New Technological Complex for Microchip Production Being Built in Russia

In Zelenograd, Russia, a special "clean room" and engineering systems complex is being constructed for the first domestic industrial facility dedicated to the metallization of microchips. This project, implemented by the Element group of companies, is considered an important step toward import substitution in the microelectronics field under Western sanctions. This is reported by Ixbt.com news reports.

According to ixbt.com, the company "Sistemniye resheniya" won the tender for the design of the project's engineering part. The contract value is 21 million rubles, and the testing center will occupy nearly 350 square meters. A domestic vacuum sputtering system will be installed here as an alternative to equipment from Applied Materials (USA) and Evatec (Switzerland).

Technological Process and International Standards

The new facility is expected to enable microchip production based on 180 and 90 nanometer technological processes on 200 millimeter wafers. It will perform the deposition of aluminum, titanium, and titanium nitride layers. These layers are critical for forming conductive tracks and protective coatings in microchips.

Such high-precision equipment requires an extremely strictly controlled environment. According to the project, the main working area must meet the ISO 6 cleanliness level, while auxiliary rooms must meet the ISO 8 standard. This means particles up to 0.3 microns in the air are filtered, the temperature is maintained around +22 degrees, and humidity does not exceed 50 percent.

Funding and Prospects

The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade plans to allocate approximately 2 billion rubles by 2026 for the development of the facility itself. The project includes an eight-module vacuum sputtering system and two robotic manipulators for handling silicon wafers. The full technological complex is aimed to be commissioned by the end of September 2030.

Industry experts say that creating "clean rooms" for microelectronics remains one of the most complex and expensive tasks. Although Russia strives to create its own technology, some components are still imported, mainly from China. For the Central Asian region, particularly Uzbekistan, such technological developments may affect the high-tech equipment supply chain in the future.