Analysis of the Current Status of China’s Electronic-Grade Process Chemicals Market

 

1. Development Trends of China’s Semiconductor Materials Industry

1.1 Global Semiconductor Manufacturing Development Trends

Semiconductor products are the foundation of information and intelligence in modern society, and are widely used in computers, home appliances, digital electronics, and other products. They play a critical supporting role in the innovative development of next-generation information technologies—such as artificial intelligence, mobile communications, big data, and the Internet of Things—as well as in emerging fields like high-performance computing, large-capacity storage, ultra-low-power communication, and novel quantum technologies. According to WSTS statistics, global semiconductor sales reached US$556 billion in 2021, representing a year-on-year increase of 26.3%. It is projected that 2022 will continue to see double-digit growth, as shown in Figure 1. Among these, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow by approximately 13.9%.

Figure 1: Global Semiconductor Industry Development Trends

 

1.2 Current Status of China’s Semiconductor Industry Development

According to statistics from the China Semiconductor Industry Association, in 2021, China’s semiconductor industry continued to maintain a rapid growth trend. Sales in the integrated circuit industry reached 1.0458 trillion yuan, surpassing the one-trillion-yuan mark for the first time, with a year-on-year increase of 18.2%. Sales in the discrete device industry reached 410.5 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year growth rate as high as 38.4%. The forecast for China’s semiconductor industry development is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Development of Sales Revenue in China’s Semiconductor Industry, 2010–2021

In 2021, driven by the robust performance of China’s macroeconomy, the Chinese semiconductor industry continued to maintain rapid and steady growth. Against the backdrop of the global “chip shortage,” domestic demand for semiconductor products remained strong, and most domestic semiconductor production lines operated at full capacity. It is expected that in 2022, affected by the pandemic and the international situation, the growth momentum will slow down somewhat.

 

1.3 Growth Trend of China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing Materials Market

Semiconductor manufacturing materials are crucial supports for integrated circuits and discrete devices, and primarily include silicon wafers, photomasks, lithography materials, specialty electronic gases, process chemicals, CMP polishing materials, sputtering targets, and packaging materials. Benefiting from the rapid expansion of domestic production capacity for integrated circuits and discrete devices, China’s semiconductor materials market continued to grow rapidly in 2021, with the overall market size exceeding 100 billion yuan, reaching 102.5 billion yuan. Among these, the market size for wafer fabrication materials reached 60.5 billion yuan, while the market size for packaging materials reached 42 billion yuan; see Figure 3 for details.

Figure 3: Growth Trend of China’s Semiconductor Materials from 2015 to 2022

 

1.4 Development Status of China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing Materials Industry

In recent years, Chinese semiconductor materials companies have continuously improved their technological capabilities and enhanced product quality, giving rise to numerous high-quality products that possess considerable market competitiveness. As a result, the industry has steadily expanded in size, and the country’s self-sufficiency in semiconductor materials has gradually strengthened. According to research data from the Integrated Circuit Materials Industry Technology Innovation Alliance (ICMtia), in 2021, Chinese semiconductor materials companies achieved sales revenues of 49.6 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 40.4%. It is projected that this figure will reach 62.2 billion yuan in 2022; relevant data are shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4: Development Trend of Sales Revenue for Semiconductor Materials Companies, 2010–2022

 

2. Current Status of the Chinese Electronic-Grade Process Chemicals Market and Industry

2.1 Overview of Process Chemicals

Process chemicals, also known as wet electronic chemicals or chemical reagents, are essential and indispensable key chemical materials used in the wet-process manufacturing of semiconductor chips. They are primarily employed in processes such as cleaning, etching, electroplating, and surface treatment. Generally, chemicals applied in different fields have varying purity requirements. As shown in Figure 5, electronic-grade process chemicals used in semiconductor manufacturing represent the area with the highest purity demands among all chemical reagents, requiring ultra-high purity and ultra-high cleanliness. Moreover, these chemicals impose extremely stringent cleanliness standards on the production, packaging, transportation, and usage environments.

Figure 5: Purity Requirements for Chemical Reagents in Different Application Fields

Process chemicals can be classified into general-purpose chemicals and functional chemicals, depending on their composition and application processes. Commonly used general-purpose chemicals in semiconductor manufacturing include various acids, bases, oxidizers, and organic solvents. These chemicals typically require particle sizes below 0.2 μm and impurity levels below the ppb level—making them the materials with the strictest requirements for particle control and impurity content among process chemicals. Functional chemicals are formulated through compounding to achieve specific functions and meet the specialized process requirements in semiconductor manufacturing. They mainly include etching solutions, cleaning solutions, electroplating solutions, and additives. For a detailed classification of these products, see Table 1.

Table 1: Process Chemical-Related Products and Their Classification

Category		Name
General Chemical substances	Acids	Hydrofluoric acid (HF), sulfuric acid (H) 2 SO 4 )、phosphoric acid (H 3 PO 4 )、hydrochloric acid (HCl), nitric acid (HNO) 3 ) etc.
	Alkaline substances	Ammonia solution (NHₓ) 4 OH), tetramethylammonium hydroxide ((CH 3)4 NOH) etc.
	Oxidizing agent	Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2)
	Organic solvent type	Isopropyl alcohol ((CH 3)2 CHOH)、ethylene glycol ((CH 2 OH) 2 )、N-methylpyrrolidone(C 5 H 9 NO) etc.
Function Chemical substances	Etching solution	Silicon dioxide buffer etchant (BOE), silicon etchant, high-selectivity phosphoric acid, aluminum etchant, copper etchant, and others.
	Electroplating solution and additives	Copper plating solutions and additives, other metal plating solutions and additives
	Cleaning solution	CMP Cleaning solution after polishing, cleaning solution after aluminum process etching, cleaning solution after copper process etching, cleaning solution after HKMG dummy gate removal, and cleaning solution for removing excess material, etc.

Hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid, and nitric acid belong to the general category of chemicals. In semiconductor manufacturing, they are used in wet-etching and wet-cleaning processes to remove contaminants such as particles, organic residues, metal ions, and natural oxide layers, as well as impurities that may be present on partially finished products at each process step. This helps prevent impurities from affecting the quality of the final product and the performance of downstream products.

The SEMI international standard grades for various general-purpose chemicals are shown in Table 2. In actual supply, the supplier and the buyer typically negotiate and determine the product’s technical specifications based on these standards. The finer the process linewidth, the higher the requirements for the purity and cleanliness of the chemicals used. Processes with linewidths ranging from 0.8 to 1.2 μm are commonly employed in the production of discrete devices, and the control ranges for metallic impurities and particles in the chemicals used for such processes are relatively broad. For ultra-large-scale integrated circuits with linewidths below 90 nm, the standards for controlling metallic impurities and particles in chemicals are the most stringent and continue to become increasingly strict. In practical applications, since process chemicals are supplied to individual process equipment via a centralized supply system, manufacturing facilities that produce devices using multiple linewidths usually select process chemicals according to the lowest linewidth standard. Consequently, general-purpose chemicals currently used in semiconductor manufacturing generally have requirements for metal ions and particulate impurities that exceed the SEMI Grade 4 level.

Table 2: SEMI International Standard Levels for General Chemicals

SEMI Level	C1 (Grade 1)	C7 (Grade 2)	C8 (Grade 3)	C12 (Grade 4)	Grade5
Metal impurities (X10) -9 )	≤1000	≤10	≤1	≤0.1	≤0.01
Control particle size / micrometer	≤1.0	≤0.5	≤0.5	≤0.2	To be agreed upon by both parties.
Number of particles ( cells/ml)	≤25	≤25	≤5	To be agreed upon by both parties.	To be agreed upon by both parties.
IC Line width / micrometer	>1.2	0.8–1.2	0.2–0.6	0.09–0.2	<0.09

The key characteristics of functional chemicals include sophisticated formulation processes, high technological content, stringent quality requirements, strong process compatibility, strict cleanliness standards for both production and usage environments, and rapid product upgrades and replacements. At the same time, due to differences in integrated circuit manufacturing processes or technology nodes, the quality and performance requirements for functional chemicals also vary considerably. Consequently, there is still no universally accepted, clearly defined definition for functional chemicals. The physicochemical parameters of functional chemicals are often difficult to quantitatively measure using conventional instruments; instead, their effectiveness and product quality are typically evaluated only through application-based testing.

 

2.2 Forecast of the Chinese Electronic-Grade Process Chemicals Market

Thanks to the rapid growth of the semiconductor products market, many wafer fabs have joined the rush to expand production capacity. According to a survey by the Integrated Circuit Materials Industry Technology Innovation Alliance (ICMtia), in 2021, China’s wafer production capacity (converted to 8-inch equivalents) reached 4.07 million wafers per month. Among these, the actual production capacity for 12-inch wafers was approximately 1.04 million wafers per month, for 8-inch wafers about 1.02 million wafers per month, and for small-diameter wafers of 6 inches and below around 1.27 million wafers per month. By 2022, it is projected that China’s 12-inch wafer production capacity will reach 1.37 million wafers per month, the 8-inch wafer capacity will reach 1.13 million wafers per month, while the capacity for small-diameter wafers of 6 inches and below will remain at 1.27 million wafers per month. See Figure 6 for details.

Figure 6: Current Status and Forecast of China’s Major Wafer Manufacturing Capacity

In line with the continuous expansion of manufacturing capacity, the market size for process chemicals will also grow rapidly. According to data from the Integrated Circuit Materials Industry Technology Innovation Alliance (ICMtia), China’s overall market demand for electronic-grade process chemicals used in the integrated circuit sector reached 510,000 tons in 2021. It is projected that this demand will increase to 600,000 tons in 2022 and exceed 800,000 tons in 2023. Table 3 shows the market sizes for key electronic-grade process chemicals—including sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, silicon etching solutions, slow-release oxide etching solutions, and metal etching solutions—in 2021 and 2022, as well as demand forecasts for 2023–2025.

Table 3: Market Demand Forecast for Electronic-Grade Process Chemicals in China

Unit: ton	2021 Year	2022 Year	2023 Year (F)	2024 Year (F)	2025 Year (F)
Total demand for process chemicals	510000	670000	890000	1000000	1050000
Among them:
Sulfuric acid	210000	275000	360000	380000	399000
Phosphoric acid 1	20000	31000	39000	40000	42000
Buffered Oxide Etchant (BOE)	12000	12500	15000	17000	17850
Silicon etching solution	5700	8200	10000	11000	11550
Metal etching solution 2	1252	2069	3088	3349	3686

Note 1: The data include the amounts of electronic-grade phosphoric acid and high-selectivity phosphoric acid used.

Note 2: Metal etching solutions include aluminum etchants, tungsten etchants with high selectivity, copper etchants, gold etchants, cobalt etchants, titanium nitride (TiN) etchants, and others.

In the future, demand for process chemicals at the ppt level will become mainstream in the wafer market. Moreover, the consumption of functional chemicals—particularly those used in 12-inch production lines and especially in technology nodes below 28 nm—will increase significantly. As integrated circuit manufacturing processes continue to grow more complex, the technical requirements for wet-process applications are steadily rising. Consequently, the control of metallic impurities in common process chemicals such as sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, hydrofluoric acid, nitric acid, and hydrochloric acid generally needs to reach levels of ppt or better. Particle control must also be improved—from 0.1 ppb at 0.2 μm to 0.05 μm or even smaller—and the drive toward ever-higher purity levels shows no sign of slowing down.

 

2.3 Major International Companies in Electronic-Grade Process Chemicals

Currently, the global market landscape for process chemicals is characterized by three major segments: First, the established, traditional companies from Europe and the U.S., including such leading firms as Germany’s BASF, the U.S.’s DuPont, and the U.S.’s Entegris. These long-standing chemical giants boast extensive product portfolios, globally distributed production facilities, and strong technological advantages. Their products can achieve SEMI G4 level or higher, keeping pace with the development of the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Second, Japanese companies, represented by Kanto Chemical, Mitsubishi Chemical (MCC), and StellaChemifa, whose technological capabilities are on par with those of their European and American counterparts. Third, companies based in Taiwan, China, and South Korea, as well as mainland China. Companies from South Korea and Taiwan enjoy certain technological advantages and demonstrate competitive strength in the high-end market when compared to their counterparts from Europe, the U.S., and Japan. Notable examples include Taiwan’s Xinlin Technology and South Korea’s Dongwoo Fine Chemicals. A brief overview of major foreign process chemical companies is provided in Table 4.

Table 4: Overview of Major Foreign Manufacturers of Process Chemicals

Region	Company Name	Development of the Process Chemicals Business
Europe and the United States	Germany's BASF	The company’s main business includes the production of electronic chemicals for semiconductors and flat-panel displays. Its key products encompass a variety of high-performance chemicals, such as sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, BOE, and hydrofluoric acid. In 2021, the company’s sales amounted to 78.6 billion euros.
	Ashland, Inc. (USA)	Our core business includes the production of high-quality specialty chemicals, metal casting consumables, and a wide range of other products. Our key products encompass various electronic-grade chemicals, such as N-methylpyrrolidone and polymer solvents. The company has established a joint venture with UPC (United Petrochemical Company) in Kaohsiung to operate a state-of-the-art ultra-pure chemical production facility. In 2021, the company’s total revenue reached US$2.111 billion.
	Honeywell Company	Our core business includes the production of various high-purity process chemicals for semiconductor applications. Our key products include hydrofluoric acid, ammonium hydroxide, BOE, and hydrochloric acid. In 2021, our sales reached US$34.392 billion, and we expect sales to reach between US$35.4 billion and US$36.4 billion in 2022.
	Entegris	ATMI, a company under our group, primarily engages in the R&D and production of various chemicals and critical materials used in semiconductor manufacturing. Its main products include a wide range of electroplating solutions and post-polishing cleaning fluids. In 2021, its revenue reached US$2.299 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 23.64%.
	Dow DuPont (Dow Dupont)	The company’s main businesses include specialty chemicals and advanced materials. Its key products and services encompass post-grinding cleaning solutions, aluminum/copper process removal agents, and a variety of other products and services. In 2021, the company’s revenue reached 16.653 billion U.S. dollars.
Japan	Kanto Chemical (Kanto)	We are primarily engaged in the production and R&D of ultra-pure, high-purity chemical reagents such as acids and bases for semiconductor applications. Our main products include various ultra-pure chemicals, including hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, ammonium hydroxide, and ammonium fluoride.
	Mitsubishi Chemical	The company’s Functional Materials and Plastics Products business segment is primarily engaged in the production of information and electronic products as well as specialty chemical products. Its main products include various high-purity reagents such as sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen peroxide, and ammonium hydroxide. In 2021, the company’s sales amounted to approximately 31 billion U.S. dollars.
	StellaChemifa	We are primarily engaged in the R&D and production of high-purity hydrofluoric acid, with our main products being high-purity hydrofluoric acid used in fields such as semiconductors and flat-panel displays. In 2021, our sales reached 37.3 billion yen.
China Taiwan	Taiwan Dongying Chemical Co., Ltd.	We are primarily engaged in the R&D and production of various process chemicals for semiconductors. Our main products include stripping solutions, developing solutions, and diluents for semiconductor applications.
	Tai Xiao Investment Co., Ltd. Limited Liability Company	We primarily specialize in the professional production of various process chemicals used in fields such as semiconductors. Our main products include high-purity nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, and hydrofluoric acid.
	Guan Dong Xin Lin Technology Co., Ltd.	It is a subsidiary of Japan’s Kantō Chemical, primarily engaged in the production of various process chemicals for semiconductors. Its main products include high-purity solvents such as electronic-grade hydrogen peroxide, ammonia solution, and hydrofluoric acid, as well as mixed acids. Etching Liquids, cleaning solutions, and other products.
South Korea	Xiu Bo Rui Yin (Soul brain)	We are primarily engaged in the production and sale of electronic chemical raw materials and chemical products. Our key products include various specialty electronic materials used in semiconductors and flat-panel displays, and we hold a significant market share in South Korea.
	Dongyou Fine Chemicals	Dongyou and Dongjin are two companies primarily engaged in the R&D and production of various process chemicals used in semiconductors and display panels, and they hold a sizable market share in China.
	Dongjin Shimei Ken Technology

In recent years, foreign-invested enterprises have been actively setting up chemical plants in China. For instance, BASF of Germany—a global leader in electronic chemicals—offers a wide range of products, including sulfuric acid, hydrogen peroxide, ammonia solution, phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid, isopropyl alcohol, silicon etching solutions, and aluminum etching solutions, occupying a significant share of China’s process chemicals market. In 2021, BASF’s sales in mainland China reached approximately 12 billion euros, accounting for 16% of the company’s total sales revenue—an increase of 40% year-on-year. As of now, BASF operates six major production bases in China: the Shanghai Pudong Science and Technology Innovation Park, the Nanjing Integrated Base, the Shanghai Caojing Base, the Nanjing Base, the Chongqing Base, and the Zhanjiang Integrated Base. Among these, the first phase of the Zhanjiang Integrated Base entered full-scale construction in 2022. Upon completion of this project, Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, will become BASF’s third-largest integrated production base worldwide. In July 2021, BASF joined hands with Zhejiang Jiahua Energy & Chemical Co., Ltd. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Zhejiang Jiafu New Materials Technology Co., Ltd., to sign an agreement in Jiaxing City to further expand its production capacity of electronic-grade sulfuric acid. The expansion plan for this production base is scheduled to be completed by 2023.

In May 2022, Merck officially signed an agreement to establish its presence in Zhangjiagang, planning to invest in the construction of an advanced, integrated semiconductor facility—including semiconductor thin-film materials and specialty electronic gases—as well as a chemical warehouse and an operations center in Zhangjiagang. Currently, Merck’s electronics technology business in mainland China operates three high-tech manufacturing plants located in Shanghai Jinqiao, Shanghai Waigaoqiao, and Suzhou. The company will focus on the chip manufacturing sector and is expected to make additional investments in China totaling at least RMB 1 billion (approximately EUR 130 million) by 2025.

Dongyou of South Korea has built a large-scale production facility for electronic-grade chemical products in Xi'an, primarily supplying supporting materials to Samsung's Xi'an plant. Similarly sized chemical production lines have been established in Changzhou, providing support to Hynix in Wuxi. South Korea’s Sooborui Yin is the largest supplier of high-selectivity phosphoric acid to Samsung and Hynix. It is also constructing a production line in Xi'an to supply Samsung’s Xi'an plant with high-selectivity phosphoric acid, hydrofluoric acid, BOE, and other related products on a local basis.

 

2.4 Current Status of the Domestic Industry for Electronic-Grade Process Chemicals

In recent years, Chinese process chemical enterprises have continuously enhanced their technological capabilities, reaching a new level in areas such as production technology, testing methods, and technical services. As a result, their production equipment and technical strength have been significantly improved. Some products now boast production technologies capable of achieving levels as low as 0.1 ppb, and the industry as a whole has entered a phase of rapid development. On 8-inch and smaller integrated circuit production lines, process chemicals have largely achieved domestic production; on 12-inch integrated circuit production lines, for technology nodes above 28 nm, more than 20% of process chemicals can already be produced domestically.

The main Chinese enterprises engaged in the business of electronic-grade process chemicals include Hubei Xingfu Electronic Materials Co., Ltd., Zhongjuxin Technology Co., Ltd., Suzhou Jingrui Chemical Co., Ltd., Lianshi (Kunshan) Chemical Materials Co., Ltd., Duofuluo Chemical Co., Ltd., Binhua Group Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Danor Technology Co., Ltd., Jiangyin Jianghua Microelectronics Materials Co., Ltd., Jiangyin Runma Electronic Materials Co., Ltd., and Shanghai Xinyang Semiconductor Materials Co., Ltd. For more details, see Table 5.

Table 5: Status of Major Domestic Manufacturers of Process Chemicals

Company Name	Main products
Zhongjuxin Technology Co., Ltd.	With three major business segments—electronic process chemicals, electronic gases, and precursors—the company’s key process chemical products include: hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, ammonium hydroxide, and buffered oxidants. Etching Liquid (BOE), etc.
Hubei Xingfu Electronic Materials Co., Ltd.	We are primarily engaged in the R&D, production, and sales of process electronic chemicals for integrated circuits. Our main products include phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid, high-selectivity phosphoric acid, silicon thinning solutions, and various metals. Etching Liquid, BOE, and others.
Suzhou Jingrui Chemical Co., Ltd.	We are primarily engaged in the R&D, production, and sales of ultra-clean, high-purity electronic chemicals. Our key products include hydrogen peroxide, hydrofluoric acid, ammonium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and NMP.
Lianshi (Kunshan) Chemical Materials Co., Ltd.	We primarily supply ultra-high-purity microelectronic chemicals used in the manufacturing of large-scale integrated circuits and flat-panel displays. Our key products include electronic-grade sulfuric acid, ammonia solution, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, acetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and BOE.
Duofluoride Chemical Co., Ltd.	We are primarily engaged in the R&D, production, and sales of electronic-grade chemicals, with hydrofluoric acid being our flagship product.
BinHua Group Co., Ltd.	Engaged in the production and sale of electronic chemical products, with hydrofluoric acid being our primary product.
Jiangsu Danor Technology Co., Ltd.	We are primarily engaged in the R&D, production, and sales of ultra-high-purity microelectronic chemicals for semiconductor wet-process applications. Our main products include ammonia solution, sulfuric acid, hydrogen peroxide, hydrochloric acid, and hydrofluoric acid.
Shanghai Xinyang Semiconductor Materials Co., Ltd.	We primarily engage in the R&D, design, manufacturing, and sales services of electronic chemicals and supporting equipment required by the semiconductor industry. Our main products include copper plating solutions and plating additives, tin and tin alloy plating solutions and plating additives, flux removal cleaning solutions, and aluminum interconnects. Etching Post-cleaning solution, copper interconnects Etching Post-cleaning solutions, etc.
Jiangyin Jianghua Microelectronics Materials Co., Ltd.	We are primarily engaged in the R&D, production, and sales of wet electronic chemicals. Our key products include hydrogen peroxide, hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, ammonium hydroxide, ammonium fluoride, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, acetone, positive photoresist stripping solutions, negative photoresist stripping solutions, post-CMP cleaning solutions, and silicon. Etching Liquid, aluminum Etching Liquids, etc.
Jiangyin Runma Electronic Materials Co., Ltd.	Primarily engaged in the R&D, production, and sales of electronic chemicals, with key products including nitric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrofluoric acid, and ITO. Etching Liquid, aluminum Etching Liquid, molybdenum-aluminum Etching Liquid, hydrogen peroxide, isopropyl alcohol, acetone, and others.

 

2.4.1 Current Status of the Electronic-Grade Phosphoric Acid Industry

Electrograde phosphoric acid is primarily used for cleaning and etching in the manufacturing process of integrated circuits. High-selectivity phosphoric acid is a chemical specifically developed for advanced 3D NAND memory devices, and it is mainly employed to selectively remove silicon nitride from oxide-silicon nitride (O/SiN) stack structures with exceptional selectivity. This process places stringent demands on etch selectivity, damage to channel materials, repeatability, and stability. Removing the silicon nitride (Si3N4) layer in 3D NAND requires an extremely high etch selectivity ratio toward silicon dioxide. By adding organic silicon compounds, organic silicon stabilizers, surfactants, and other additives to high-purity phosphoric acid, the etch selectivity of silicon nitride over silicon dioxide can be significantly enhanced. At the same time, these additives help minimize the deposition of silicon-containing reaction byproducts on the wafer surface. According to incomplete statistics from the Integrated Circuit Materials Industry Technology Innovation Alliance (ICMtia), China’s total domestic production capacity of electrograde phosphoric acid in 2021 was approximately 30,000 tons.

Currently, domestically produced electronic-grade phosphoric acid has been put into mass production and is being used in integrated circuit production lines at the 28nm and 14-10nm technology nodes. High-selectivity phosphoric acid products have also been adopted in mass production for the 64-layer and 128-layer 3D NAND storage processes.

 

2.4.2 Current Status of the Electronic-Grade Sulfuric Acid Industry

Electron-grade sulfuric acid is primarily used for wafer cleaning and etching. In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, wafer cleaning is performed almost after every two consecutive processing steps. The sulfuric acid has a concentration specification of 96% and operates within a temperature range of 90 to 125°C. It can remove nearly all inorganic residues and particles from wafers. By adding an oxidizing agent to the sulfuric acid, carbon residues can also be removed. The metal impurity content requirement for semiconductor-grade sulfuric acid must meet the SEMI G4 standard; for advanced 12-inch processes, the requirement rises to the SEMI G5 standard. Currently, domestically produced sulfuric acid has already been put into mass production and application in integrated circuit fabrication lines using the 28nm technology node, and small-batch supplies have also begun for applications at the 14nm technology node.
According to incomplete statistics from the Integrated Circuit Materials Industry Technology Innovation Alliance (ICMtia), China's total sulfuric acid production capacity in 2021 was approximately 120,000 tons, of which about 100,000 tons were semiconductor-grade sulfuric acid.

 

2.4.3 Current Status of the Buffered Oxide Etchant (BOE) Industry

The buffered oxide etchant (BOE) is widely used for etching silicon dioxide with photoresist and for etching gate oxide layers. The addition of surfactants can improve the wettability of the substrate surface and reduce the micro-roughness of the silicon wafer surface after etching. Typically, BOE is prepared by mixing ammonium fluoride with hydrofluoric acid in specific ratios. Depending on the particular application, various formulation ratios are available. The process technology involved is highly demanding, and developing such solutions presents significant technical challenges. With the rapid advancement of integrated circuit manufacturing technologies, the requirements for film uniformity and surface roughness after etching have become increasingly stringent. Due to the relatively fast etching rate of BOE, it has become increasingly difficult to address these challenges effectively. Consequently, in advanced process technologies below 28 nm, there is a growing trend toward replacing BOE with diluted hydrofluoric acid. Currently, domestically produced buffered oxide etchants have been successfully implemented in mass production for both 8-inch processes and storage DRAM fabrication.

 

2.4.4 Current Status of the Silicon Etching Solution Industry

Silicon etching solutions mainly include single-crystal silicon etchants and polycrystalline silicon etchants. Single-crystal silicon etchants are primarily used for thinning the backside of silicon wafers, while polycrystalline silicon etchants (Poly etchants) are typically employed for etching polycrystalline silicon. In the production of advanced 3D NAND memory devices, Poly etchants are also used for etching prior to wafer bonding. These etchants are required to exhibit minimal fluctuations in etch rate over the chemical’s lifetime, with excellent uniformity of etch rates across individual wafers. They demand extremely high levels of uniformity, consistency, and stability in the etching process. By adjusting the composition of Poly etchants—for example, by adding sulfuric acid to improve the surface morphology of silicon after etching, or by incorporating phosphoric acid to stabilize the etch rate—manufacturers can precisely control the etch rate. Currently, domestic Chinese companies have achieved mass production and application of silicon etching solutions for 8-inch and 12-inch wafers at the 90-65nm node, and have completed product certification for the 45-28nm node.

 

2.4.5 Current Status of the Metal Etching Solution Industry

Metal etching solutions mainly include aluminum etchants, high-selectivity tungsten etchants, copper etchants, gold etchants, cobalt etchants, titanium nitride etchants, and others. The aluminum etchant is formulated by combining phosphoric acid, nitric acid, and acetic acid in specific proportions. Its etching rate can be controlled by adjusting concentration and temperature. Adding acetic acid not only improves the wettability of the aluminum surface but also helps stabilize the etching rate; it can also be used for etching metals such as Ti and W. Currently, aluminum etchants have been successfully applied in conventional device fabrication. However, in advanced 3D NAND memory manufacturing processes—where they are employed for selective etching of the barrier-layer metal titanium nitride and the gate-metal tungsten within the channel—they must stop precisely without damaging the surface of the high-k material used in the gate (such as aluminum oxide). Consequently, these etchants place extremely high demands on etching selectivity, stability, and uniformity. In particular, if the tungsten in the vertical channels is not completely removed, short-circuiting may occur in the 3D NAND devices. At present, significant progress has been made domestically: in 8-inch integrated circuit manufacturing processes, aluminum etchants have already achieved mass production and application. Domestically produced high-selectivity tungsten etchants have completed product certification for 3D NAND manufacturing processes involving 64- and 128-layer structures. Furthermore, titanium nitride etchants and gold etchants have also been successfully implemented in mass production for 8-inch integrated circuit manufacturing processes.