Air Liquide starts molybdenum plant in Korea to support next-gen chips

French company Air Liquide has successfully started up a new plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. This molybdenum manufacturing plant will supply leading semiconductor customers with its advanced materials offering Subleem. 

The offering includes a portfolio of ultra-high purity molybdenum molecules and first-of-its-kind proprietary distribution systems. With this strategic investment, Air Liquide confirms its technological leadership by being the first to supply molybdenum solutions to its customers in large volumes, the company said in a media release.

Subleem has been developed and qualified in close collaboration with semiconductor chip manufacturers.  

Molybdenum is emerging as a promising replacement for the traditional chip manufacturing material tungsten, the media release said.  

In addition to this new high-volume manufacturing plant in South Korea, currently supplying Subleem to two early adopters of molybdenum, Air Liquide already has a production unit in operation since 2023 in Japan and will open another manufacturing plant in the United States by the end of 2025 to support the upcoming wave of demand.

“At Air Liquide, we are committed to accompany our customers in semiconductor manufacturing to tackle the challenges of this fast-growing industry. Our strategic presence in key semiconductor hubs, combined with our unique innovation know-how, allows us to rapidly develop and bring to the market breakthrough technological solutions crucial for next-generation chips,” Armelle Levieux, member of Air Liquide’s Executive Committee, supervising Electronics activities, said. “This approach enables Air Liquide to maintain its leadership position in advanced materials for the semiconductor industry.”