Behind the square inch chip, a silent breakthrough that concerns the lifeline of materials is unfolding. When foreign technological barriers are high and supply chains are hanging on the front line, Chinese steel workers and research forces join forces to refine Chinese purity from thousands of furnaces, making the steel bars and iron bones of semiconductor manufacturing no longer subject to others.

New breakthroughs have been made in tackling key issues

Semiconductors are the backbone of the country, and ultra-high purity materials are the foundation of chip manufacturing. Shagang Fushun Special Steel, in collaboration with the Institute of Metals of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has undergone over five years and thousands of experiments, breaking through foreign barriers and developing ultra high purity stainless steel 316LVV for semiconductors. It has achieved customized production and supplied more than ten domestic semiconductor equipment enterprises, promoting the domestic substitution of semiconductor materials.

Decryption of hardcore technology

316LVV is based on 316L stainless steel and uses a dual vacuum melting process. Different from ordinary smelting methods, the dual vacuum process makes the material purity and corrosion resistance more excellent. Compared to imported products, the performance has improved by over 10%, the delivery cycle has been shortened by 3 months, and the market orders have continued to grow. Keywords: semiconductor materials, domestic substitution, 316LVV, technological barriers

Ensure the autonomy of the industrial chain

In the past, 316LVV technology was monopolized by foreign countries and relied on imports domestically, which posed a risk of supply interruption. Joint research and development by enterprises and institutions to achieve mass production of 6-ton process, with the ability to customize multiple types of profiles and achieve international advanced quality standards. This breakthrough breaks the overseas blockade and stabilizes the security of the semiconductor industry chain. Shagang will continue to tackle new materials and solidify the foundation of Chinese made materials.Editor/Gong Ziwei