China wafer annealing Manufacturers, Suppliers, Factory

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.

The three primary methods used in monocrystalline silicon manufacturing are the Czochralski (CZ) method, the Kyropoulos method, and the Float Zone (FZ) method.

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.

As global acceptance of electric vehicles gradually increases, Silicon Carbide (SiC) will encounter novel growth opportunities in the forthcoming decade. It is anticipated that manufacturers of power semiconductors and operators in the automotive industry will participate more actively in the construction of this sector’s value chain.

In the field of single crystal growth, the temperature distribution within the crystal growth furnace plays a critical role. This temperature distribution, commonly referred to as the thermal field, is a vital factor that influences the quality and characteristics of the crystal being grown. The thermal field can be categorized into two types: static and dynamic.

SiC MOSFETs are transistors that offer high power density, improved efficiency, and low failure rates at high temperatures. These advantages of SiC MOSFETs bring numerous benefits to electric vehicles (EVs), including longer driving range, faster charging, and potentially lower cost battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Over the past five years, SiC MOSFETs have been widely used in the power electronics of EVs in vehicles from OEMs such as Tesla and Hyundai. In fact, SiC inverters accounted for 28% of the BEV market in 2023.