Mitsubishi Chemical to Mass-Produce Ultra-High-Purity Colloidal Silica for Advanced Semiconductor Polishing

Mitsubishi Chemical recently announced that it will build new production facilities at its Kyushu plant in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, to commercialize ultra-high-purity colloidal silica for cutting-edge semiconductor polishing agents, with production scheduled to begin in October 2028. The product can serve as a raw material for silicon wafer polishing agents and CMP slurry for wafer interconnect layers.

According to the company, the production process uses ultra-high-purity tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) as feedstock to minimize impurity levels, while particle size and density can be customized to customer requirements. As AI and data center demand drive the continued evolution of advanced process nodes, CMP slurry requirements for raw material purity and particle consistency are rising, positioning ultra-high-purity colloidal silica as one of the core raw materials for next-generation polishing materials.

Mitsubishi Chemical stated that this move aims to strengthen its position in the advanced semiconductor materials market. Industry observers believe that upstream purification and customization capabilities will become key to differentiation among CMP slurry manufacturers, and technological upgrades at the raw material end will also provide new reference directions for the localization of polishing materials.