China ESC Manufacturers, Suppliers, Factory

Within the silicon carbide (SiC) industry chain, substrate suppliers hold significant leverage, primarily due to value distribution. SiC substrates account for 47% of the total value, followed by epitaxial layers at 23%, while device design and manufacturing constitute the remaining 30%. This inverted value chain stems from the high technological barriers inherent to substrate and epitaxial layer production. Three major challenges plague SiC substrate growth: stringent growth conditions, slow growth rates, and demanding crystallographic requirements. These complexities contribute to increased processing difficulty, ultimately resulting in low product yields and high costs. Furthermore, the epitaxial layer’s thickness and doping concentration are critical parameters directly impacting the final device performance.

Silicon Carbide generally uses the PVT method, with a temperature of more than 2000 degrees, a long processing cycle, and low output, so the cost of Silicon Carbide substrates is very high.

The Silicon Carbide (SiC) production process encompasses the preparation of substrate and epitaxy from the materials side, followed by chip design and manufacturing, device packaging, and finally, distribution to downstream application markets. Among these stages, substrate material processing is the most challenging aspect of the SiC industry. SiC substrates are both hard and brittle, making cutting, grinding, and polishing extremely difficult. This increases the likelihood of defects during processing and reduces the yield rate. Currently, major international SiC manufacturers are planning to transition from 6-inch to 8-inch SiC wafers. Overcoming the challenges associated with 8-inch substrates has become a critical benchmark for the SiC industry. This article will introduce the key parameters of SiC substrates.

Wafers are sliced from crystal rods, which are produced from polycrystalline and pure undoped intrinsic materials. The process of transforming polycrystalline material into single crystals through melting and recrystallization is known as crystal growth. Currently, two main methods are employed for this process: the Czochralski method and the zone melting method. Among these, the Czochralski method (often referred to as the CZ method) is the most significant for growing single crystals from melts. In fact, over 85% of single crystal silicon is produced using the Czochralski method.

The ultra-high synthesis temperature and the difficulty of achieving dense sintering of SiC ceramics have limited their development. The sintering process is crucial for SiC ceramics.

Compression molding, isostatic pressing, and rod extrusion are the three most common methods for producing graphite rods, similar to those used for creating graphite tubes.