The advanced semiconductor manufacturing segment is facing a shortage of high-purity CO2, a critical compound required to make chips.
CO2 Production Declines, Raising Fears of Tightening Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing In The Coming Months
Last month, we reported that major semiconductor manufacturers were facing a shortage of Tungsten Hexafluoride or WF6, a critical gas for advanced packaging processes required by HBM and 3D NAND technologies. The shortages stemmed from China cutting off the tungsten supply to Japanese gas producers.
Now, a second chemical compound is facing potential shortages. CO2, or Carbon Dioxide, is used in advanced semiconductor manufacturing. The first instances of shortages in CO2 were reported on 2nd June, and now, The Elec has highlighted that production of raw CO2 has declined at major oil refineries and petrochemical plants.
CO2 is critical for advanced manufacturing as it is used in the highly critical cleaning processes. CO2 acts as both a liquid for dissolving wafer residues and contaminants and a gas to remove particles from deep inside the semiconductor structure. Raw CO2 is produced as a by-product at oil refineries, the petrochemical industry, and hydrogen manufacturing.
The reason for the shortages is said to be lower operating rates at South Korean petro-plants, along with uncertainty in crude oil supply due to the ongoing Middle East crisis.
"We cannot supply as much as customers want because there simply isn't enough feedstock," an official at a gas supplier said. "There is no practical way to increase production in the short term."
Major firms such as Samsung and SK Hynix are said to maintain at least two weeks of inventory, but due to these shortages, they have dropped below the combined 1-month mark. Samsung is said to consume 1800-2000 metric tons of high-impurity CO2 per month, while SK Hynix has a monthly consumption of 600-700 metric tons.
So far, the manufacturing at both companies continues at a steady pace, but prolonged CO2 shortages can lead to a supply cutoff for advanced packaging chips. Given the demand for AI compute currently, further shortages can lead to much higher prices, which in turn can further affect the global tech segment.
About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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