Domestic polysilicon products are still mainly for the photovoltaic market
The development of the solar photovoltaic industry has created the myth of China's polysilicon industry: It has become the world's largest polysilicon producer. In 2017, China's polysilicon production capacity was 270,000 tons, accounting for 54.5% of the world's total production capacity of 495,600 tons. China's polysilicon production is 242,000 tons, accounting for 55% of the world's total output of 440,000 tons. But domestic market demand is still 157,000 tons of polysilicon dependent imports, electronic grade polysilicon is almost entirely dependent on imports.
Yan Dazhong, senior engineer of Luoyang Zhongwa High-Tech Co., Ltd., director of the National Engineering Laboratory of polysilicon materials, provided the reporter with this year's figures. He said that as of the end of May 2018, there were 22 polysilicon enterprises in China with a total capacity of 315,000 tons. Among them, there are 10 enterprises with a scale of 10,000 tons or above, with a total production capacity of 264,000 tons, accounting for 83%. There are still many enterprises in the new construction and expansion, the production capacity will continue to grow, but the domestic polysilicon enterprises produce more polysilicon. For photovoltaic products.
With the implementation of the photovoltaic industry leader plan, high-quality, high-efficiency batteries have become the new normal state of the photovoltaic industry. The share of monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic cells continues to increase, requiring the quality of polysilicon to be improved. According to the national "photovoltaic manufacturing industry standard conditions (2018) 》, New, rebuilt polysilicon project quality requirements, to meet the national standard GB/T12963 electronic grade polysilicon 2 grade standards, photovoltaic manufacturing polysilicon is no longer synonymous with low-end products, low-quality products will be gradually eliminated. 'Yan Dazhou said .
From photovoltaic level to electronic level, the purity should be increased by 2 - 3 orders of magnitude
Compared with solar grade polysilicon, electronic grade polysilicon is different in quality. The popular saying is that solar energy 2000 polysilicon requires silicon purity of 9N and above, and electronic grade polysilicon requires quality of 11N and above, and it should be increased by 2 to 3 orders of magnitude. Dazhou told reporters that the national standard GB12963 puts specific requirements on the content of electronic grade polysilicon boron, phosphorus and other three, five-valent impurities, metal impurities and oxygen, carbon impurities, etc., especially that the content of each impurity must be stable and controllable.
Therefore, from solar grade polysilicon to electronic grade polysilicon, it is necessary to carry out comprehensive consideration of process, technology, materials, equipment manufacturing, engineering construction, equipment operation, etc. from the beginning of design, and to achieve excellence in process control of each link. Only in this way can polysilicon enterprises achieve major breakthroughs at the current domestic level and produce qualified electronic grade polysilicon products.
Tian Xin, general manager of Jiangsu Xinhua Semiconductor Materials Technology Co., Ltd. said: 'As a high-purity material, the more difficult it is to purify it, the more difficult it is to purify. The purification of polysilicon is the highest limit of human industrial purification, and its process can represent the purification of the entire human industry. The highest level. Semiconductor grade polysilicon does not have any discount space and buffer space, no retreat, can only go forward, the quality requirements are very strict. Any link has a little impurity, the product quality level will be affected. 'He stressed that In order to achieve this goal, we must consider the whole project from the beginning of the project construction, rather than carry out the transformation and upgrading of some links under the existing technology system. The process technology selection and engineering design should be carried out in strict accordance with the requirements of electronic grade polysilicon. Manufacturing, engineering construction and other aspects are strictly controlled, and the level of regulation and operation in the production process is guaranteed.
Ren Xueping, deputy general manager of Qinghai Yellow River Hydropower New Energy Branch, added that in addition to product purity, electronic grade polysilicon products also need to be recognized by downstream manufacturers, while downstream users are concerned about the stability of product quality. Therefore, in ensuring polysilicon products In addition to the purity, it is also necessary to ensure the consistency of its products. This is also a big challenge for domestic polysilicon enterprises.
Solar polysilicon and electronic grade polysilicon should be developed in synergy
Electronic grade polysilicon is the core key raw material of the integrated circuit industry. Expanding its localization will remove the situation that China's strategic raw materials are subject to people's situation and enhance the strategic security of China's integrated circuit industry. With the rapid development of China's integrated circuit industry, electronic grade polysilicon The demand is accelerating and expanding. It is estimated that by 2020, the annual demand for polysilicon in China's integrated circuits will exceed 10,000 tons. Therefore, the development of electronic grade polysilicon has become an urgent problem for domestic polysilicon enterprises.
Yan Dazhou said that the layout of China's polysilicon industry has moved to Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and other low-cost regions, but the lack of scientific and technological personnel and scientific research conditions in these areas, coupled with environmental conditions such as sand and sand are not conducive to the production of electronic grade polysilicon. The current research focus is on the Central Plains, East China, but these areas suffer from high energy prices, solar-scale polysilicon production development space is limited, independent construction of electronic-grade polysilicon projects in the two to three years after the completion of difficult to form profitability, it is recommended that the state to give solar polysilicon energy technology advanced The preferential energy price of polysilicon enterprises adopts the synergistic development mode of solar polysilicon and electronic grade polysilicon to ensure the continuous research and production of electronic grade polysilicon. Combining the development plan of China's integrated circuit industry and large silicon wafer project, focusing on the research of process technology of electronic grade polysilicon And innovation, support electronic grade polysilicon and large silicon wafer integration projects, to provide a stable supply of raw materials for the development of the integrated circuit industry.
Ren Xueping told the China Electronics News that due to the long-term monopoly of foreign polysilicon manufacturers and the consideration of the stability of polysilicon products by downstream enterprises, domestic integrated circuit companies are reluctant to use domestic polysilicon products. And the trial of electronic grade polysilicon products, certification cycle Long, domestic enterprises are struggling to develop the market. Therefore, he suggested that relevant departments guide and encourage the coordinated development of upstream and downstream enterprises, expand the use of domestic electronic grade polysilicon, and provide a stable supply of basic materials for the development of the domestic integrated circuit industry. It is emphasized that the state should give preferential energy prices to technology-leading polysilicon enterprises, and promote enterprises to reduce costs and improve market competitiveness.
Tian Xin believes that the future of the semiconductor industry is related to the national integrated circuit industry policy. While focusing on industrial technology upgrading and industrial chain development, it is important to focus on the technology and equipment to win the future, to create industrial technology development, application foundation and pilot technology. The ecological system of development. 'At the same time, domestic polysilicon enterprises should further deepen international cooperation, achieve open innovation, mutual benefit and win-win. ' Tian Xin finally said.