In
the "heart" of semiconductor manufacturing—the wafer fab—the seals for
etching and thin-film deposition equipment are known as the "most
consumable precision parts." For a long time, this critical component
has been monopolized by foreign companies such as DuPont (now Chemours)
of the United States and Asahi Glass of Japan. Recently, Shandong Qifu
New Material Co., Ltd. announced that its self-developed
"Perfluoroelastomer (FFKM)" pilot plant has been successfully put into
operation. The product purity meets electronic-grade standards, with
metal ion content below 1.5ppb (parts per billion), marking a leap from
"following" to "running alongside" for China in the field of core
semiconductor sealing materials.
Perfluoroelastomer
is hailed as the "gold of the rubber world." All hydrogen atoms in its
molecular chain are replaced by fluorine atoms, giving it extreme
chemical corrosion resistance and high-temperature performance. In the
dry etching process of chip manufacturing, equipment chambers must
withstand bombardment from high-concentration fluorine-based plasma at
temperatures exceeding 200°C. Ordinary fluoroelastomers rapidly age and
release particles in this environment, contaminating wafers. Qifu New
Material's perfluoroelastomer, thanks to its perfluorinated structure,
maintains ultra-low outgassing rates and volume stability in plasma
environments, with a service life more than 10 times that of ordinary
fluoroelastomers.
"We
have not only solved the problem of 'availability' but also of
'quality,'" said Song Xuezhang, Chairman of Qifu New Material. The
product has been validated by several domestic 12-inch wafer fabs, and
its performance indicators match those of international giant 3M's
Dai-El series. Currently, the company is planning to expand its
production capacity to 100 tons per year to meet China's growing wafer
manufacturing demand. This breakthrough not only reduces the maintenance
costs of domestic semiconductor equipment but also builds a solid
"rubber defense line" for safeguarding the supply chain security of
China's integrated circuit industry chain.
IOTA MF Methylfluorosilicone oil
