South Korea: Semiconductor industry nervous about Ukraine: Noble gas imports
-Impact on neon, krypton and xenon-
Ukraine Significant New Phase:
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “Decision to Dispatch”
South Korea’s semiconductor industry, which imports a significant portion of its raw materials from these countries, is tense. It was
Korea Trade Association:
February 22,
As of 2021, the scale of trade between South Korea and Ukraine will remain at the level of $ 900 million annually.
Essential raw materials for semiconductors:
But in South Korea,
Essential raw materials for semiconductor processes,
Neon, krypton, xenon, etc.
It imports up to 50% of gas from Ukraine and Russia.
Ukraine and Russia Request:
If the Ukrainian situation expands into a war situation
Production of domestic companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix will be hindered.
Noble gas neon:
One of the raw materials for excimer laser gas for the exposure process that engraves circuits on silicon wafers.
It is a rare gas contained in the air at 0.00182%.
Last year, 23.0% and 5.3% of neon were imported from Ukraine and Russia, respectively.
POSCO’s neon production facility:
Last month, POSCO began producing and shipping neon at the oxygen plant of Gwangyang Steel for the first time in South Korea.
By the second half of this year, it will be able to meet 16% of domestic demand in South Korea.
Still in the early stages of production:
However, it is extremely difficult to replace the obstacles to imports from Ukraine.
Noble gas krypton:
Krypton is utilized in the etching process of semiconductors (cutting the rest except the circuit pattern).
Ukraine
Last year, 30.7% of the total imports came from Ukraine, accounting for the highest weight among the importing countries.
Russia
Including Russia (17.5%), the weight of krypton imported from both countries by the Korean semiconductor industry reaches 50%.
Noble gas xenon:
In addition, it was investigated that xenon gas also imported 17.8% from Ukraine and 9.2% from Russia last year.
NH Investment & Securities
Researcher Do Hyun-woo
Report released on February 21
During the 2014-2015 Ukrainian War
The neon gas price has risen 10 times to his $ 3,500 cubic meter.
hankyoreh japan
http://japan.hani.co.kr/arti/politics/42635.html
Present and future production of xenon and krypton in the former
USSRregion−and−some−physical−properties−of−these−gases
https://www.nevis.columbia.edu/~ju/Paper/Paper-detector/science16.pdf