The US government has announced an up to $325m investment to commission a new semiconductor-grade polysilicon manufacturing facility at Hemlock Semiconductor’s campus in Michigan.
Announced with a signed memorandum of terms between the US Department of Commerce and Hemlock Semiconductor, the effort hopes to solidify the US’ leadership in semiconductor-grade polysilicon manufacturing.
HSC is the only US-based manufacturer of hyper-pure polysilicon and is one of five companies globally that produces polysilicon to the purity level needed for semiconductors.
The proposed funding for the new manufacturing facility will be distributed under the CHIPS and Science Act, signed into law in August 2022 by President Joe Biden.
Read more: President Biden signs $52bn CHIPS Act into law
US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo described polysilicon as the bedrock of semiconductors, emphasising the importance of having a reliable source of the material.
She added, “We are proposing to invest up and down the semiconductor supply chain and support domestic materials suppliers, like HSC, that are helping drive America’s semiconductor manufacturing resurgence and technological leadership, and creating quality jobs all over the country in the process.”
The latest proposed funding would be the first significant investment in HSC’s semiconductor capacity in more than two decades. In addition to supporting the plant development, it also includes $5m to support the company’s production and construction workforce.
HSC has already partnered with Delta College and Saginaw Career Complex to support and create programs that connect the local community to semiconductor training and employment opportunities.
HSC Chairman and CEO AB Ghosh, said, “Bolstered by the CHIPS Act, we are planning for a once-in-a-generation investment in advanced technologies to continue serving as a top polysilicon supplier to the leading-edge semiconductor market.”
The CHIPS and Science Act has allocated over $36bn in proposed funding across 20 states and proposed to invest billions more in research and innovation, which is expected to create over 125,000 jobs. Since the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration, semiconductor and electronics companies have announced over $400bn in private investments, catalysed in large part by public investment.
The role of specialty gases in semiconductor manufacturing
Specialty gases are often thought of as the lifeblood of the electronics industry and the beating heart of semiconductor manufacturing. These gases, including those used in creating silicon for chips, are directly linked to the advancement of current technology. Remarkably, a single wafer – a thin slice of semiconductor material crucial for integrated circuits – can comprise up to one thousand chips.
Semiconductor manufacture may use up to 30 different gases in all the various processes, including gases such as helium, nitrogen, and argon, which are used to create an inert atmosphere, flush chambers at the end of a process, or before cleaning.
Other specialty gases such as hydrogen, ammonia, and chlorine, in addition to less common examples like hexafluoroethane, octafluorocyclobutane and germane, are used in the etching and deposition processes.
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