Some of the biggest chip makers across the globe say they do not expect any disruption from the temporary closures of the quartz mines critical for semiconductor manufacturing due to Hurricane Helene. TSMC, Infineon Technologies, Samsung Electronics, and SK Hynix have all released statements to this effect, according to the South China Morning Post, especially as high purity quartz from the mines near Spruce Pine, North Carolina is crucial for the production of the crucibles needed to create silicon wafers.
Quartz isn’t a direct ingredient in the chips we have today. However, silicon wafer manufacturers require a crucible made from 99.99999999% quartz to create the pure silicon needed using the Czochralski process. There are other sources of high-quality quartz elsewhere globally, plus other techniques to produce synthetic equivalents. However, author Ed Conway says Spruce Pine has this “unique combination of purity, availability, and price.”
