Wacker opens ultra-pure polysilicon line

Wacker Chemie has commissioned Etching Line Next, a €300 million plus production line for ultra-pure, semiconductor-grade polysilicon, at its main Burghausen site in Bavaria. This was supported by funding from the federal and state governments and the EU. The first consignments are aready being shipped.

Ultra-pure polycrystalline silicon is the purest man-made material, at purities of up to 99.9999999999%. “Everything regarding the semiconductor industry and, consequently, digital transformation revolves around this key raw material,” noted CEO Christian Hartel. It is notably used in high-performance chips for AI applications and supercomputers. 

Wacker claims to be the global leader in this field, as well as the only producer in Europe. “Today, every second computer chip is made from polysilicon delivered by Wacker,” Hartel said. The company plans to double its sales in semiconductors from 2024 to 2023 and the new line will help to meet that demand.