# Electronic specialty gases: Production route

How fluorine, tungsten and steelworks air become chip gases

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/electronic_gases/routes/

What this tab covers How it is made: the main production routes or, for product families, the main product types and technologies, compared on share of supply, inputs per tonne, plant scale, yield, co-products and unit cost.

Electronic gases are made by small numbers of specialised plants. Fluorine gases come from HF: NF3 by electrolysis or direct fluorination, WF6 by fluorinating tungsten, fluorocarbons by fluorinating chlorocarbons. Rare gases are by-products of very large air separation units, mostly at steelworks. Helium is stripped from natural gas. Hydrides are made from silicon, arsenic, phosphorus and boron compounds. The value is in purification, packaging and supply reliability more than synthesis.

#### Routes compared

| Route | Share of supply | Inputs per tonne | Typical scale | Yield | Co-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3)** | largest specialty gas by value (indicative); NF3 market about $2 billion by 2025 (GMI forecast) | HF and ammonia; fluorine at about 0.8 t per t NF3 (stoichiometry) | plants of a few kt/yr (indicative) | not published | N2F2, HF waste | not published |
| **Tungsten hexafluoride (WF6)** | second major fluorinated deposition gas; grew 12% in 2025 | about 0.62 t tungsten and 0.38 t fluorine per t WF6 (stoichiometry) | small (indicative) | not published | HF | linked to tungsten prices (indicative) |
| **Rare gases from air separation (neon, krypton, xenon)** | Ukraine about half of world neon before 2022 (Conway); China has since expanded (indicative) | very large air volumes: neon is 18 ppm of air (indicative) | only ASUs above about 1,000 t/day oxygen recover neon economically (indicative) | not published | oxygen, nitrogen, argon (main products) | not published; USGS reports rare-gas prices unavailable |
| **Helium from natural gas** | US 43%, Qatar 33%, Russia 9% of 2025 output (derived) | natural gas processing | Ras Laffan about a third of world output | not applicable | LNG and natural gas | Grade-A base about $12/m3 in 2025 plus surcharges |
| **Hydrides and fluorocarbons (silane, arsine, phosphine, CF4, C4F6)** | not published | trichlorosilane, arsenic, phosphorus, HF (indicative) | small specialty plants | not published | chlorosilanes, HCl | not published |

#### How each route works
**Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3)**

Made by electrolysing molten ammonium bifluoride, or by reacting ammonia with fluorine gas, then purified by cryogenic distillation. Leading makers: SK Specialty, Hyosung, Kanto Denka, Mitsui Chemicals, Peric (China), Merck/Versum (indicative).

Efficient chamber cleaning; very high GWP if released.
 GMI Insights (NF3 market); stoichiometry; producer names indicative **Tungsten hexafluoride (WF6)**

Tungsten powder reacts with fluorine at high temperature; WF6 is condensed and distilled. Used in CVD of tungsten in logic contacts and 3D NAND.

Mature; molybdenum may replace some uses in memory.
 TECHCET (2022, 2025); stoichiometry **Rare gases from air separation (neon, krypton, xenon)**

Large ASUs, mainly at steelworks, produce a crude neon-helium stream and a krypton-xenon stream, which specialists purify. Before 2022, Ukrainian firms purified much of Russia's and Ukraine's crude neon.

Cheap by-product, but tied to steel plants and geopolitics.
 Conway (2023); USGS MCS 2026 **Helium from natural gas**

Helium-bearing gas (0.3-7% He) is processed, helium is separated cryogenically, purified to Grade A (99.997%) and liquefied. Qatar and the US dominate.

Irreplaceable for some cooling; supply set by LNG decisions.
 helium tile (USGS MCS 2026) **Hydrides and fluorocarbons (silane, arsine, phosphine, CF4, C4F6)**

Silane from disproportionation of trichlorosilane; arsine and phosphine from metal arsenides and phosphides; perfluorocarbons by fluorinating chlorocarbons or electrochemical fluorination (indicative).

Essential and highly toxic or high-GWP.
 Indicative Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs move with feedstock and energy prices, plant size and region.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/electronic_gases/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/electronic_gases/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/electronic_gases/correlation/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/electronic_gases/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/electronic_gases/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/electronic_gases/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/electronic_gases/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/electronic_gases/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/electronic_gases/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/electronic_gases/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/electronic_gases/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/electronic_gases/links/index.md)