Hemlock Increases Polysilicon Supply to Solar, Semiconductor Industries
Source: Nikkei Electronics Asia/TechOn, Jun 4, 2008
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20080604/152831/
Hemlock Semiconductor Corp, a joint venture of Dow Corning Corp, Shin-Etsu Handotai Co Ltd and Mitsubishi Materials Corp, has begun production at its new polysilicon facility that will nearly double its output of polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) to serve the needs of the semiconductor and fast-growing solar energy industries.
This new facility will produce approximately 9,000 metric tons of new polysilicon capacity, bringing the company’s annual capacity to approximately 19,000 metric tons by the end of 2008. The company expects to complete an additional expansion with operations and supply beginning in 2010. This expansion will increase the total capacity from the Hemlock site to 36,000 tons by the end of 2011.
Hemlock Semiconductor is continuing its search for a second location to potentially build a new manufacturing facility. Collaborative efforts with customers are underway and may lead to further expansions as the company expects high demand for its materials to continue.