China insulating ring Manufacturers, Suppliers, Factory

Currently, many semiconductor devices employ mesa device structures, which are predominantly created through two types of etching: wet etching and dry etching. While the simple and rapid wet etching plays a significant role in semiconductor device fabrication, it has inherent drawbacks such as isotropic etching and poor uniformity, which result in limited control when transferring small-sized patterns. Dry etching, however, with its high anisotropy, good uniformity, and repeatability, has become prominent in semiconductor device fabrication processes. The term “dry etching” broadly refers to any non-wet etching technology used for removing surface materials and transferring micro and nano patterns, including laser etching, plasma etching, and chemical vapor etching. The dry etching discussed in this text specifically pertains to the narrow application of processes using plasma discharge—either physical or chemical—to modify material surfaces.

The process of silicon carbide substrate is complex and difficult to manufacture. SiC substrate occupies the main value of the industry chain, accounting for 47%. It is expected that with the expansion of production capacity and the improvement of yield in the future, it is expected to drop to 30%.

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.

In the process of wafer preparation, there are two core links: one is the preparation of the substrate, and the other is the implementation of the epitaxial process. The substrate, a wafer carefully made of semiconductor single crystal material, can be directly put into the wafer manufacturing process as a basis to produce semiconductor devices, or further enhance the performance through the epitaxial process.

Silicon carbide (SiC) crystal growth furnaces are the cornerstone of SiC wafer production. While sharing similarities with traditional silicon crystal growth furnaces, SiC furnaces face unique challenges due to the material’s extreme growth conditions and complex defect formation mechanisms. These challenges can be broadly categorized into two areas: crystal growth and epitaxial growth.

Currently, silicon carbide (SiC) is a highly active area of research in thermal conductive ceramic materials both domestically and internationally.