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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.

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.

Etching is a critical step in chip manufacturing, used to create minute circuit structures on silicon wafers.

When cleaning wafers, ultrasonic cleaning and megasonic cleaning are commonly used to remove particles from the wafer surface.

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.

Gallium oxide (Ga2O3) as an "ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor" material has garnered sustained attention. Ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors fall under the category of "fourth-generation semiconductors," and in comparison to third-generation semiconductors such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), gallium oxide boasts a bandgap width of 4.9eV, surpassing silicon carbide's 3.2eV and gallium nitride's 3.39eV. A wider bandgap implies that electrons require more energy to transition from the valence band to the conduction band, endowing gallium oxide with characteristics like high voltage resistance, high-temperature tolerance, high power capability, and radiation resistance.