In a surprising move, China has decided to restrict global helium supplies. The export ban appears to be blanket, but given China’s limited market share of the global helium industry, it is unlikely to cause significant disruption in the semiconductor fabrication industry. Estimates from the US Geological Survey suggest that the US is the world’s leading helium producer and is followed by Qatar, Russia, Algeria and Canada. China’s Helium Export Ban Could Create Tightness In Global Semiconductor Fabrication Industry Helium is used in several key phases of semiconductor fabrication. These include different categories of deposition, cooling the wafers and etching. […]
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