Polymatech Electronics has commissioned a sapphire ingot crystal-growth puller at its Oragadam campus in Chennai, marking a significant step in expanding its upstream semiconductor materials capabilities and advancing its strategy of end-to-end vertical integration.
The new facility, located at the company’s campus in the SIPCOT Hi-Tech Special Economic Zone (SEZ), is expected to strengthen Polymatech’s capabilities across the semiconductor value chain, from crystal growth and wafer preparation to semiconductor packaging and finished devices.
Facility enters qualification phase
The company said the newly commissioned sapphire ingot puller is currently undergoing process qualification and operational validation to ensure consistent single-crystal sapphire growth.
During this phase, engineers are validating critical operating parameters, including power quality, ultra-pure water, process gases, thermal stability and other process conditions required for high-precision semiconductor manufacturing.
The furnace has been designed to grow a 100 mm diameter sapphire ingot in approximately five working days. After cutting and grinding, each ingot is expected to yield about 330 mm of usable crystal length.
Supports large-scale wafer production
Once qualified, each sapphire ingot will undergo precision slicing, grinding, lapping and polishing to produce epi-ready sapphire wafers.
At full capacity, a single crystal-growth puller is expected to produce around 18,000 epi-ready sapphire wafers annually, providing substrate capacity for several billion semiconductor dies each year, depending on device size.
Expansion planned at Nava Raipur SEZ
The Oragadam facility will serve as the process-development and qualification centre for the company’s next phase of expansion.
Polymatech said additional sapphire ingot pullers will be installed at its notified Polymatech SEZ in Nava Raipur, Atal Nagar, Chhattisgarh, which has been approved by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing.
Spread across 10.13 hectares at Mandir Hasaud, the SEZ is expected to become a key manufacturing hub for the company’s future semiconductor materials and advanced electronics production.
Strengthening global semiconductor capabilities
The company said the expansion complements its existing sapphire ingot and wafer operations in Grenoble, France, combining European materials expertise with India’s growing manufacturing and process engineering capabilities.
Polymatech added that the sapphire programme aligns with its broader global expansion strategy across India, Singapore, France, Estonia and the United States, aimed at building greater control over critical semiconductor materials, manufacturing processes, packaging and finished-device production.
The company noted that the programme has been conceived, engineered and funded entirely through its own resources.
Targets deeper control of chip value chain
Polymatech Electronics Managing Director & CEO Eswara Rao Nandam said the commissioning of the Oragadam facility establishes the process platform for sapphire crystal growth, while the notified SEZ at Nava Raipur will enable the company to scale the technology for industrial production.
He said the company’s long-term objective is to build deeper control over the semiconductor value chain, from crystal growth to finished chips, while creating globally competitive semiconductor manufacturing capabilities from India.