The new facility will produce ultra wide bandgap semiconductor materials for AI, EVs, advanced communications and other high-performance applications.
China has taken a major step toward advancing next-generation semiconductor materials with the launch of its first fully integrated domestic ultra wide bandgap semiconductor manufacturing project in Zhengzhou, Henan province.
The project, backed by Sino Powder (Henan), follows the signing of an investment agreement with the Zhengzhou High-tech Zone and is expected to establish a complete local supply chain for ultra wide bandgap semiconductor materials. The initiative is designed to strengthen China’s capabilities in advanced semiconductor manufacturing while expanding Henan’s well-established synthetic diamond industry into high-value semiconductor applications.
With a planned investment of 1.5 billion yuan (about $210 million), the project will cover the entire production process, including equipment manufacturing, single-crystal diamond growth, epitaxial processing and semiconductor substrate packaging. The facility will rely on Sino Powder’s proprietary micro- and nanodiamond production technology to manufacture high-performance diamond semiconductor materials.
The production base will house 500 microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) systems capable of producing 2-inch and 4-inch single-crystal diamond wafers, along with 50 production lines for spherical diamond powder. The first phase of the project is scheduled to bring 200 MPCVD systems online by the end of 2026, with full operations expected to generate annual output worth around 3 billion yuan within three years.
Ultra wide bandgap materials, including diamond and gallium oxide, are considered promising candidates for future semiconductor devices because of their superior thermal conductivity, high breakdown voltage and ability to operate under extreme conditions. These characteristics make them suitable for applications such as AI processors, electric vehicle power electronics, next-generation 5G and 6G communications, and advanced medical equipment.
Sino Powder, supported by Central South University, is among a small group of Chinese companies developing a fully domestic supply chain for diamond-based semiconductor materials. The new production facility builds on the company’s research center established in Zhengzhou earlier this year and represents a move from laboratory-scale development to commercial manufacturing.
