【Member News】CETC 46th Research Institute Focuses on Gallium Oxide, Aluminum Nitride, and Diamond to Advance Core Technology Breakthroughs

      The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee emphasized the need to “strengthen original innovation and tackle key core technologies, while deeply integrating scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation.” As a central research institute based in Tianjin, the 46th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC 46), rooted in the city for over 60 years, has consistently aligned its work with national strategic needs and pursued original research in semiconductor materials. During the upcoming “15th Five-Year Plan” period, the institute will plan and deploy R&D on next-generation semiconductor materials and accelerate the transformation and commercialization of scientific achievements in Tianjin.

      In 1970, China successfully launched its first artificial satellite, Dongfanghong-1. The satellite was powered by solar panels, and the core photovoltaic component—the silicon wafer—was developed by CETC 46, a central research institute located in Tianjin. Records documenting this achievement are still preserved in the institute’s archives. Established in 1958, CETC 46 was one of China’s earliest research institutes dedicated to semiconductor and optical fiber materials. It has long carried out fundamental research for major national projects and has contributed to numerous national “firsts,” including the first generation of new early-warning radars and the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System.

      Transforming research strengths into industrial competitiveness has always been a strategic focus. With the increasing use of semiconductors in smartphones, smart home appliances, new-energy vehicles, and rail transit, market demand for silicon wafers—the core material of semiconductors—has surged. In response, CETC 46 has developed more than 1,000 types of silicon wafers. In 2021, the institute established a new industrial park of over 500 mu in Tianjin’s Jinnan District and founded its technology-transfer enterprise, Zhongdian Jinghua. Since its establishment, the four production lines at the base have operated around the clock, supplying products to China’s top ten semiconductor companies.

      The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee reiterated the need to strengthen original innovation and tackle critical core technologies. The Seventh Plenary Session of the 12th Tianjin Municipal Party Committee further emphasized “leveraging scientific and technological innovation to drive the development of new productive forces.” In line with national priorities and CETC’s strategic deployment, CETC 46 will, during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, focus R&D efforts on three next-generation semiconductor materials—diamond, aluminum nitride, and gallium oxide—as future substitutes for silicon. This month, CETC 46 led the application for the Tianjin Advanced Electronic Functional Materials Innovation Consortium, integrating resources from 14 universities and research institutes to collaboratively advance fundamental research. Researchers are currently developing diamond preparation technologies, aiming to apply them to heat spreaders in computing equipment to significantly reduce energy consumption.

      At the same time, during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, CETC 46 will leverage its two key laboratories—one for crystal materials and the other for special optical fiber materials—and collaborate with users such as the Tianhe Supercomputing Center and State Grid. The goal is to conduct testing and accelerate the application of the newly developed diamond materials.