SK Hynix Inc., the world’s second-largest reminiscence chipmaker after Samsung Electronics Co., and its South Korean associate TEMC Co., have collectively developed a neon fuel recycling expertise – the business’s first to take action.
When utilized to its chip fabrication traces, SK Hynix expects to save lots of as a lot as 40 billion gained ($30 million) yearly by decreasing its reliance on imports for neon gases utilized in chip manufacturing, the corporate mentioned on Monday.
Most Korean chipmakers, together with SK Hynix and its crosstown rival Samsung, and microelectronic system makers depend on imports for his or her neon fuel wants.
SK Hynix mentioned it and TEMC, a specialty fuel producer, have worked for over a year to develop the expertise of neon fuel recycling.
Neon is required for excimer lasers or ultraviolet lasers which can be utilized in a chip manufacturing course of generally known as lithography, the place machines carve patterns onto tiny items of silicon made by the likes of Samsung, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), Intel Corp. and SK Hynix.
PROTRACTED RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
As a buffer fuel in krypton and argon lasers utilized in lithography that underpins chipmaking, neon is utilized in massive portions.
The protracted Russia-Ukraine warfare, which broke out in 2022, has prompted the manufacturing of neon fuel to fall to worryingly low ranges, pushing its costs greater.
Ukraine dominates world manufacturing of the important semiconductor course of fuel as greater than half of the world’s neon is produced by a handful of firms within the nation.
Korean chipmakers have primarily sourced neon fuel from Ukraine, Russia and China.
Final month, Samsung mentioned it plans to use recycled neon gas from next year to cut back its dependence on imports and slash its carbon footprint throughout chip manufacturing.
NEON RECYCLING TECH
Chipmakers at present launch neon fuel into the air after use within the lithography course of.
Nonetheless, SK Hynix and TEMC gather discharged neon fuel via a scrubber, a tool that filters and removes waste gases generated in the course of the semiconductor manufacturing course of, in a group tank, after which extract purified neon fuel via TEMC’s fuel therapy course of for reuse.
SK Hynix mentioned its neon restoration fee is at present at 72.7% and plans to quickly increase the speed to 77%.
The chipmaker mentioned via its neon fuel recycling expertise, it expects to chop greenhouse fuel (GHG) emissions, significantly Scope 3 emissions, by 12,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equal per 12 months (tCO2e/yr).
GHG emissions are categorized as Scope 1, direct emissions, Scope 2, oblique emissions and Scope 3, different oblique emissions.
Scope 3 contains all emissions that aren’t produced by an organization however are a consequence all through the business worth chain from uncooked supplies sourcing to product manufacturing.
In February, SK Hynix unveiled a roadmap for its use of recycled supplies in chip manufacturing.
Beneath the plan, the corporate goals to hike the usage of recycled supplies in its chip merchandise to 25% by 2025 and lift the ratio to 30% by 2030.
The event of the neon fuel recycling expertise will play a key position in reaching that objective, it mentioned.
The corporate additionally plans to develop recycling applied sciences for different gases utilized in chip manufacturing comparable to deuterium, hydrogen and helium, in addition to chemical substances comparable to sulfuric acid by 2025.
“By such efforts, we hope to contribute to the worldwide initiative to cut back carbon emissions and lift our chip-making competitiveness. We’ll additionally strengthen cooperation with our companions in that regard,” mentioned an SK Hynix official.
Write to Jeong-Soo Hwang at [email protected]
In-Soo Nam edited this text.
