JNC, an affiliated enterprise of Chisso, starts to commercialize the production of COF2 as an alternative gas to NF3 and will put it into market on a full scale from April this year.

Taking notice of the low global warming potential of COF2, JNC has been contemplating to develop some fluorine-related business in conjunction with handling of fluoride for its own liquid crystal business. After the start of research activity in 2003, JNC constructed a pilot plant (50t per year) in China with an investment of estimated 100 million yen in 2010. The produced COF2 is now brought into domestic semiconductor manufacturers for experimental purposes.

COF2 is one of the cleaning gases for CVD chambers, which is characterized by its extremely low global warming potential of just 1 compared with 23,900 and 17,200 respectively of SF6 and NF3 now predominating the market.

Although it had been expected to be an alternative gas, the actual state of affairs was that it could not come into any wide use because of its toxicity which would require the costly construction of a new supply line. However, since the emission amount of NF3 was targeted for reduction globally in the meeting of COP17 held from November 28 to December 9 last year, COF2 has shown up again drawing people’s attention as an alternative gas. JNC uses the oxidizing process of tetrafluoroethylene for production (C2F4+O2→2COF2) which has been jointly researched with AIST since 2003.