Comprehensive Overview of the Hexafluorobutadiene (C₄F₆) Industry: Technologies, Market, and Future Trends of Advanced Etching Gases
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Comprehensive Overview of the Hexafluorobutadiene (C₄F₆) Industry: Technologies, Market Trends, and Future Prospects for Advanced Etching Gases. Hexafluorobutadiene is a key compound in the field of fluorinated electronic gases; it serves as a crucial material in the production of logic chips with a size of 28nm and smaller, as well as in 3D NAND flash memory, during advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes. It is also a focal point for efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in domestic production of electronic gases in China. Product Characteristics: Hexafluorobutadiene is a colorless, slightly irritating-flavored fluorinated olefin-based electronic gas, with a boiling point of around 5.5°C under normal temperature and pressure conditions. 1. Excellent etching performance: Compared to traditional etching gases, hexafluorobutadiene offers a faster etching rate, higher etching selectivity, and an improved depth-to-width ratio (up to 10:1). It can selectively etch materials such as silicon, silica, and silicon nitride, with minimal impact on photoresists and silicon films, thus meeting the stringent requirements of high-density integrated manufacturing processes like 3D NAND flash memory. 2. Environmental performance: Hexafluorobutadiene has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of only 290, and its atmospheric lifetime is just 1.9 days; it is currently the only fluorinated electronic etching gas that combines excellent etching capabilities with good environmental properties. 3. High purity: Electronic-grade hexafluorobutadiene used in advanced semiconductor manufacturing requires an extremely high level of purity, typically ranging from 4N (99.99%) to 5N (99.999%). The concentrations of key impurities such as moisture, oxygen, and isomers must be controlled at levels of ppb (one part in a billion) or even lower. II. Applications and Demand The applications of hexafluorobutadiene are highly concentrated in the semiconductor manufacturing sector, accounting for around 80% of the market share, and this proportion continues to increase as manufacturing processes advance. 1. Logic chips and memory: It is an essential etching gas for advanced manufacturing processes of 14nm and below (such as FinFET and 3D NAND). With the development of artificial intelligence, there has been a surge in demand for chips manufactured using advanced manufacturing processes, which in turn drives the demand for hexafluorobutadiene. 2. Demand-driven: The rapid expansion of global wafer production capacity is the fundamental factor behind this increase in demand. It is estimated that by 2026, the number of 12-inch wafer factories in operation in China will exceed 70. The production capacity for advanced manufacturing processes of 7nm and below, which represent the cutting edge of technology, is expanding at a faster pace. 3. Market size and demand forecast: By 2025, the market size for hexafluorobutadiene in China is expected to be around 1.5 billion yuan, while the global market size will reach 3.9 billion yuan. It is estimated that by 2030, the global market size will exceed 10 billion yuan. Fuji Keizai of Japan predicts that the global demand for electronic-grade hexafluorobutadiene by 2026 is expected to exceed 4,000 tons.
III. Production Process and Technical Barriers 1. Main synthetic routes: (1) Oxidation coupling process: It focuses on the preparation of the key intermediate, zinc trifluorovinyl halide, followed by a self-coupling reaction. This route involves many steps, includes hazardous processes, and faces limitations in scale-up for industrial application. (2) Dehalogenation process: The intermediate tetrahalohexafluorobutane is obtained through copolymerization or intermolecular dehalogenation, followed by dehalogenation using zinc powder. This route uses highly toxic reagents (such as mercury, iodine) or highly dangerous gases (such as fluorine), making it difficult to ensure safety and environmental protection. (3) Catalytic coupling process: Coupling reactions are carried out using precious metal catalysts such as palladium, which yield high yields, but the cost of these catalysts is high. (3) New continuous production process: Using tetrafluoroethylene and liquid bromine as raw materials, hexafluorobutadiene is prepared through bromination, copolymerization, and elimination reactions; a supported catalyst is employed to increase the yield, enabling industrial-scale continuous production. 2. Process challenges: The main difficulties lie in separating isomers with very similar boiling points (such as perfluoro-1,2-butadiene), as well as removing trace amounts of water, oxygen, and other impurities. A combined process of \"chemical pretreatment + multi-stage precision distillation + final adsorption\" is required, along with distillation columns featuring a very high number of theoretical plates (80–150 or more) and special adsorption materials; this approach entails significant technical challenges and high capital costs. IV. Sources of Technology and Breakthroughs in Domestic Production: The core technologies related to hexafluorobutadiene were for a long time monopolized by foreign companies such as those from Japan, Germany, and South Korea. Significant breakthroughs have been achieved in domestic independent research and development. The first domestic production facility came online: In 2023, Sinochem Holdings Co., Ltd. built China’s first production facility for electronic-grade hexafluorobutadiene with independent intellectual property rights (200 tons per year), overcoming the technical challenges related to synthesis, purification, and industrial implementation. The purity of the resulting electronic-grade product can reach over 99.99%, filling a gap in China’s market. Key domestic manufacturers and their production capacities: (1) Haohua Technology: A leader in this industry; it has successfully developed electronic-grade hexafluorobutadiene, with technical standards that are at the international forefront. Its production capacity for hexafluorobutadiene is 1,200 tons per year, the highest in the world. (2) CSSC (Handan) Periy Special Gases Co., Ltd.: Has a production capacity of 200 tons per year. (3) Quanzhou Yujie New Materials Technology Co., Ltd.: Its project to build and upgrade production lines for 2,000 tons per year of hexafluoro-2-butene and 170 tons per year of fluorine-containing electronic gases has been approved; this includes a production capacity of 30 tons per year of electronic-grade hexafluoro-2-butene. (4) Guangdong Huate Gas Co., Ltd.: Plans to have a production capacity of 300 tons per year of electronic-grade hexafluorobutadiene. (5) Other companies: JinHong Gas Co., Ltd. has a production capacity of 200 tons per year, while Shandong Qixin has a capacity of 300 tons per year. As of early 2025, the total new production capacity for electronic-grade hexafluorobutadiene in China has reached 1,375 tons per year. At present, domestic companies are able to supply products at the 4N (99.99%) purity level stably and compete in the market; however, ultra-high purity products of 5N and above, which are used in the most advanced manufacturing processes (such as those below 7nm), still rely mainly on supply from foreign companies’ production bases in China as well as imports
V. Analysis of Market Supply and Demand, Prices, and Profits: Price level: In 2023, the average market price of hexafluorobutadiene in China was approximately 200,000 yuan per ton. High-purity products command extremely high premiums due to technical barriers and supply-demand tightness. Profit analysis: Companies that are able to produce high-purity electronic-grade products consistently enjoy a considerable gross margin. Companies that master the core purification technologies, achieve a product purity level of 5N and gain access to the supply chains of leading wafer manufacturers, can enjoy a gross margin of over 50% ； Companies that can only produce industrial-grade products have limited profit margins. . VI. Industry Development Trends 1. Advancement in technology and sustainability: First, efforts will continue to focus on developing products with higher purity (such as 6N) and lower impurity levels, in order to meet the requirements of more advanced manufacturing processes such as 5nm and 3nm ； Second, develop new synthetic and purification processes that are more environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and efficient, in order to reduce energy and material consumption and enhance the safety and environmental sustainability of the industrial chain. 2. Application expansion: Exploring the use of hexafluorobutadiene in emerging fields such as advanced packaging and Micro-LEDs. 3. Rising industry concentration: High technical barriers, substantial capital requirements, and rigorous customer approval processes lead to a concentration of market share among leading companies that possess advanced technology, ample financial resources, and strong customer networks, further increasing industry concentration
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