Hemlock Semiconductor expands US polysilicon production

The US government is backing Hemlock Semiconductor (HSC) with a $325m grant to expand local production of ultra-pure polysilicon.

Founded in 1961 in Michigan, HSC is the only US-based manufacturer of hyper-pure polysilicon and is one of just five companies in the world producing polysilicon to the purity level needed to for solar panels as well as for semiconductor devices.

The proposed funding would be the first significant investment in HSC’s semiconductor capacity in more than two decades.  The proposed project is estimated to create nearly 180 manufacturing jobs and over 1,000 construction jobs over time which indicates a new clean room. The company finished a Next-Generation Finishing (NGF) facility in August to expand production capacity.

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Construction on the NGF facility began in July 2022. “NGF is a testament to teamwork and masterful execution involving hundreds of incredibly talented people, from our engineers to our project managers and partners in the skilled trades, who brought the facility to life on time and on budget. Their collective efforts move us into the future with customer demand in sharp focus, and I couldn’t be prouder of their achievement,” said HSC Chairman and CEO AB Ghosh.

“HSC is proud to be a manufacturing powerhouse for two vital industries of the future—semiconductor and solar. Bolstered by the CHIPS Act, we are planning for a once-in-a-generation investment in advanced technologies to continue serving as a top polysilicon supplier to the leading-edge semiconductor market,” said Ghosh. “Our customers want high quality and sustainably made polysilicon.

“Polysilicon is the bedrock of semiconductors, and it’s important we have a reliable source of this material to manufacture the chips that help support our economic and national security,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “We are proposing to invest up and down the semiconductor supply chain and support domestic materials suppliers, like HSC, that are helping drive America’s semiconductor manufacturing resurgence and technological leadership – and creating quality jobs all over the country in the process.”