Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation has announced its decision to commercialize ultra‑high purity colloidal silica as a raw material for polishing agents used in advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
The company plans to build a new production facility at its Kyushu Plant (Fukuoka Worksite) in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, with commercial operations scheduled to begin in October 2028.
Colloidal silica is used as a raw material for polishing slurries in silicon wafer surface planarization and also in chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) for interconnect layers on silicon wafers. When polishing wiring layers, it is essential to achieve both a high material removal rate and nanometer‑level surface flatness, while ensuring impurity‑free performance and minimizing scratches. Depending on the material being polished, the colloidal silica particles must be tailored in shape and physical properties to match the specific application.
The ultra‑high purity colloidal silica to be commercialized is produced using an integrated process based on ultra‑high purity tetramethoxysilane as the starting material, minimizing impurity content to the greatest extent possible. Leveraging decades of advanced technological expertise, the company can customize particle size, density, and other parameters according to customer requirements.
Product highlights: Ultra‑high purity colloidal silica with customizable particle characteristics to meet specific customer needs.
With the semiconductor market continuing to expand driven by frontier fields such as generative AI and data centers, Mitsubishi Chemical has positioned "enabling advanced data processing and communications" as one of its core business pillars under its "KAITEKI Vision 35" management plan.
The company aims to supply this critical material for advanced semiconductor manufacturing to global markets, thereby supporting the development of the semiconductor industry supply chain.
