Out of Stock, Major Semiconductor Companies' Usage Surge Failing to Meet Production Demand

Diborane Shortage City Semiconductor Production Disruption, Semiconductor Supply Shortage Aggravated

As the supply and demand of diborane (B2H6) becomes tight, the supply of semiconductor materials is becoming more unstable. If the supply and demand instability of diborane becomes a reality, it is expected to affect semiconductor production.

According to the semiconductor industry, supply and demand at major diborane distributors are reportedly tight.

Diborane is a key gas used in semiconductor and solar doping processes, and is used as an in-situ doping material in various semiconductor blanket and layered deposition processes. While arsine and phosphine are mainly used for n-type semiconductors, diborane is widely used for p-type semiconductors.

The supply and demand instability of Diborane is analyzed to be due to the sudden increase in demand. Recently, as the operating rates of semiconductor manufacturers' factories have increased, the input of related materials has increased, but diborane production is not able to keep up with demand with the same capacity as before.

In the case of diborane distributed domestically, there are products synthesized by Korea Methyson Special Gas at its Asan plant in South Chungcheong Province and products produced by Air Liquid Solutions Korea at its plant in the United States and supplied to domestic distributors such as Versum Materials Korea and Wonik Materials.

In the case of Air Liquid Solutions' US plant, inventory was usually maintained at the level of 2-3 months, but recently, it has been reported that products are sold as soon as they are produced, with no inventory.

It is known that the domestic demand for diborane is quite tight as it supplies a balanced amount to major semiconductor companies such as Samsung Electronics and Micron in the United States.

It is reported that even in the case of Mathison special gas, which is synthetically produced domestically, it is not a shortage but rather quite tight.

Recently, major semiconductor manufacturers have experienced difficulties such as factory shutdowns due to cold waves in the U.S. and droughts in Taiwan, and the shortage of automotive semiconductors is becoming more severe, worsening the global semiconductor shortage.

In the midst of this, if diborane, a key material used in semiconductor processes, reaches a shortage, it is expected that the supply and demand of semiconductors will become even more difficult.

Meanwhile, diborane (B2H6) is a colorless gas with a peculiar odor, one of the boranes, and is a highly toxic substance. It can be fatal if inhaled and can cause burns, so care must be taken when handling it.