TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K., which operates the TANAKA Precious Metals manufacturing business, has announced that its subsidiary TANAKA Denshi Kogyo K.K., which produces various types of bonding wires, will start taking orders for gold (Au) bonding wire manufactured using only RE Series 100% recycled precious metal materials. This is in addition to existing products, using raw materials such as gold directly produced from mines.
Gold (Au) bonding wires: Boasting the world's highest market share, TANAKA Denshi Kogyo's gold bonding wires support the global semiconductor industry [Image: TANAKA]
A gold compound for plating has already been launched by TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo, the first product to use the RE Series of raw materials. For its second product, the RE Series is being expanded to gold bonding wires, manufactured by TANAKA Denshi Kogyo.
Boasting the world's highest market share*, TANAKA Denshi Kogyo's gold bonding wires support the global semiconductor industry. A stable worldwide supply of the RE Series is possible as it is being produced at four locations; Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and China, and has obtained third-party verification.
TANAKA Precious Metals hopes to contribute to the establishment of a Sound Material-Cycle Society, with increased demand for sustainable materials and products, by supplying the RE Series. In future, TANAKA Precious Metals will further expand its business of recycling precious metals, which are natural resources with limited reserves, to the global market with the goal of achieving a stable supply.
About Gold (Au) Bonding Wires
Bonding wire is the metal wire that electrically connects semiconductor chips to external electrodes. They mainly use extremely fine wires (10+ microns thick) made from gold, silver, copper, and aluminum. In particular, bonding wires made using gold have better corrosion resistance, workability, connectivity, and chemical stability than those composed of other metals. Besides electronic products such as computers and mobile phones, semiconductors are used in home appliances and vehicles, and are gaining attention as a critical component in electric vehicles and digital transformation, contributing to the realization of a carbon-neutral society.
About the RE Series
The RE Series is composed of materials refined only from recycled precious metals rather than from sources such as mined bullion. TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo has been operating a recycled precious metals business since it was established in 1885. By expanding its RE Series production line, it is working to supply products that use 100% recycled precious metal materials.
In addition, TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo offers services using a comprehensive system of management within the Group, from product recovery to refining and remanufacturing into new products. Using advanced precious metal analysis technologies developed through many years of research and development, it is able to accurately evaluate the rate of precious metal content in recovered materials, which is important for recycling.
*One measure of precious metals analysis capabilitiy is status as a Good Delivery Referee, an accreditation by the LBMA and LPPM, the most prestigious organizations in the field, of which TANAKA Kikinzoku Group is one of five companies to be accredited, and the only company in Japan and the rest of Asia. The Group is also the first in Japan to acquire ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for analysis technologies of platinum, gold, silver and palladium.
About TANAKA Denshi Kogyo bonding wires
TANAKA Denshi Kogyo has produced various types of bonding wires since it was founded more than 50 years ago, and today it has a leading share of the global market. After establishing its first overseas production base in Singapore in 1978, the company has constructed additional production bases in Malaysia, China, and Taiwan. It now supplies its wires to countries engaged in the production of semiconductors around the world.