China Semiconductor Wafers Manufacturers, Suppliers, Factory

In the process of silicon wafer manufacturing, after the crystal rod is cut into silicon wafers, it will need to be polished and cleaned to obtain a single crystal silicon wafer like a mirror.

Both epitaxial and diffused wafers are essential materials in semiconductor manufacturing, but they differ significantly in their fabrication processes and target applications. This article delves into the key distinctions between these wafer types.

Epitaxial growth refers to the process of growing a crystallographically well-ordered monocrystalline layer on a substrate. Generally speaking, epitaxial growth involves the cultivation of a crystal layer on a single-crystal substrate, with the grown layer sharing the same crystallographic orientation as the original substrate. Epitaxy is extensively utilized in semiconductor manufacturing, such as the production of epitaxial silicon wafers in the integrated circuit industry.

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.

Every country is aware of the importance of chips and is now accelerating the construction of its own chip manufacturing supply chain ecosystem to prevent another chip shortage problem. But the advanced foundries without next-gen chip designers would be the same as “Fabs without Chips”.