Mitsubishi Chemical - in a new factory in Taiwan to produce advanced materials related to 5G

 

Recently Nihon Keizai Shimbun electronic version reported the following

三菱ケミカル、5G関連で台湾に新工場　先端素材を生産

【イブニングスクープ】

環境エネ・素材 中国・台湾

2020/8/17 18:00日本経済新聞　電子版

 三菱ケミカルは次世代通信規格「5G」向けなどの半導体に使う高機能な化学品の工場を2021年に台湾に新設する。現地メーカーからの引き合いが強く投資を決めた。全体の生産能力は現在よりも5割高まる。半導体向けの先端素材は日本企業が強みを持つ一方で、韓国や中国企業が内製化で追い上げており先行投資で引き離す。

日本の素材企業は、半導体関連ではフォトレジストや高純度ガス、ウエハーなど主要原材料で世界でのシェアが5割を超えるとされる。ただ、足元では韓国のSKマテリアルズが高純度フッ化水素の量産を始め、中国国有企業の中国化工集団も半導体製造用の特殊ガス工場を21年にも新設する。

国際的な競争が厳しくなるなか、三菱ケミカルは台湾の新竹市に半導体の製造で使う洗浄剤の工場を新設する。洗浄剤はシリコンウエハーなどに付着した微小な不純物などを取り除く工程で使う。台湾の半導体大手、台湾積体電路製造（TSMC）などが主な顧客とみられる。高機能品の供給を通じて中韓勢の台頭をけん制する。投資額は十数億円のもようだ。

TSMCは中国にも工場を持つが、最先端の製品は台湾でつくっている。洗浄剤など半導体素材は純度を高める高度な生産技術がいるほか、3万点あるといわれる半導体の部材ごとに顧客の要望を聞いて少量生産するきめ細かな営業体制も必要になる。米中摩擦で中国の地政学リスクが高まるなか、台湾投資の優位性が増している。

他の素材メーカーも台湾での生産増強を進める。日立化成は75億円を投じて半導体の基板材料の新工場を建設し、5月から稼働を始めた。三井化学も50億円を投じて半導体の製造工程に使う特殊な樹脂テープの生産を台湾・高雄市で新工場を1月に稼働させ、生産能力を1.5倍に引き上げた。

化学メーカーの動向に詳しいKPMG FASの真野薫氏は「日本は半導体産業向け素材での微細化対応・量産化で10年は先行している」としながらも「国策による内製化や半導体の進化スピードが鈍化して素材の汎用化が進めば、市場を取られる可能性もある」と指摘する。

半導体は新型コロナウイルスの流行による在宅勤務の拡大などで通信量が増え、高速通信機器向けの需要が伸びている。世界的に5G関連の市場が本格的に立ち上がってきたことも大きい。世界半導体市場統計（WSTS）によると21年の世界の市場規模は4522億ドル（47兆円）と19年比で9.7%拡大する見込みだ。

Translation

Mitsubishi Chemical would establish a new factory in Taiwan in 2021 for the highly functional chemicals used for semiconductors such as those for the next generation communication standard "5G". Inquiries from local manufacturers were strong and investment was decided. The total production capacity would be increased by 50% from the present. While Japanese companies had strengths in cutting-edge materials for semiconductors, South Korean and Chinese companies were catching up in their in-house production, yet this advanced investment could create a leading distance between them.

Japanese material companies were said to have a global market share of more than 50% in the semiconductor-related major raw materials such as photoresists, high-purity gas, and wafers. However, SK Materials of South Korea had recently begun mass production of high-purity hydrogen fluoride, and the Chinese chemical industry group under the Chinese state-owned enterprise would also establish a special gas factory for semiconductor manufacturing in 2021.

Amid stiff international competition, Mitsubishi Chemical would establish a new cleaning agent plant for semiconductor manufacturing in Hsinchu, Taiwan. The cleaning agent could be used in the process of removing minute impurities and the like adhering to silicon wafers. Major customers include Taiwan's semiconductor giant, the Taiwan Integrated Circuit Manufacturing (TSMC). By supplying high-performance products, it suppressed the rise of Chinese and South Korean groups. It seemed that the investment amount could be in billions of yen.

TSMC had a factory in China, but the most advanced products were made in Taiwan. In addition to having the advanced manufacturing technologies that enhanced the purity of semiconductor materials such as cleaning agents, it was also necessary to have a detailed sales system in which small quantities were produced by listening to customer requests for each of the 30,000 semiconductor components. As China's geopolitical risk was increasing due to the US-China friction, Taiwan's investment advantage had increased.

Other material manufacturers were also increasing production in Taiwan. Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd invested 7.5 billion yen to build a new factory for semiconductor substrate materials and began operations in May. Mitsui Chemicals had also invested 5 billion yen at a new plant in Kaohsiung of Taiwan to produce in January a special resin tape used in the semiconductor manufacturing process that would increase production capacity by 1.5 times.

Kaoru Mano of KPMG FAS, who was familiar with the trends of chemical manufacturers perceived that "Japan is ahead by a decade by responding to miniaturization and mass production of materials for the semiconductor industry"; and also pointed out that  “In-house production due to national policy, a slow down in the speed of progress; and if the materials become more common, all could made possible that the market could be taken over."

Due to an increase in working from home etc. caused by the epidemic of the new coronavirus, the demand for semiconductors had expanded caused by the need for high-speed communication equipment as a result of an increase in communication volume. It was also significant that the 5G-related market had started in earnest worldwide. According to the World Semiconductor Market Statistics (WSTS), the global market size in 2021 was expected to be 452.2 billion dollars (47 trillion yen), an increase of 9.7% compared to 2019.

              So, the global demand for semiconductors has expanded due to the need for high-speed communication equipment as a result of an increase in communication volume.