Silicon Carbide Industry

The silicon carbide industry involves a chain of processes that include substrate creation, epitaxial growth, device design, device manufacturing, packaging, and testing. In general, silicon carbide is created as ingots, which are then sliced, ground, and polished to produce a silicon carbide substrate. The substrate goes through the epitaxial growth process to produce an epitaxial wafer. The epitaxial wafer is then used to create a device through various steps such as photolithography, etching, ion implantation, and deposition. The wafers are cut into dies and encapsulated to obtain the devices. Finally, the devices are combined and assembled into modules in a special housing.

The silicon carbide industry chain's value is mainly concentrated in the upstream substrate and epitaxial links. According to data from CASA, the substrate accounts for approximately 47% of the cost of silicon carbide devices, and the epitaxial link accounts for 23%. The cost before manufacturing accounts for 70% of the total cost. On the other hand, for Si-based devices, wafer manufacturing accounts for 50% of the cost, and wafer substrate only accounts for 7% of the cost. This highlights the value of the upstream substrate and epitaxial links for silicon carbide devices.

Despite the fact that the silicon carbide substrate and epitaxial prices are relatively expensive compared to the silicon wafer, the high efficiency, high power density, and other characteristics of silicon carbide devices make them attractive for various industries, including new energy vehicles, energy, and industrial sectors. Therefore, the demand for silicon carbide devices is expected to increase rapidly, which will drive the penetration of silicon carbide in various fields.