One Step Closer to 'Sobu-Jang Independence'... Secured Supply Source and Refining Technology for Rare Metal Molybdenum

60~70% Japan-imported Semiconductor Material 'Molybdenum'
Secures Uzbekistan Supply Source, Achieves Success in Ultra-High Purity Refining Technology Development

Dr. Kyungtae Park (right) of the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology and CEO Inho Kim of NATM Co., Ltd. standing in front of the ultra-high purity molybdenum refining equipment.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Since Japan's 2019 semiconductor material export restrictions to Korea triggered the 'SoBuJang' crisis, a path has opened for self-sufficiency in the rare metal molybdenum, which had been unstable. Overseas supply sources have been secured, and ultra-high purity refining technology has also been developed domestically.

The Korea Institute of Industrial Technology announced on the 24th that it has secured overseas supply sources for the rare metal 'Molybdenum' essential for semiconductor and machinery manufacturing, and developed technology and equipment capable of refining it to an ultra-high purity of 99.995% in collaboration with domestic small and medium-sized enterprises.

Molybdenum is one of the essential materials for Korea's upstream industries, applied in semiconductors, display substrates, etc., due to its corrosion resistance, heat resistance, electrode properties, and high stability. However, it is a scarce metal with limited deposits and globally concentrated reserves, so raw material supply is unstable due to resource weaponization policies by resource-holding countries. Even when raw materials are imported domestically, there is a lack of refining technology and equipment to increase purity, making it difficult to use directly in industry. In particular, ultra-high purity molybdenum refined through processing is entirely imported annually at a scale of 700 billion KRW, with 60-70% of it coming from Japan, raising ongoing concerns about supply stability.

In response, the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology signed a supply contract with Uzbekistan, a rare metal resource country, in June 2019 and established a molybdenum raw material supply chain. They set up the 'Korea-Uzbekistan Rare Metal Center' in the Kirchik region of Uzbekistan to create a base for joint material development and to support stable molybdenum supply from Uzbekistan.

Subsequently, the research team at the institute began developing ultra-high purity refining technology and, together with the rare metal material specialist company NATM Co., Ltd., succeeded in domestic production of 'high melting point molybdenum refining technology and equipment,' achieving an ultra-high purity of 99.995%. Since Uzbekistan's molybdenum is a byproduct of copper refining with intermediate purity, the challenge was to raise it to an ultra-high purity of over 99.99% for use in domestic upstream industries.

The research team focused on the fact that advanced overseas companies use 'ultra-high temperature electron beams' that do not require catalysts such as strong alkali or strong acid in the ultra-high purity refining process. They applied the principle that when an electron beam is irradiated inside a vacuum chamber, the temperature rises to about 6000℃, accelerating the vaporization of internal materials. In other words, during electron beam irradiation, impurities with vaporization points lower than molybdenum's melting point of 2600℃ vaporize and are removed, leaving only 99.995% ultra-high purity liquid molybdenum, which is then formed into ingots (metal blocks cast into appropriate sizes and shapes).

The Korea Institute of Industrial Technology has successfully completed lab-scale research and is currently conducting pilot plant demonstration tests capable of producing ingots sized 12 cm by 1 m by combining NATM Co., Ltd.'s equipment manufacturing expertise. They have adjusted numerous process variables and entered the optimization phase for mass production, expecting prototype production within the next year.

Dr. Park Kyung-tae of the institute said, "We started research on molybdenum, which has no precedent for domestic production due to the SoBuJang issue. If commercialization succeeds, it will be an opportunity for Korea's upstream industries and strong domestic manufacturing to gain greater competitiveness."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.