co., Ltd.; Mr. Chen Yingjie, Deputy Director of the Microphotography Engineering Department at TSMC (Nanjing); Dr. Wang Kai, General Manager of Hubei Xinqing Technology Co., Ltd.; Dr. Lü Guangquan, General Manager of Shenyang Tuojing Technology Co., Ltd.; Dr. Dan Tracy, Senior Analyst at TECHCET; Dr. Fei Lu, Executive Vice President of Shanghai Xinsheng Semiconductor; Mr. Li Jun, Project Director at Zhongjuxin; Dr. Naka Nakamur, Head of the Packaging Business Division at Hitachi Chemical; Dr. Qi Wei, Technical Director of the 5G Project at Agilent Electronics Technology; and Khaled Atta, Project Partner from Hangzhou Kebait Filter Equipment Co., Ltd., to deliver insightful presentations. Secretary-General Shi Ying, Dr. Wang Shumin, Chairwoman of Anji Microelectronics, and Dr. Xu Congying, Vice President of Jiangsu Nanjing University Optoelectronics, each chaired the meeting.
More than 300 representatives from end-users—including Huawei, HiSilicon, SMIC, HuaLi Shanghai, Yangtze Memory Technologies, CR Micro Wuxi, CR Micro Chongqing, SK Hynix, SMIC (Ningbo), Changxin Memory Technologies in Hefei, and Tongfu Microelectronics—as well as equipment manufacturers, alliance members, and semiconductor support industry association members attended the conference. They engaged in lively discussions and exchanges on topics such as the latest developments and demands in international advanced semiconductor manufacturing technologies, trends in the development of China’s local semiconductor materials supply chain ecosystem, the driving force of emerging technologies like 5G communications and automotive electronics on the integrated circuit industry, and the integration of international cooperation with localization efforts.

 

Conference venue

 

The conference opened on the morning of September 10. Vice Mayor Chen Bingrong first extended a warm welcome on behalf of the Ningbo Municipal Government to all the leaders and guests attending the conference, and warmly congratulated the organizers on holding the event. He then enthusiastically introduced an overview of Ningbo City and pointed out that last year, Ningbo became the 15th city in China to surpass the trillion-yuan mark in GDP. He emphasized that the integrated circuit industry is a crucial foundational sector underpinning the high-quality development of Ningbo’s manufacturing sector. The municipal government attaches great importance to the development of this industry and regards it as a key strategic initiative, vigorously promoting the “One Park and Three Bases” industrial layout for Ningbo’s integrated circuit industry. Mayor Chen expressed gratitude for the continuous strong support provided by the Office of the National Major Science and Technology Project 02 and the Institute of Microelectronics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He stressed that the integrated circuit industry is a strategic sector critical to securing our future, and sincerely hoped that experts would offer their insights and suggestions, further deepen cooperation with enterprises and research institutes, jointly build collaborative platforms, and transform Ningbo’s Beilun district into a high-end, digital, and intelligent port.

 

Vice Mayor Chen Bingrong delivers a speech.

 

In his speech, Director Wang Weiwei pointed out that semiconductor materials are the foundation of the integrated circuit manufacturing industry, and driven by the advancement of cutting-edge technologies, ... 5G、 Driven by the development of markets such as artificial intelligence, China’s domestic semiconductor materials industry has achieved relatively rapid growth. He offered three recommendations for the development of China’s semiconductor materials industry:   First, we must simultaneously pursue both innovation and cooperation. While proactively embracing the world, we should also strengthen our independent R&D efforts—without giving preference to either. Second, we need to adopt an industry-oriented approach in our strategic planning and tackle the bottlenecks in semiconductor material development by breaking through existing industrial development models. Third, material enterprises should take advantage of the nation’s vigorous push for the semiconductor industry, leveraging social capital and support from local governments and other relevant stakeholders to further broaden their development horizons. By learning from the successful business models of leading companies, these enterprises can accelerate their growth, address the shortcomings in China’s semiconductor materials industry, and, while filling those gaps, further enhance and capitalize on their existing strengths.

 

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Director Wang Weiwei’s Address

 

In his speech, Director Ye Tianchun, Chief Technical Advisor of the National Major Science and Technology Project 02, stated that over the past decade, guided by the National Project 02 and the Big Fund, China’s semiconductor industry has been developing at an astonishing pace. A number of critical semiconductor materials—including targets and polishing liquids—have emerged, enabling domestic substitution and helping Chinese companies gain a foothold in the international market. However, the integrated circuit industry is one that requires massive investment and incurs extremely high operating costs. To make the transition from rapid growth to high-quality development, China’s integrated circuit industry must adapt accordingly. In the ongoing multi-round shifts within the semiconductor industrial chain, the localization of materials and the establishment of a robust, domestically-based supply chain are of paramount importance. These efforts can significantly reduce overall industry operating costs and make substantial contributions to the industry’s development. Ye Tianchun emphasized that, as we enter the strategic development window of 2030, in order to address bottlenecks and achieve independent development, we must... Embrace the challenge of shifting from high-speed development to high-quality development, build a portfolio of critical materials, pursue specialized and high-value-added products, achieve better profit margins, foster a healthy development ecosystem, and collaborate more closely with our customers. We will also attract top talent and work together to contribute to the development of new customer products. The industry must consolidate resources, avoid duplication, and foster strong partnerships among leading companies, thereby forming several major enterprises that can provide robust support for the development of the integrated circuit industry.

Ye Tianchun pointed out that since the launch of the major special projects, emphasis has consistently been placed on industrial cooperation. The Materials Alliance, established with support from these major special projects, has played a very effective role. He suggested that the Alliance should optimize its cooperation mechanisms and internal decision-making processes to provide better services for enterprises.

 

Speech by Ye Tianchun, Chief Designer of National Special Project 02

 

Deputy Inspector Qiu Gang congratulated the successful convening of the conference. She encouraged domestic integrated circuit materials companies to not only stick to independent innovation but also place great emphasis on international cooperation, thereby achieving open and win-win outcomes.

 

Speech by Deputy Inspector Qiu Gang

 

Following that, Deputy Director Chen Yingjie from TSMC’s Lithography Engineering Division delivered a presentation titled “To Do a Good Job, One Must First Sharpen One’s Tools—The Importance of High-Quality Materials for Advanced Integrated Circuit Manufacturing Processes.” In his presentation, he highlighted the critical role that high-specification wafer manufacturing materials play in advancing process technologies, and pointed out that the demand for nearby supply chains of raw materials is steadily increasing as processes become more sophisticated. Dr. Chen emphasized that the foundation of pursuing excellence in quality lies in the raw materials themselves. The manufacture of high-end integrated circuits requires precise control over the stability of raw material quality. To ensure TSMC’s outstanding quality and reduce manufacturing risks associated with the growing reliance on imports, Dr. Chen expressed hope that China could allocate more resources to research, development, and quality enhancement of wafer manufacturing materials.

 

Deputy Director Chen Yingjie delivered the keynote report.

 

Dr. Zhang Rujing from Xinyan (Qingdao) Integrated Circuit Co., Ltd. delivered an insightful presentation titled “Historical Opportunities in China’s Semiconductor Industry Chain.” Dr. Zhang analyzed the overall development status of China’s semiconductor materials industry chain and noted that domestically produced silicon wafers, specialty gases, target materials, and polishing liquids have already reached a certain level of maturity. However, materials such as photoresists, special chemicals, and photomasks still have significant gaps to close and require focused development efforts. He recommended deepening expertise in chip design, manufacturing, equipment, and materials technologies, fostering coordinated development, achieving self-reliance and controllability, and enhancing the nation’s overall competitiveness. Dr. Zhang Rujing expressed his commitment to dedicating his life to the development of China’s integrated circuit industry and contributing his utmost efforts to its advancement.

 

Dr. Zhang Rujing delivered an invited report.

 

In his presentation on “The Evolution of Automotive Electronic Components and Semiconductor Materials,” Dr. Wang Kai from Hubei Xinqing shared the current industrial status and development trends of automotive electronic chips. He analyzed the differences in material requirements between the manufacturing of automotive electronic chips and chips used in mobile phones, and proposed that the future development direction for silicon carbide and gallium nitride will be toward greater efficiency and higher energy density.

 

Dr. Wang Kai delivers the keynote speech.

 

In his report titled “Synergistic Development and Technological Breakthroughs in Semiconductor Equipment and Materials,” Dr. Lü Guangquan from Shenyang Top-Jing pointed out that, despite the global slowdown in growth of semiconductor equipment and materials, China’s semiconductor equipment and materials have maintained synchronized growth for five consecutive years. He highlighted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD) in particular. ) The issue of symbiosis between equipment and gas materials was highlighted, pointing out that the development of new technologies requires domestic equipment suppliers to collaborate with chemical precursor manufacturers to achieve breakthroughs.

 

Dr. Lü Guangquan delivers the keynote speech.

 

Dr. Dan Tracy from TECHCET in the U.S. delivered a presentation titled “Challenges and Opportunities in the Application of Emerging Device Materials.” The report pointed out that due to trade disputes between China and the U.S., as well as between Japan and South Korea, supply chains have undergone changes, leading to a decline in global semiconductor materials market revenue in 2019. However, some materials continue to show growth trends thanks to the application of advanced devices and technologies. This report specifically analyzes the supply conditions of helium, neon, hydrogen fluoride, and phosphoric acid, and forecasts market development trends for polishing materials, precursors, specialty gases, wet chemicals, and SOI wafers from 2018 to 2023.

 

Dr. Dan S. Tracy delivers an invited talk.

 

Dr. Fei Lu from Shanghai Newsheng did it. “ Domestic large silicon wafers in China’s integrated circuit industry chain ” a remarkable report that analyzed the current state of the global integrated circuit industry as well as the driving forces behind its future development. The report pointed out that China’s semiconductor integrated circuit industry will be the primary engine of growth for this sector over the next decade. It emphasized that silicon wafers will continue to be the dominant substrate material for chip manufacturing and introduced the core technologies involved in the production of large silicon wafers. Dr. Fei noted that currently, China has... 14 The company officially announced its involvement. 300mm The large silicon wafer industry, in total, exceeds the current global market. 300mm Number of silicon wafer companies, with the total monthly production capacity planned by these companies being: 692 Ten billion units—exceeding the current global total production capacity. It is recommended that the state rationally plan and guide the development of this industry.

 

Dr. Fei Lu delivered an invited talk.

 

In his report titled “Reflections on the Development of the Fluorine-Containing Electronic Chemical Materials Industry for Domestic Integrated Circuit Manufacturing,” Li Jun, Project Director at Zhongjuxin, shared insights into the background, applications, and current status of fluorine-containing electronic chemical materials. He conducted an analysis of both domestic and international suppliers and production capacities, categorizing these materials into two major types: fluorine-containing electronic gases and fluorine-containing electronic wet chemicals. Li emphasized that China possesses resource advantages in developing fluorine-containing electronic chemical materials and highlighted the importance of building a complete industrial chain. He expressed hope that in the near future, R&D, production, and application of fluorine-containing electronic materials will all be carried out domestically in China.

 

Director Li Jun delivered an invited report.

 

Dr. Toshio Nonaka from Hitachi Chemical delivered a presentation titled “Comprehensive Solutions for Advanced Packaging.” In his presentation, he highlighted the necessity of establishing a comprehensive packaging solutions center and emphasized the importance of selecting an optimal geographic location for such a center. He also introduced the equipment lineup of the comprehensive packaging solutions center and presented solutions tailored to various manufacturing processes. He argued that it would be highly beneficial to bring together companies specializing in truly relevant equipment and materials to form a collaborative alliance.

 

Dr. Nonaka delivers an invited talk.

 

Dr. Qi Wei from Anjie Li delivered a presentation titled “5G Millimeter-Wave Packaging Based on Flexible Substrates.” The presentation began by introducing the key aspects of 5G millimeter-wave technology, followed by a description of the characteristics of flexible printed circuit boards. It highlighted the opportunities presented by combining existing AiP technology with flexible substrates and shared solutions for several critical processes.

 

Dr. Qi Wei delivered an invited talk.

 

Project partners of Hangzhou Kebote Khaled Atta I delivered a presentation titled “Opportunity Selection and Introduction of Electronic Materials Packaging Solutions in the Industry.” The presentation provided an overview of the current state of semiconductor packaging containers and proposed the use of high-purity... HDPE A proposal for manufacturing packaging drums from materials, along with a detailed explanation of high purity. HDPE The development, design, and manufacturing processes for packaging drums aim to enhance packaging technologies for electronic components and provide customers with comprehensive packaging services.

 

Khald Atta delivers an invited talk.

 

9 On the 11th, 11 domestic and international manufacturing and packaging/testing companies—including TSMC, SK Hynix, Yangtze Memory Technologies, Chongqing CRRC, Qingdao Xinneng, Xiamen Lianxin, Hefei Changxin, Tianjin Xintianhe, Jiangsu Nenghua Micro, Tongfu Microelectronics, and Suzhou Koyang—along with 46... A one-on-one closed-door exchange was held with domestic material suppliers, which helped international and domestic semiconductor manufacturers gain a deeper understanding of Chinese material suppliers and facilitated business expansion.

 

The scene of the Alliance 2019 Supply-Demand Matchmaking Conference

 

Concurrently with the matchmaking event, the alliance also held the Xin Gang Salon. The Beilun District Government provided a detailed overview of existing projects, industrial policies, and future plans, facilitating precise and effective communication with the material enterprises in attendance. This session helped integrated circuit material companies establish themselves and take root in Beilun District, while also contributing to the further development and refinement of the local integrated circuit industry chain.

 

Xingang Salon Venue

 

China’s integrated circuit industry faces a massive talent shortage. According to the “China Integrated Circuit Industry Talent White Paper (2017-2018),” this gap is expected to reach 320,000 by around 2020. To help more students from various universities gain a better understanding of the integrated circuit industry and to facilitate exchanges between students and enterprises, the alliance is actively leveraging the influence of the conference, starting in November... In the afternoon, a Xincailai Lecture was held. The lecture specially invited experts and senior executives from the Institute of Materials, Chinese Academy of Sciences—Ningbo Branch; Ningbo Nanda Optoelectronics; Jiangfeng Electronics; Ningbo Shijie; Ningbo Anji; Ningbo Aixinwei; and Ningbo Lianfang Technology to introduce students to the integrated circuit industry and the specifics of each company. They also shared their personal experiences in both employment and entrepreneurship, providing a rare opportunity for academic and industrial exchanges. The event attracted over 200 students, and the expert lectures resonated strongly with the students. The atmosphere at the conference was lively and highly productive, playing a significant role in actively attracting local university talent into the integrated circuit industry and helping to alleviate the shortage of skilled professionals faced by local enterprises.

 

On-site at the Xincai Lecture

 

11 In the afternoon, the Alliance simultaneously held its second session of the 3rd Council Meeting. During the meeting, Secretary-General Shi Ying reported on the Alliance’s work for the first half of 2019, and the Council reviewed and approved the applications of Ouzhong Electronic Materials (Chongqing) Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Jingsheng Machinery & Electric Co., Ltd., Binhua Group Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Xinzhoubang Technology Co., Ltd., and Shenzhen Zhicheng Semiconductor Materials Co., Ltd. Si, Qinyang Guoshun Silicon Source Optoelectronic Gas Co., Ltd., and Xi'an Yisiwei Silicon Wafer Technology Co., Ltd.—a total of 7 The unit has joined the alliance.

 

The 2nd Session of the 3rd Council of the Alliance On-site

 

Subsequently, the 5th General Assembly of the Semiconductor Supporting Industries Branch of the China Semiconductor Industry Association was held. During the assembly, the secretariat of the branch reported on its four-year work achievements and organized member units to conduct a leadership transition election, with voting resulting in the selection of the members of the 5th Board of Directors.

 

The scene of the 5th General Assembly of the Supporting Industries Branch of the China Semiconductor Industry Association.