High-purity CO2 shortage raises risk flags for South Korea's advanced chip manufacturing
June 28 — A tightening supply of high-purity carbon dioxide (CO2), a key input for advanced semiconductor processing, is triggering fresh procurement concerns in South Korea, according to Critini Research analyst Jukan, citing industry sources.
The issue is being driven by a sharp drop in upstream CO2 feedstock availability rather than a surge in semiconductor demand. With oil refineries and petrochemical plants running at lower utilization rates, output of CO2 — typically captured as a byproduct — has fallen materially.
Chipmakers and their supply chains generally hold around two weeks of inventory each, providing roughly one month of combined coverage. Market participants say current stocks have slipped below that threshold. Industry data indicate Samsung Electronics consumes about 1,800–2,000 tons of high-purity CO2 per month, while SK Hynix uses roughly 600–700 tons monthly.
Production at both companies has not been disrupted so far, but buffers are shrinking and sourcing efforts have intensified. Even with higher prices, near-term procurement remains difficult due to physical supply constraints linked to upstream shortages.
Liquid CO2 prices are up about 20% since the start of the year, and the industry expects tightness to persist through year-end. Major domestic suppliers include Taekyung Chemical, Sundo Chemical, Dongkwang Chemical, and SK Air Plus, with Taekyung Chemical widely viewed as the sector leader.
High-purity CO2 is widely used in supercritical cleaning for advanced nodes. Under supercritical conditions, CO2 combines liquid-like solvency with gas-like penetration, enabling it to reach extremely narrow pattern gaps and remove residues and contaminants — a critical capability for leading-edge chips with tight line spacing and large step-height differences.
CO2 feedstock is primarily sourced as a byproduct of oil refining, petrochemical processing, and hydrogen production. Industry sources link the current squeeze to lower operating rates at domestic petrochemical plants amid crude market volatility tied to the U.S.–Iran conflict and broader Middle East tensions, with knock-on effects for semiconductor materials.
A materials expert said the pressure is expanding beyond previously stressed inputs such as helium, anhydrous hydrogen fluoride, and PGMEA, adding that recurring crude-related shocks from the Middle East continue to spill into semiconductor materials, highlighting how tightly chip supply chains are coupled to petrochemical byproducts.
