Samsung Electronics has succeeded in developing a new gas to replace trifluoromethane (CHF₃), which is used in semiconductor etching processes. The aim is to speed up the achievement of the "carbon neutrality" goal through an alternative gas that is suitable for process use while emitting fewer greenhouse gases than trifluoromethane.
According to the industry on the 23rd, the DS Division of Samsung Electronics recently unveiled "G2," developed in collaboration with Japanese gas production corporations Daikin. The two companies attended the semiconductor equipment exhibition "SEMICON Japan 2025" in Tokyo from the 17th to the 19th and introduced semiconductor processes that use the alternative gas G2.
Trifluoromethane is used in the "etching" process, which chemically removes unnecessary parts from the surface of semiconductor wafers to create the desired circuit pattern. It is an essential material in semiconductor manufacturing, but the problem is its high greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), the global warming potential (GWP) of trifluoromethane is 11,700. This means its impact on global warming is 11,700 times higher than carbon dioxide (CO₂). G2 has a GWP roughly 90% lower than trifluoromethane. Samsung Electronics plans to begin full-scale application of G2 in its processes starting next year.
In addition to G2, the DS Division of Samsung Electronics has been developing substitutes for etching process gases with high greenhouse gas emissions. G1, an alternative gas to octafluorocyclobutane (C₄F₈), which has a GWP of 10,200, has been introduced into processes since 2018. G3, an alternative gas to carbon tetrafluoride (CF₄), which has a GWP of 7,380, has been applied to processes starting this year. G3 has a GWP 100% lower than carbon tetrafluoride.
To develop these alternative gases, Samsung Electronics conducted evaluations and analyses of various candidate substances with its partners. Through processes including ▲ evaluations by materials companies ▲ evaluations by equipment companies ▲ evaluations for introduction at the Samsung Electronics research lab ▲ evaluations on mass-production lines, the selected alternative gases were introduced into processes.
The DS Division of Samsung Electronics embarked on developing alternative gases for semiconductor etching processes to reduce "Scope 1" emissions and strengthen environmental, social and governance (ESG) management. Scope 1 refers to greenhouse gas emissions from asset owned, controlled or operated by corporations. About 70% of Samsung Electronics' Scope 1 emissions come from process gases.
In 2022, the DS Division of Samsung Electronics announced a new environmental management strategy and said it would achieve carbon neutrality (net greenhouse gas emissions of zero) in 2025. To that end, along with introducing alternative gases, the company also developed RCS, the semiconductor industry's first large-capacity integrated treatment facility for process gases. Last year, four RCS units were additionally installed on one production line, bringing the total to 52 units in operation to date. A Samsung Electronics official said, "We verified that, after developing a third-generation catalyst and applying it in the field, the treatment efficiency for perfluorocarbons (PFCs) improved to as high as 97%."
Samsung Electronics plans to continue efforts to reduce indirect greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 2) through various activities with partners. On its official website tech blog, the company said, "We are not limiting the use of the alternative gases we developed to our own lines, but are opening them to the semiconductor industry as well," adding, "This will also help reduce carbon emissions from semiconductor process gases."