China advances high-purity quartz capabilities for semiconductor manufacturing

Geologists and industry reports indicate that China is making significant strides in securing high-purity quartz, a critical material for semiconductor and solar panel production. Researchers from the China University of Geosciences and other regional bureaus have identified a deposit near Shiyan in Hubei province that produces quartz with properties “highly similar” to the world-leading Spruce Pine mine in North Carolina, USA.

In the semiconductor sector, Pacific Quartz announced that its high-purity quartz products have qualified for use by a major Chinese DRAM manufacturer, likely CXMT, for 300 mm wafer production. This development supports a more localized supply chain for essential manufacturing components, such as diffusion tubes for LPCVD processes, quartz ingots, and plates. These materials require extreme purity levels, typically between 99.995% and 99.999% SiO2, to prevent impurities from migrating onto wafers and causing transistor defects.

While the essential quartz required to grow silicon wafers remains concentrated in US-based suppliers, these new Chinese discoveries and industrial qualifications represent a move toward reducing reliance on foreign imports for high-end technology consumables.