In February 2024, SK hynix became the first semiconductor company to unveil a mid- to long-term roadmap for bolstering the use of recycled materials. Through the roadmap, the company aims to raise the percentage of recycled materials used in its products to 25% by 2025 and to above 30% by 2030. The development of the neon recycling technology is expected to be a significant achievement for the company’s Material Recycling department in line with this roadmap.  

Figure 1. The process for recycling neon gas

Neon is one of the rare gases¹ and a key component of excimer laser gases², which are essential in the semiconductor lithography process³. As neon does not chemically decompose or transform when used as a laser light source, it can be recycled and reused through separation and purification processes. 

Taking advantage of this characteristic, SK hynix and TEMC succeeded in developing neon recycling technology. For the recycling process, a scrubber⁴ is used to capture the neon gas which is then collected in a tank following lithography. The neon gas is then selectively separated and purified using TEMC’s gas treatment process before being supplied to SK hynix for reuse in semiconductor manufacturing. Currently, the neon recovery rate, which is measured by multiplying emissions, capture volume, and purification yield, is at 72.7%. SK hynix plans to increase this rate to 77% by continuously improving the purification yield.

¹Rare gas: Gases including helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon that exist in low concentrations in the atmosphere. Largely used in industrial processes, they are difficult to mass produce and impossible to synthesize artificially.
²Excimer laser gases: A mixture of noble, halogen and buffer gases used for an excimer laser, a type of ultraviolet laser used in lithography.
³Lithography: The process of creating patterns onto a substrate, typically silicon wafers, with a laser to define the layout of electronic components.
⁴Scrubber: Equipment that filters and treats waste gases generated during the semiconductor manufacturing process.

One-Team Collaboration with Partners Expected to Cut Neon Purchasing Costs

Figure 2. SK hynix collaborated with materials and equipment partners to recycle neon gas

SK hynix was able to develop this technology as a result of close cooperation and synergy with its materials and equipment partners which boast expertise in their respective fields. The company plans to develop more of these partnerships with industry specialists in the future.   

The application of the recycling technology offers significant benefits. When used in semiconductor fabs, the neon recycling technology is expected to cut the cost of purchasing neon by KRW 40 billion (USD 30 million⁵) per year⁶. 

⁵Based on the KRW-USD exchange rate in March 2024.
⁶This figure is based on the unit cost of neon in 2022 and expected volume that will be used in one fab of the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster.

The First Step to Developing 10 Raw Material Recycling Technologies by 2025

Figure 3. (From left to right) Hwanuk Song, Buseup Song, and Youngjun Jeong of the Material Recycling department discuss recycling innovations

The Material Recycling department led the development of the neon recycling technology. As a subcommittee of the Carbon Management Committee⁷, it is responsible for securing recycling technologies for non-chemically modified materials and establishing a recycling-friendly fab environment based on these innovations. The subcommittee aims to recycle all materials that are not chemically decomposed and transformed during the semiconductor process. By 2025, it plans to develop recycling technologies for a total of ten raw materials, including neon, deuterium, hydrogen, and helium gases, as well as chemicals such as sulfuric acid. Looking further ahead, the company aims to complete a technology review for all non-chemically modified materials by 2030. 

⁷Carbon Management Committee: A company-wide organization involving research, manufacturing, facilities, environment, and procurement to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The committee leads initiatives such as low-power equipment development, process gas reduction, and energy reduction based on AI/DT technology.

Figure 4. The five stages of developing recycling technology

To achieve these goals, the subcommittee has categorized the development of recycling technologies into five stages based on technological maturity. As shown in Figure 4, the subcommittee aims to reach stage 3 (material evaluation) for ten raw materials including neon by 2025.  

Ultimately, SK hynix plans to overcome the uncertain supply of materials which are largely imported from overseas, thereby elevating the company’s competitiveness for years to come.   

The post SK hynix Teams Up With Local Partners to Develop Pioneering Neon Gas Recycling Tech first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

SK hynix now ​maintains a stable supply of neon gas despite the unstable international market, and is able to significantly reduce purchasing costs. The company aims to use 100% of locally produced neon gas by 2024.

Until now, Korean semiconductor companies have relied solely on imports of neon gas. In recent years, neon prices have been soaring as the international situation in major overseas production regions has become disrupted. In order to address the risk of supply instability, SK hynix has collaborated with Korean partners TEMC, a semiconductor gas manufacturer, and steelmaker POSCO, to produce the gas domestically.

A large air separation unit (ASU) plant is required to extract neon, which is rare in the air, resulting in a high initial investment. In response to SK hynix’s objective to procure neon locally, TEMC and POSCO collaborated to develop a technology for producing neon at a low cost by utilizing existing facilities. SK hynix evaluated and verified the locally produced neon and succeeded in using it in the semiconductor manufacturing process earlier this year. The neon is produced by POSCO, processed by TEMC, and then supplied to SK hynix as a top priority.

Neon is the main component of excimer laser gas used in semiconductor photolithography . The excimer laser gas produces a short wavelength ultraviolet laser light that engraves electric circuits onto wafers. Although 95% of the excimer laser gas is composed of neon, neon is a rare gaseous element that makes up only 0.00182% of the air.

SK hynix introduced locally produced neon to semiconductor photolithography in April this year for the first time in the domestic semiconductor industry, increasing its use to 40% of all neon used in the manufacturing process. By 2024, all of SK hynix’s semiconductor manufacturing will use locally produced neon.

In addition, to reduce the risk of raw material shortages, SK hynix plans to procure krypton and xenon gas locally by June 2023 both of which are used in the etching process^* of semiconductors. As a leading global technology company, it plans to continue securing the resources necessary for the development of advanced semiconductor technologies.

^*Etching process: the process of removing unnecessary parts on the exterior of the circuit engraved on the wafer through photolithography.

“Cooperation with domestic partners greatly contributed to stabilizing supply in spite of an uncertain market due to the unstable international situation. We plan to strengthen the semiconductor raw material supply chain through continuous cooperation with our partners,” said Hongsung Yoon, Head of FAB Materials Procurement at SK hynix.

The post An Industry First: SK hynix Sources Neon Gas Locally, Increases Its Use in Chip Production to 40% first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.