China's first sheet of 18-inch (450mm) diameter Czochralski silicon (CZ-Si) mono-crystal was successfully developed by the Beijing-based General Research Institute for Nonferrous Metal (GRINM), which indicates that China has planted in the world advanced rank on large-diameter Si studies. It would help push forward the nation's research on semiconductor materials, as well as development of integrated circuit and information industry.
The information industry, which heralds modern economy, has integrated circuit at its core, and over 95 percent integrated-circuit-centered electronic equipment in the world is made of Silicon material, while 85 percent of which uses CZ-Si. To raise integration level and lower production cost, integrated circuit makers have been seeking for CZ-Si mono-crystalline polished wafer with bigger diameters. The 18-inch polished wafer, as substrate for future 22 nano-meter 64G integrated circuit, is still under primary studies in the world.
The GRINM, who boasts large-diameter Si mono-crystal production technology of its own intellectual property rights, developed its 6-inch, 8-inch and 12-inch CZ-Si in 1992, 1995 and 1997 respectively. It also set up China's first 8-inch polished wafer production line in 2001.
(People's Daily November 5, 2002)
