China Silicon Carbide-Coated Manufacturers, Suppliers, Factory

Epitaxial wafers have been used in the electronics industry for decades, but their importance has only increased as technology has advanced. In this article, we will explore what epitaxial wafers are and why they are such an essential component of modern electronics.

There are several materials currently under investigation, among which silicon carbide stands out as one of the most promising. Similar to GaN, it boasts higher operating voltages, higher breakdown voltages, and superior conductivity compared to silicon. Moreover, thanks to its high thermal conductivity, silicon carbide can be utilized in environments with extreme temperatures. Lastly, it is significantly smaller in size yet capable of handling greater power.

As a third-generation semiconductor material, Gallium Nitride is often compared with Silicon Carbide. Gallium Nitride still demonstrates its superiority with its large bandgap, high breakdown voltage, high thermal conductivity, high saturated electron drift velocity and strong radiation resistance. But it is undeniable that, like Silicon Carbide, Gallium Nitride also has various technical difficulties.

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 material is a solid material with certain semiconductor electrical properties and physical stability, and provides substrate support for the subsequent integrated circuit manufacturing process. It is a key material for silicon-based integrated circuits. More than 95% of semiconductor devices and more than 90% of integrated circuits in the world are made on silicon wafers.

One of the unique properties of semiconductor materials is that their conductivity, as well as their conductivity type (N-type or P-type), can be created and controlled through a process called doping. This involves introducing specialized impurities, known as dopants, into the material to form junctions on the surface of the wafer. The industry employs two main doping techniques: thermal diffusion and ion implantation.