russia Has Failed to Develop Its Own Strategic Silicon Production

Due to the termination of the contract, russia may have to put its plans to produce its own special silicon on hold until at least 2028. This material is of strategic importance and is not currently produced in russia, so the development project was intended to provide a replacement for foreign equivalents.

The ministry of industry and trade of the rf has terminated its contract with JSC “research institute of instruments”, a subsidiary of “rosatom”, for the development of technology to produce 150-mm-diameter silicon wafers. The project was valued at 400 million rubles. The contractor failed to fulfill its obligations even during the first phase of the work. The ministry of industry and trade imposed a fine of 1.5 million rubles, which had not been paid by the time the agreement was terminated.

The project involved establishing production of ingots and polished wafers of neutron-doped monocrystalline silicon. This material is essential for manufacturing power thyristors, IGBT transistors, and high-speed diodes used in the defense and space industries. Since russia does not have such production capabilities, and the purchase of foreign equivalents is impossible due to the material’s strategic nature, the country’s own technology was intended to meet the needs of these sectors.

While moscow is trying to catch up with the rest of the world in the field of high-tech manufacturing, its plans for import substitution are suffering yet another setback.