Electronic-grade hydrofluoric acid is a clear, colorless, corrosive liquid used in the cleaning and etching of solar photovoltaic cells, integrated circuits, and very-large-scale integration (VLSI) chips. It is a critical basic chemical raw material for the electronics and information industry, often referred to as the "chemical key."
With the continuous expansion of AI GPUs, HBM (High Bandwidth Memory), and advanced logic chips, the consumption of high-purity electronic-grade hydrofluoric acid per wafer is increasing, making it a vital strategic material in the AI semiconductor supply chain.
Driven by both rising upstream raw material prices and surging AI semiconductor demand, the global supply of electronic-grade hydrofluoric acid has been tightening. Some major suppliers have successively raised product prices, with overall increases of approximately 20%–30%.
According to Taiwan's Economic Daily News, industry sources report that TSMC, Samsung, and SK Hynix are all scrambling to secure supplies of electronic-grade hydrofluoric acid. Meanwhile, South Korean media outlet TheElec previously reported that about 90% of the anhydrous hydrofluoric acid used by South Korean semiconductor material companies is imported from China.
There are over 150 fluorine-bearing minerals in nature, but the fluorine currently exploited and utilized by humans comes primarily from fluorite. Fluorite-crystalline calcium fluoride-is the main source of chemical fluorine and serves as the starting point for the fluorochemical industry chain, often called the "golden industry."
Industrially, fluorite is reacted with sulfuric acid to produce anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (AHF) gas, which is then purified, condensed, and further refined to obtain high-purity hydrofluoric acid. The performance of integrated circuits is closely tied to the quality of electronic-grade hydrofluoric acid; its purity and cleanliness directly affect the quality, integration level, specific technical specifications, and yield of integrated circuits.
As 3nm/2nm process nodes advance, HBM stack layers continue to rise, and global 300mm wafer fab equipment spending exceeds $400 billion over three years-each wafer consumes ever more high-purity hydrofluoric acid. The supply gap is opening a window for domestic Chinese enterprises, and the strategic value of fluorite is becoming increasingly evident.