Trichlorosilane prices will rise in 2021, and the photovoltaic grade product market will be in short supply

Trichlorosilane, also known as trichlorosilane, has the chemical formula SiHCl3. It appears as a colorless and transparent liquid, has a pungent odor and is toxic. Trichlorosilane is soluble in organic solvents such as ether, benzene, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride. It will react violently when it meets water. It will emit toxic and corrosive gases when it is hydrolyzed. It is volatile and flammable. It can spontaneously ignite in the air. It can burn in an open flame and decompose when exposed to high heat. The decomposition product is toxic chloride gas. Trichlorosilane is a halosilane compound and one of the important products.

The main uses of trichlorosilane include: synthesis of organosilane, organochlorosilanes, alkyl chlorosilanes, aryl chlorosilanes and other organosilicon compounds; synthesis of organosilane coupling agents; production of polycrystalline silicon and single crystal silicon; and use as semiconductor epitaxial silicon wafers Source et al. Among them, polycrystalline silicon and silane coupling agents are the main downstream markets for trichlorosilane. Polycrystalline silicon can be widely used in semiconductors, solar cells, optical fibers and other fields. The scale of downstream industries is large, so the demand for trichlorosilane in the polycrystalline silicon field accounts for the largest proportion, reaching About 70%.

In my country, the mainstream preparation method of trichlorosilane is the boiling chlorination method. Under certain temperature and pressure conditions, dry silicon powder is used as raw material, and it is reacted with dry hydrogen chloride in a boiling furnace to obtain a crude product, which is then separated, condensed, distilled, etc. The finished product is obtained through the process, and the by-product is silicon tetrachloride. This process technology is mature, can be produced automatically, and is highly economical. There is also the silicon tetrachloride hydrogenation method, which requires higher equipment and is suitable for companies that use the by-product silicon tetrachloride as raw material to produce trichlorosilane.

In 2021, from the perspective of upstream raw materials, silicon powder supply is tight and prices are high, and costs support the rise of trichlorosilane prices; from the midstream perspective, under the influence of dual energy consumption control policies, the operating rate of the trichlorosilane industry is low; from downstream demand Judging from the current situation, the photovoltaic industry is booming, which promotes the expansion of polysilicon production capacity, and the trichlorosilane market is in short supply. Under the combined influence of multiple upstream, midstream and downstream factors, the price of trichlorosilane in my country has risen sharply since May. Companies with photovoltaic grade trichlorosilane production capacity are close to full production and full sales, and their development momentum is strong.

The main trichlorosilane manufacturers in my country include Xin’an Co., Ltd., Sanfu Co., Ltd., Chenguang New Materials, Hongbai New Materials, Oriental Hope, Luoyang China Silicon, Qinyang Lingkong, Henan Shangyu, Ningxia Futai, etc. According to the “Trichlorosilane Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report 2021-2025” released by the Industrial Research Center, with The requirements for silane coupling agents are different. Trichlorosilane for polycrystalline silicon has high requirements on product purity and impurity content. Therefore, the technical barriers to photovoltaic grade trichlorosilane are higher. Among my country’s trichlorosilane production companies, only one has the production capacity of photovoltaic grade trichlorosilane. The number of enterprises is small, and some of them use their own production capacity and do not sell it to exports.

Industry analysts people said that according to the forecast of the Energy Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission, by 2025, my country’s total installed photovoltaic capacity will reach 730 million kilowatts. , it is estimated that by 2025, my country’s demand for trichlorosilane for polysilicon will reach more than 700,000 tons. There are companies in my country planning to expand the production capacity of photovoltaic grade trichlorosilane, but the expansion is limited, and the gap between supply and demand of photovoltaic grade trichlorosilane will continue to increase in the future. Generally speaking, my country has a large production capacity of trichlorosilane, but the product structure is unreasonable. The supply of photovoltaic-grade trichlorosilane exceeds demand, and the future development potential is huge.