Tohoku University has signed a joint research agreement with Sumitomo Corporation to establish a new production technology for yellow phosphorus, a raw material for semiconductors, and for its commercial production in Japan.
Yellow phosphorus is a raw material for chemicals used in the process of processing thin films on semiconductors and requires extremely high purity, making it difficult to substitute.
In addition, because high-grade phosphorus ore, the raw material for yellow phosphorus, is unevenly distributed and requires special operating conditions, the number of producing countries is limited, and Japan is dependent on imports for all of its domestic demand.
Specially Appointed Associate Prof. Shingo Ishihara, Academic Researcher Yasushi Sasaki and Prof. Tetsuya Nagasaka are conducting research on the production of yellow phosphorus (recycled yellow phosphorus) using phosphoric acid recovered from unused phosphorus resources such as slag, waste acid, and sewage sludge incineration ash as a raw material.
Tohoku University and Sumitomo Corporation will establish production technology and design and develop a commercial plant through multiple demonstration tests.
Our efforts to establish production technology and domestic production of recycled yellow phosphorus have been approved by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) as an initiative to ensure a stable supply of semiconductors, and the Ministry has decided to partially subsidize the project costs.
Tohoku University and Sumitomo Corporation will continue to meet the expectations of the market from the perspective of security through the stable supply of critical commodities that support our daily lives and economic activities.
Related materials:
Tohoku University press release page (Japanese) (click here)