Korea achieves domestic production of high-purity deuterium ammonia previously imported entirely from China and Japan

Korea Institute of Energy Research secures commercial-scale process for ultra-high-purity deuterium ammonia production; system proven stable through 1,000 hours of continuous operation

Containers of deuterium ammonia produced through the newly developed process. [Korea Institute of Energy Research]

South Korea has established a domestic production base for deuterium ammonia (ND₃), a specialty gas the country had previously relied entirely on imports from Japan and China to supply.

Deuterium ammonia is a compound in which the hydrogen atoms in conventional ammonia (NH₃) are replaced with deuterium (D). When used in semiconductor manufacturing, it suppresses defects that form inside semiconductor devices, and demand for the material has been growing steadily.

A research team led by Dr. Yun Young-cheol at the Korea Institute of Energy Research successfully produced deuterium ammonia at a scale of 7.7 kilograms per day using a ruthenium catalyst developed in-house. The catalyst cuts the pressure required for conventional deuterium ammonia synthesis to one-fifth of previous levels and improves temperature conditions, enabling synthesis at a purity of 99 percent or higher.

The researchers mixed barium oxide into the ruthenium catalyst, reducing the energy needed for nitrogen decomposition — the most difficult step in ammonia synthesis. Barium oxide raises the electron density on the ruthenium surface, weakening the bonding force of nitrogen molecules adsorbed there. This allows nitrogen to be broken down and deuterium ammonia to be produced at significantly lower temperatures and pressures than conventional methods require.

Researchers at the Korea Institute of Energy Research discuss the process equipment they developed. [Korea Institute of Energy Research]

The system completed more than 1,000 hours of consecutive operation and obtained certification from the Korea Testing Laboratory, verifying both its durability and reliability. The team also confirmed that the process generates no impurities that could affect semiconductor performance, demonstrating that ultra-high-purity deuterium ammonia can be produced stably.

Securing a domestic production base through this development will reduce dependence on imports and could open the door to the global specialty gas market, the institute said. To that end, the research team plans to pursue full-scale entry into the isotope materials market for the semiconductor, display and precision chemical industries through process optimization and production expansion.

"Analysis found no detectable metallic impurities across 49 elements, confirming the potential to meet quality standards for high-purity specialty gases," Dr. Yun said. "Building on our experience with long-duration stable operation and our low-pressure, low-temperature process technology, we expect to expand this into a small-scale, high-performance chemical materials production platform for the semiconductor, display and precision analysis industries."

nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com