One article explains the three major applications of industrial silicon!

Industrial silicon, also known as quasi-metal silicon, is hard and shiny and is a typical semiconductor. Additional products of quasi-metal silicon include microsilicon powder, edge silicon, black silicon, metallic silicon slag, etc. Its main uses include semiconductors, alloys, and organic silicon polymer materials.

Industrial Silicon Market Environment

China is the undisputed leader in the global industrial silicon supply market, accounting for up to 79% of the market share. According to SMM's survey, China's industrial silicon production reached 3.5 million tons in 2022 and 3.8 million tons in 2023. In January-April 2024, China's cumulative industrial silicon production reached 1.42 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 22%.

With the advantages of energy and raw materials, the main supply areas of domestic industrial silicon include Xinjiang, Yunnan and Sichuan. The new production capacity is mainly concentrated in the northwest region, and the original seasonal supply fluctuations have been greatly weakened. It is estimated that the domestic industrial silicon supply will exceed 4.6 million tons in 2024. Together with other silicon supplies such as 97 silicon and recycled silicon, the annual silicon supply is expected to exceed 5.3 million tons.

Downstream applications

Industrial silicon has a wide range of downstream applications. According to the needs of different industries, it can be divided into a variety of products, including polysilicon, organic silicon and alloy silicon. Among them, polysilicon can be further smelted into single crystal silicon. Polysilicon and single crystal silicon are mainly used in photovoltaic and semiconductor industries, while alloy silicon is mainly used in automobile manufacturing. Organic silicon is widely used in traditional industries such as medical devices and electronic devices, and is also used in emerging industries such as 5G base stations.

Polysilicon

Polysilicon is mainly used in the photovoltaic industry and the electronics industry. It is not only an ideal medium for converting solar energy into light energy, but also an indispensable basic material in the information industry.

According to the purity of silicon content, polysilicon can be divided into metallurgical grade, solar grade and electronic grade polysilicon. Metallurgical grade polysilicon is made by reducing silicon oxide with carbon in an electric arc furnace, usually containing about 95% silicon, and some even as high as 99.8% or more. It is mainly used in special materials in the fields of aviation, cutting-edge technology, military technology, as well as in the fields of construction, textiles, automobiles and machinery. The purity of solar grade polysilicon is between metallurgical grade and electronic grade, and it is generally believed to contain 99.99% to 99.9999% silicon, and is mainly used in solar cells. Electronic grade polysilicon is required to contain more than 99.9999% silicon, and is mainly used in the semiconductor industry.

Organic silicon

Organic silicon is currently the largest area of ​​industrial silicon consumption and an important downstream industry of industrial silicon. It can not only be used as a basic material in a large number of industries, but also can be used to modify other materials and improve or enhance the process performance and performance of traditional materials. The main consumption directions cover construction, electronics, home appliances, electricity, medical treatment, personal care, textiles and other aspects.

Cast aluminum alloy

Cast aluminum alloy is the third largest consumption direction of industrial silicon. When silicon is used as a material additive, it can be made into alloys with other metals to enhance their metal properties. They mainly include: silicon-aluminum alloy, silicon-copper alloy, silicon-ferrosilicon alloy, silicon-manganese alloy, etc.

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