China Plasma Edge Ring Manufacturers, Suppliers, Factory

Worldwide sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment increased 5 percent from $102.6 billion in 2021 to an all-time record of $107.6 billion last year, SEMI, the industry association representing the global electronics design and manufacturing supply chain.

In modern electronics, optoelectronics, microelectronics, and information technology fields, semiconductor substrates and epitaxial technologies are indispensable. They provide a solid foundation for manufacturing high-performance, high-reliability semiconductor devices. As technology continues to advance, semiconductor substrates and epitaxial technologies will also progress, bringing new breakthroughs and developments to the future of the semiconductor industry.

There are six classifications for semiconductors, which are classified by product standard, processing signal type, manufacturing process, usage function, application field, and design method.

Semiconductor materials can be divided into three generations according to the time sequence. The first generation of germanium, silicon and other common monomaterials, which is characterised by convenient switching, generally used in integrated circuits. The second generation of gallium arsenide, indium phosphide and other compound semiconductors, mainly used for light-emitting and communication materials.

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 (SiC), as an important high-end ceramic material, has excellent properties such as high-temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, high-temperature mechanical strength, and oxidation resistance. These properties make it highly promising for applications in high-tech fields such as semiconductors, nuclear energy, defense, and space technology.