The "15th Five-Year Plan" outlines a focus on strategic sectors and weak links in industrial and supply chains, advocating for extraordinary measures to achieve decisive breakthroughs in key core technologies across critical areas such as integrated circuits, industrial machinery, high-end instruments, basic software, advanced materials, and biomanufacturing. Semiconductor chip production involves approximately 2,000 processes, 20 of which require the use of hydroxylamine for cleaning. The concentration must be strictly controlled at 50%, a specification that limits production to only a handful of companies globally. Recently, a chemical enterprise in Fuyang successfully overcame technical barriers, breaking a long-standing monopoly by launching a large-scale production line with 100% independent research and development.
Global annual demand for electronic-grade hydroxylamine stands at 7,000 tons. This company has already achieved an annual production capacity of 1,000 tons, which will significantly reduce domestic enterprises' reliance on imported products and enhance the self-sufficiency rate of electronic chemicals in China. The journey to overcome such technological bottlenecks is inherently challenging. Reporters recently visited the company to uncover the story behind this breakthrough.
Addressing National Needs Electronic-grade hydroxylamine is an indispensable chemical in semiconductor production lines. Any disruption in its supply could halt the entire industrial chain. This represents not only a market opportunity but also a social responsibility to safeguard China's semiconductor supply chain. At the Yingdong Chemical Park in Fuyang, the production facility of Anhui Baihaosheng Technology Co., Ltd. is bustling with activity. Zhang Hao, the company's general manager, explained that the site hosts China's first large-scale production line for 50% electronic-grade hydroxylamine. Its successful operation breaks a long-term foreign technological monopoly, filling a critical gap in the domestic semiconductor industry's supply chain security.
When the company initially decided to tackle this challenge, internal opinions were divided. The significant technical difficulties, high investment, long development cycle, and uncontrollable safety risks were seen as major obstacles. "Large-scale production of electronic-grade hydroxylamine is indeed difficult, but we have experience in producing high-end electronic chemicals," Zhang Hao stated. His team adopted a strategy of cautious progression—starting with small-scale tests, followed by pilot production—to manage risks and achieve breakthroughs step by step. "This is a critical material that the nation needs and the industry cannot do without. The market will always be there. We cannot prioritize risk avoidance above all else. We must dare to take on challenges, address national needs, and defend the security of the semiconductor supply chain. This is our responsibility and mission," he emphasized.
Driven by this sense of mission, the company quickly assembled a dedicated team of over 40 experts, recruited top-tier talent, and established scientific research incentives and fair promotion mechanisms. Through relentless effort, the project, with a total investment exceeding 180 million yuan, successfully passed safety inspections and customer certifications.
Turning Setbacks into Stepping Stones "In our development process, there is no such thing as failure. Every unexpected experiment is an accumulation of data," said Cai Jian, a technical expert at the company. He highlighted that the primary challenge in the technical攻坚 was safety. Hydroxylamine is prone to explosion under various conditions, such as high temperature, high pressure, high radiation, or contact with metals. This sensitivity increases with concentration, and at 50%, conventional technologies cannot guarantee absolute safety.
To address safety concerns, Cai Jian and his team first studied the properties of wastewater and by-products, which required extensive experimental data. They then focused on process safety control data, ensuring every piece of process equipment and pipeline was monitored and controlled by data, ultimately forming a comprehensive safety control system. Only after overcoming the safety challenges did the process development advance rapidly. "Having a positive, experienced team with rich expertise in amine-based electronic chemicals is our core advantage. Additionally, we have a 'unique methodology'—the 'purpose-centralized thinking system'," Cai Jian added. Specifically, their unique skill lies in the safety process control system, which integrates process, equipment, automation, and programming. "This means we didn't rely on a single trick or innovation; instead, we established a programmable system to control the safety of the entire装置," he explained.
With the production line successfully operational, product quality became the market's primary concern. "Several users have conducted quality comparisons. Our product's metal ion content is within 1ppb, which is basically the same as international products, and the yield rate in the chip manufacturing process is comparable," Cai Jian noted. This indicates that their product matches the specifications of imported alternatives, successfully achieving domestic substitution. "We did not follow the technical routes of foreign companies; we relied entirely on independent research and development. Based on current product pricing, we likely have some cost advantages while maintaining equivalent quality," he stated.
Aiming to Be a Mainstay in Domestic Production For Anhui Baihaosheng Technology Co., Ltd., this achievement is just the beginning. As semiconductor processes advance towards smaller nodes, the quality requirements for hydroxylamine will become increasingly stringent. Refining and perfecting hydroxylamine production is already on the team's agenda for future攻坚. "In the next three to five years, Baihaosheng aims to become the main force in the domestic substitution of electronic-grade hydroxylamine," said General Manager Zhang Hao, expressing strong confidence in the company's continuous innovation breakthroughs. He stated that the company would continue to expand production capacity, improve quality, deepen its involvement in the mainstream semiconductor supply chain, and use this as a starting point to布局更多高端电子化学品, transitioning from single-product breakthroughs to platform-based development.
"I firmly believe that high-end electronic chemicals can contribute significantly to China's technological development," Zhang Hao said. He expressed hope that, through collective efforts across the industry chain, China could become a core production base for global high-end electronic chemicals in the future, firmly securing the 'food' of the semiconductor industry in its own hands and enabling domestic electronic chemicals to truly reach world-class standards. Zhang Hao admitted that the company currently focuses on the R&D and production of high-end fine chemicals and new chemical materials. From a long-term development perspective, they do not want to be merely a supplier of a single product but aspire to become a platform-based enterprise providing key materials for high-end manufacturing.
Robotics, being a core component of intelligent manufacturing, has become their next important target. By extending from semiconductor materials to smart equipment materials, they aim to access broader market spaces and build a more robust second growth curve. "In the future, we hope that Baihaosheng will not only be a benchmark for domestic electronic chemicals but also an important force in high-end supporting materials for robotics, growing alongside China's intelligent manufacturing industry," Zhang Hao concluded.
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