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Chinese High-Purity Quartz Approved for Semiconductor Equipment and DRAM Manufacturing
Key points
- Jiangsu Pacific Quartz supplies HPQ materials to Lam Research and Tokyo Electron.
- Its materials passed certification for use by a Chinese DRAM manufacturer, likely CXMT.
- Pacific Quartz's products are used in semiconductor production equipment, not wafer growth crucibles.
- The company cannot yet produce ultra-high-purity quartz for silicon wafer crucibles.
Chinese Quartz in Semiconductor Manufacturing
Jiangsu Pacific Quartz, a Chinese producer of high-purity quartz (HPQ), is now supplying its materials to leading domestic and international chipmaking tool manufacturers, including Lam Research and Tokyo Electron. The company's components have also recently passed certification for use by a domestic DRAM manufacturer, which analysts believe to be CXMT.
Applications and Purity Levels
Pacific Quartz has been supplying ultra-high-purity quartz consumables, such as LPCVD diffusion tubes, wafer boats, quartz ingots, quartz plates, and high-purity quartz tubes, to Lam Research and Tokyo Electron since 2019–2020. These products typically meet 4N5 – 5N purity levels (99.995–99.999% SiO2), which are suitable for semiconductor process equipment. The recent qualification by a Chinese DRAM manufacturer for 300-mm wafer production further validates the use of these materials in a domestic supply chain.
Limitations in Wafer Production
Despite these advancements, Pacific Quartz's materials are used in semiconductor production equipment after the silicon wafer has been made. The company cannot yet produce the ultra-high-purity quartz crucibles (typically over 99.999% SiO₂ with tight contaminant limits) required for growing silicon ingots for semiconductor wafers. Currently, such crucibles are primarily sourced from Sibelco and The Quartz Corp. in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, and to a lesser extent from Russian Quartz LLC.
Significance for China's Supply Chain
The certification by a Chinese DRAM manufacturer for Pacific Quartz's products demonstrates progress in establishing a largely domestic supply chain for certain semiconductor components within China. This includes the processing of Pacific Quartz's purified high-purity sand into materials for semiconductor furnace tubes used in DRAM fabrication. However, the continued reliance on foreign suppliers for the highest purity quartz used in wafer growth highlights an ongoing gap in China's self-sufficiency for critical semiconductor materials.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
Jiangsu Pacific Quartz, a Chinese high-purity quartz producer, has received certification for its materials in domestic DRAM manufacturing, likely CXMT, and supplies major chipmaking tool companies. This development signifies China's progress in establishing a domestic supply chain for semiconductor components, though it still relies on foreign sources for ultra-high-purity quartz crucibles used in wafer production.