this whole move was extremely short-sighted on the part of the Japanese. These fabs need those chemicals, and if they can't get them from Japan reliably, someone else will start making them and take advantage of the upheaval. Most likely someone in the PRC.
In regards to these chemicals in particular, the Japanese specialized in making them in especially high purity which is required for semiconductor production. That's why this was a big deal.
Very pure hydrogen fluoride will require building a specialised factory with piping lined with ultra-high-purity Teflon, and will probably require building a hydrogen fluoride distillation tower which is not a piece of chemical process engineering anyone would volunteer to do (though marginally easier than trying to start off super-pure by distilling your liquid fluorine). A few years of expensive R&D and the significant risk that you miss something in the pilot plant and the first full-scale factory fails to produce saleable product - it's not an area in which you could do much in the way of field-expedient repair.
I have no idea how difficult it is to make fluorinated polyimides (apparently they are low k dielectric polymers) but as others mentioned it is particularly hard to make hydrogen fluoride at high purity. It is a substance that can kill you in multiple ways and I believe it is also highly hydrophilic. It mops up every bit of moisture because it wants to form hydrofluoric acid. That is still dangerous but easier to work with, but the semiconductor industry prefers its anhydrous form (hydrogen fluoride) because it's more suitable for their needs.
The actual impact for the export restriction has been minimal at most. The Korean companies (LG, Samsung, SK) already have switched suppliers from the Japanese companies to other Korean companies that have ramped up production of these specialized chemicals (passed the qualification process as well).
Blame Abe? You have not the slightest idea how this played out do you, this is the only time Japan didn't yield to SK's extortion, by going through historical junk asking for "compensation" that SK previously signed treaties, numerous times, to bury, because each time they got what they wanted.
What I don't understand is why South Korean bureaucrats are still asking Japan to revoke the restriction measures when their local chemical companies're (supposedly) succeeding in displacing the Japanese suppliers.
And Japan is reacting for very good reason here. The Korean Supreme Court ruled that companies in Japan could be held accountable for slave labor during the colonial period of Japan's rule over Korea and started awarding people 100k won a piece. First against Nippon Steel, then Mitsubishi Heavy and then tons of people started suing.
Problem is, this was supposed to be settled by the 1965 "Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea."
Your numbers are wrong. 100k won is $85 USD roughly. No one would care if it was so little. There was a court ruling where Mitsubishi must pay 80 mil won ($70k USD) to 23 plaintiffs and 150 mil won ($130k USD) to 5 plaintiffs or their families.
It's really all chump change to a big company, but the Japanese government cares. Course now it's just a gigantic lawsuit circle jerk between the two countries going through WTO.
This time there was no "they", it was the Moon government, largely Moon himself, who hollowed out the original judiciary system that refused to rule as Moon wanted and installed loyalists.
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drexnx - Monday, December 23, 2019 - link
this whole move was extremely short-sighted on the part of the Japanese. These fabs need those chemicals, and if they can't get them from Japan reliably, someone else will start making them and take advantage of the upheaval. Most likely someone in the PRC.MarcusMo - Monday, December 23, 2019 - link
Knowing nothing about chemicals, how hard are these specific chemicals to produce in large quantities?Cullinaire - Monday, December 23, 2019 - link
In regards to these chemicals in particular, the Japanese specialized in making them in especially high purity which is required for semiconductor production. That's why this was a big deal.TomWomack - Monday, December 23, 2019 - link
Very pure hydrogen fluoride will require building a specialised factory with piping lined with ultra-high-purity Teflon, and will probably require building a hydrogen fluoride distillation tower which is not a piece of chemical process engineering anyone would volunteer to do (though marginally easier than trying to start off super-pure by distilling your liquid fluorine). A few years of expensive R&D and the significant risk that you miss something in the pilot plant and the first full-scale factory fails to produce saleable product - it's not an area in which you could do much in the way of field-expedient repair.drexnx - Monday, December 23, 2019 - link
funny enough, the PRC is where most TFA/PTFE lined valves are made.handling HF isn't THAT bad... it's not foreign to any petrochem CE who's done anything with an HF alky unit.
(the polyimides should be the easiest of the three to produce)
Santoval - Saturday, December 28, 2019 - link
I have no idea how difficult it is to make fluorinated polyimides (apparently they are low k dielectric polymers) but as others mentioned it is particularly hard to make hydrogen fluoride at high purity. It is a substance that can kill you in multiple ways and I believe it is also highly hydrophilic. It mops up every bit of moisture because it wants to form hydrofluoric acid. That is still dangerous but easier to work with, but the semiconductor industry prefers its anhydrous form (hydrogen fluoride) because it's more suitable for their needs.Doh! - Monday, December 23, 2019 - link
The actual impact for the export restriction has been minimal at most. The Korean companies (LG, Samsung, SK) already have switched suppliers from the Japanese companies to other Korean companies that have ramped up production of these specialized chemicals (passed the qualification process as well).drexnx - Monday, December 23, 2019 - link
so METI pointlessly shot their chemical industry in the foot and gave an opening for competitors to get their material qualifiedjackcoke - Tuesday, December 24, 2019 - link
Blame Shinzo Abe. Dude's always been a hard-liner when it comes to foreign relations.s.yu - Saturday, December 28, 2019 - link
Blame Abe? You have not the slightest idea how this played out do you, this is the only time Japan didn't yield to SK's extortion, by going through historical junk asking for "compensation" that SK previously signed treaties, numerous times, to bury, because each time they got what they wanted.dropme - Wednesday, December 25, 2019 - link
What I don't understand is why South Korean bureaucrats are still asking Japan to revoke the restriction measures when their local chemical companies're (supposedly) succeeding in displacing the Japanese suppliers.vanilla_gorilla - Wednesday, December 25, 2019 - link
Because they're not.And Japan is reacting for very good reason here. The Korean Supreme Court ruled that companies in Japan could be held accountable for slave labor during the colonial period of Japan's rule over Korea and started awarding people 100k won a piece. First against Nippon Steel, then Mitsubishi Heavy and then tons of people started suing.
Problem is, this was supposed to be settled by the 1965 "Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea."
khanikun - Wednesday, December 25, 2019 - link
Your numbers are wrong. 100k won is $85 USD roughly. No one would care if it was so little. There was a court ruling where Mitsubishi must pay 80 mil won ($70k USD) to 23 plaintiffs and 150 mil won ($130k USD) to 5 plaintiffs or their families.It's really all chump change to a big company, but the Japanese government cares. Course now it's just a gigantic lawsuit circle jerk between the two countries going through WTO.
s.yu - Saturday, December 28, 2019 - link
In 1965 that was a great deal of money, paid in bulk to the SK government, which the SK government embezzled instead of distributed to victims.TheinsanegamerN - Friday, December 27, 2019 - link
reparations for crime sof the fathers. They ruled japan is guilty of original sin.What a silly place. Surprised japan just rolled over and allowed that.
s.yu - Saturday, December 28, 2019 - link
This time there was no "they", it was the Moon government, largely Moon himself, who hollowed out the original judiciary system that refused to rule as Moon wanted and installed loyalists.