Today, let's talk about semiconductor materials, an important field that may seem unobtrusive but is related to the future of the entire technology industry. In the complex system of chip manufacturing, the self-sufficiency rate of semiconductor materials is less than 10%, and it is heavily dependent on imports.
First of all, let's focus on the silicon wafer with the highest proportion in the market, accounting for 32% of the entire semiconductor materials market9%。Although China is able to manufacture large silicon wafers of 300mm, its market share is less than 10%, and more than 90% of the global share is monopolized by manufacturers in the United States, Japan, Europe, South Korea, and Taiwan. This means that even though we have the ability to make large wafers, we have not yet dominated the market competition.
Secondly, special gases, which have more than 100 kinds in chip manufacturing, but China can only produce about 20% of the varieties, and high-end gases are 100% dependent on imports. This is a huge bottleneck for chip manufacturing, especially in terms of high-end gases, and we are facing a huge technical challenge.
Looking at photomasks and photoresists, the technology of domestic manufacturers is mainly concentrated in 350 180nm, and for masks of 90nm and below, the localization rate is almost zero. In terms of photoresists, although several companies are validating 65nm, there are almost no more advanced processes. This means that at the more advanced nodes of the chip process, we are still dependent on imports, and the situation is quite grim.
A similar situation also occurs in wet electronic chemicals, polishing slurry, polishing pads, targets and other materials, domestic manufacturers mainly master the more mature part of the process, and in the 65nm and more advanced process, there is almost no mastery, seriously restricting the development of Chinese chips.
The semiconductor material market may not be huge, but its criticality cannot be ignored. The self-sufficiency rate is less than 10%, and the breakthrough of domestic materials in more advanced technology still needs to be worked on. In the case of high technical barriers and fierce market competition, the development of new enterprises is facing huge challenges. However, the importance of materials for chips cannot be ignored, and there is still huge room for improvement in domestic semiconductor materials. In this field, we need to work together, continue to innovate, find a breakthrough for domestic semiconductor materials, and contribute to the future of science and technology. What are your thoughts on the future of semiconductor materials? Let's share your views and expectations in the comment area, and work together on this important topic.