China Silicon Epitaxial Wafer 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.

AlN, as third-generation semiconductor material, is not only an important blue light and ultraviolet light material, but also an important packaging, dielectric isolation and insulation material for electronic devices and integrated circuits, especially suitable for high-temperature and high-power devices. In addition, AlN and GaN have a good thermal match and chemical compatibility, AlN used as GaN epitaxial substrate, can significantly reduce the defect density in GaN devices, improve device performance.

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) is highly favored in the semiconductor industry for its excellent physical and chemical properties. However, the high hardness and brittleness of SiC pose considerable challenges to its processing.

Gallium Nitride (GaN) is an important material in semiconductor technology, known for its exceptional electronic and optical properties. GaN, as a wide-bandgap semiconductor, has a bandgap energy of approximately 3.4 eV, making it ideal for high-power and high-frequency applications.

To achieve the high-quality requirements of IC chip circuit processes with line widths smaller than 0.13μm to 28nm for 300mm diameter silicon polishing wafers, it is essential to minimize contamination from impurities, such as metal ions, on the wafer's surface.