The "tough" largest province in central China has filled the "key missing link"

According to Henan Daily, recently, Zhengzhou High - tech Zone signed an agreement with Zhongke Fenyang (Henan) Super - hard Materials Co., Ltd. The fourth - generation semiconductor material production base of Zhongke Fenyang was officially settled in the area. This base is the first full - industrial - chain project of fourth - generation semiconductor materials in China, marking a crucial step from technological R & D to large - scale production in the field of fourth - generation semiconductor materials in China.

Public information shows that Zhongke Fenyang is a leading high - tech enterprise in China with the full - chain vertical integration ability from diamond CVD equipment, crystal growth, epitaxy, micro - nano processing to advanced packaging substrates. It is jointly invested by Central South University and is positioned as "an international cutting - edge diamond functional material system manufacturer".

This signing is also another key layout of Zhengzhou High - tech Zone in the field of fourth - generation semiconductors, following the establishment of the fourth - generation semiconductor R & D center by Zhongke Fenyang and Central South University in Zhengzhou High - tech Zone in March this year and the launch of the world's first LPPHT micro - nano diamond production line at the end of March. The production base will cooperate with the R & D center to build a full - chain innovation system of "basic research - technological breakthrough - achievement transformation - large - scale mass production".

The so - called "fourth - generation semiconductor materials" are centered on ultra - wide bandgap materials such as diamond and gallium oxide. They have characteristics such as a large bandgap, high breakdown electric field, and excellent thermal conductivity, and have irreplaceable advantages in application scenarios in fields such as AI chips, 5G/6G communications, electronic thermal management, new energy vehicles, and biomedicine. They are known as the "ultimate semiconductor materials".

So, why was the first full - industrial - chain project in this cutting - edge field located in Zhengzhou?

As we all know, Henan is the world's largest artificial diamond production area. Five out of every ten cultivated diamonds in the world are produced in China, and eight out of every ten in China come from Henan.

More macroscopically, as the two mainstays of the super - hard materials industry, the production of diamond and cubic boron nitride in Henan accounts for 80% and 95% of the national total respectively. The profound industrial foundation has become the natural strength for Zhengzhou to undertake high - end projects.

From a broader perspective, as the two mainstays of the super - hard materials industry, the production of diamond and cubic boron nitride in Henan accounts for 80% and 95% of the national total respectively.

However, there are also hidden concerns behind the advantages. For a long time, the domestic diamond industry has mainly focused on low - end abrasives and grinding tools, and high - end functional materials are heavily dependent on imports. Sun Zhaoda, the secretary - general of the Super - hard Materials Branch of the China Machine Tool & Tool Builders' Association, once pointed out that most of the super - hard materials enterprises in Henan are engaged in upstream raw material products, with few high - end super - hard material products and functional application products. The specialization and refinement of products are insufficient, and over - capacity has emerged in some low - and medium - end fields.

To solve this structural contradiction and achieve "re - creating advantages and promoting innovation", previously, Henan listed the super - hard materials industry chain as the top of the 28 key - cultivated industrial chains in the province and issued the "Action Plan for Cultivating and Strengthening the Super - hard Materials Industry in Henan Province (2023 - 2025)", clearly designating Zhengzhou as the core area for industrial layout and supporting it to build the world's largest production base for high - performance super - hard material products and functional diamond materials.

The implementation of this full - industrial - chain project is widely regarded as filling the "key link" in Henan's globally advantageous super - hard materials industry chain, further promoting the acceleration of the formation of a fourth - generation semiconductor material industrial cluster in Zhengzhou, and helping Henan transform from a "province with large diamond production capacity" to a "province strong in high - end functional materials".

This article is from the WeChat official account "Urban Evolution Theory", author: Liu Yanmei. It is published by 36Kr with authorization.