As tantalum (Ta), which was recently subject to import restrictions by the United States, is used in most domestic semiconductor processes, there are growing calls to secure the stability of its supply to ensure the stability of domestic semiconductor materials.

It has been found that the commercialization of recycling technology for tantalum scrap, which is exported overseas at a low price and brought back at a high price, is key to ensuring the stability of the tantalum supply.

According to domestic and international media, the U.S. Department of Defense reportedly banned the import of tantalum metal and alloys from four countries, including North Korea, China, Russia, and Iran, on the 25th and published the ban in the Federal Register.

The U.S. Department of Defense has been implementing a ban on the import of tantalum from these four countries since October 2020 in accordance with the provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act, and it is reported that this policy has now been finalized.

Tantalum is used in the electronics industry as a semiconductor process target, in the automotive industry as a high-capacity capacitor material, as a small capacitor, as well as in jet engine parts and aircraft parts, due to its high melting point of 3,017°C, high charge capacity, low resistance temperature coefficient, and excellent corrosion resistance.

It is known that more than 90% of it is used in semiconductor processes in Korea.


In semiconductor manufacturing, tantalum is used as a semiconductor barrier material. It is applied in the CVD process.

Most are supplied as high-purity sputtering targets, and some are also supplied in the form of precursors.

Although the exact amount of the domestic semiconductor tantalum market is not available, the industry estimates it to be a market worth approximately 300 billion to 350 billion won.

Looking at domestic tantalum import statistics, while the import weight does not fluctuate significantly, the import price continues to rise.




According to import and export statistics from the Korea International Trade Association, the price, which was $357 per kilogram in 2014, continued to rise to $413 in 2015, $518 in 2016, $544 in 2017, $569 in 2018, $706 in 2019, $867 in 2020, and $930 in 2021, and recorded $861 in 2022.

Import weight recorded 211 tons in 2020 and 180 tons in 2021, a 14.5% decrease compared to the previous year. In 2022, 118 tons were imported through July, an increase of 11.1% compared to the previous year.

Total imports amounted to $167.27 million in 2021, which is approximately 199 billion won (based on the exchange rate as of December 31, 2021), and as of July 2022 (based on the exchange rate as of July 29, 2022), they amounted to $102.1 million, which is approximately 133.1 billion won.

Japan is the country's top import source. In 2021, approximately $69,382 worth of tantalum was imported from Japan; although this amount is 15.1% lower than in 2020, it is double the figure for China, which ranks second.



The reason for the high proportion of imports from Japan is closely related to tantalum recycling.

Most of the tantalum consumed domestically relies on imports, with over 90% of the imports used in semiconductor processes.

Since the tantalum used in semiconductor processes is basically a 5N grade high-purity product, most of the remaining scrap is also known to be of 5N or 4N grade high purity. As a result, even scrap can be recycled into high-purity products that can be used in semiconductor processes.

However, there is a problem in that these scraps cannot be recycled domestically.

In the case of tantalum, not only is the scrap price fundamentally high, but the recycling process is also difficult, so it is understood that there are no companies specializing in recycling in Korea.

There are two methods for recycling tantalum: the wet process and the dry process.

The wet process is a method for treating hydrofluoric acid/fluoride, but it has the disadvantage of high environmental burden due to the use of fluoride and organic solvents, and high operating costs due to the complex process.

Dry processes, such as vacuum arc melting or electron beam melting, reduce environmental impact by bypassing wet processes, but they have the disadvantage of high equipment costs. It is known that installing an electron beam requires an equipment cost of approximately 25 billion won.

Due to environmental or economic reasons, there are no domestic companies that recycle tantalum; consequently, most of the scrap is exported to Japan at low prices, recycled there, and then re-imported into the country.

Accordingly, tantalum experts are unanimously calling for the rapid commercialization of domestic scrap recycling technology to secure the supply stability of tantalum, an essential material used in semiconductor processes, and to prepare for global supply chain crises such as the recent suspension of hydrogen fluoride imports.

Meanwhile, regarding tantalum recycling, it is reported that there are currently no domestic companies that have commercialized or developed a business, and MTIG is known to be a company that possesses recycling technology.

In the case of MTIG, tantalum powder can be manufactured through a hydrogenation-dehydrogenation process, and a patent (No. 10-2014845) was registered in 2019 using this technology.