Following the first silicon ingot pulled out on July 23, 2019, ESWIN’s silicon materials production line in Xi’an completed the first batch of samples on December 18, which have been delivered to customers for verification ahead of time. Mass production is scheduled to start in mid-2020.

The silicon materials production line in Xi’an is mainly engaged in the production of 12-inch (300mm) monocrystalline silicon polished wafers and epitaxial wafers for integrated circuits. With a total investment of about RMB11 billion and a land area of over 533333m2, the project was officially launched in the fourth quarter of 2017 and is to be completed in two phases. The first phase, with a full capacity of 500,000 pieces per month, is expected to bring in annual revenue of about RMB4.5 billion and pay taxes of about RMB700 million a year. The project marks a new level of technology for the semiconductor silicon wafer industry in the Chinese Mainland and is of strategic significance in strengthening the overall competitiveness and optimizing the pattern of the silicon materials industry.

The semiconductor industry is the core of the ICT industry and is a strategic and bedrock sector that serves economic and social development and underpins national security. At present, there are 14 12-inch foundry lines in operation and 18 planned or under construction in the Chinese Mainland. The rapid expansion of capacity leads to an enormous demand for 12-inch (300mm) silicon wafers, a key raw material.

“The world’s top five manufacturers in Japan, Chinese Taiwan, Germany, and South Korea hold a combined market share of over 98% in the 12-inch silicon wafer market, while in the Chinese Mainland, the 12-inch silicon wafer industry is still in its infancy and needs to be strengthened as part of the semiconductor industry chain,” said Yang Xinyuan, CEO of Xi’an ESWIN Materials Technology Co., Ltd. “Our 12-inch silicon wafer production line in Xi’an is expected to prop up the weak areas of the industry and to help boost the healthy development of China’s integrated circuit industry. This is also our original aspiration to step into this industry.”