The materials used in semiconductor manufacturing can be broadly classified as follows.

・Wafer materials

・Photoresists

・Process gases

・CMP materials

・Encapsulation materials

・Package materials

These are combined to create structures with nanometer precision.

The material that serves as the substrate of a semiconductor.

Features:

・High-purity single crystal

・300mm diameter is mainstream

・Nanometer-level flatness

Representative companies:

・Shin-Etsu Chemical

・SUMCO

These two companies account for the majority of the global market share.

A photosensitive material used in the lithography process.

Roles:

・Forming circuit patterns

・Determining the precision of microfabrication

In the EUV generation, resist performance determines how far scaling can go.

Representative companies:

・JSR

・Tokyo Ohka Kogyo

・Shin-Etsu Chemical

Many specialty gases are used in semiconductor manufacturing.

Examples:

・Silane

・Ammonia

・Fluorine-based gases

・Argon

Applications:

・Deposition

・Etching

・Cleaning

Ultra-high purity is required.

CMP stands for Chemical Mechanical Polishing.

It is the process of planarizing the wafer surface at the atomic level.

Required materials:

・Slurry

・Pads

Flatness determines wiring precision.

In semiconductor manufacturing, fine particles and metal contamination must be completely removed.

Main chemicals:

・Sulfuric acid

・Hydrogen peroxide

・Hydrofluoric acid

・Ammonia

Even trace impurities affect yield.

Materials that protect the chip in the back-end process.

Roles:

・Mechanical protection

・Protection against humidity

・Heat dispersion

Epoxy resin is mainly used.

Materials used in the packaging process.

Examples:

・Underfill

・TIM (thermal interface material)

・Solder materials

・Substrate materials

In AI chips, the importance of thermally conductive materials is increasing sharply.

There are three reasons.

・High-purity chemical technology

・Accumulated materials research

・Quality control capability

In materials, many years of know-how is the source of competitiveness.

New entry is difficult.

In the semiconductor supply chain, when materials stop, factories stop.

Examples:

・Resist supply

・Wafer shortages

・Gas supply

For this reason, materials companies are the foundational infrastructure of the industry.

Materials that will become important in the future:

・High-k materials

・Low-k materials

・SiC wafers

・GaN substrates

・Thermally conductive materials

Materials for power semiconductors in particular are growing rapidly.

・Semiconductors are a huge materials industry

・They are composed of many kinds of materials, such as wafers, resists, and gases

・Material quality determines yield

・Japanese companies are strong in the materials field

・Next-generation materials are the future axis of competition

1.Why are semiconductor materials important?

2.What is the role of photoresist?

3.Why are Japanese companies strong in the materials field?

 

Column Supervisor: Koji Kakumoto (President, OTIS Co., Ltd.)

After studying abroad and working in planning and development at a trading company, he joined OTIS Co., Ltd. in 2011. While primarily working in the Corporate Planning Department, he has also served concurrently in manufacturing and technical divisions, and since 2018 has served as President, working to drive business growth and strengthen the organization.

 

This article is a general technical explanation intended for educational purposes and does not refer to any specific company, product, or technology.