Silicon Carbide power device industry

Power semiconductors (also known as power electronic devices) are core components for power conversion and circuit control in electronic devices. They enable precise voltage and frequency regulation, as well as efficient AC and DC conversion. Through functions such as rectification, inversion, power amplification, power switching, and circuit protection, these devices effectively regulate energy flow and ensure system stability, and are known as the "heart" of power electronics.

Based on the materials used, power semiconductors can be divided into two categories, namely traditional silicon-based semiconductors and wide bandgap semiconductors. The former includes semiconductors composed of elements such as silicon (Si), while the latter includes compounds such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride.

Traditional silicon-based semiconductor devices are limited by inherent physical properties and are difficult to meet the high-performance requirements of emerging applications such as artificial intelligence computing power and data centers, smart grids, and energy storage systems. In contrast, wide bandgap semiconductors represented by silicon carbide and gallium nitride show significant performance advantages at both the material and device levels. Among them, silicon carbide power semiconductor devices stand out with their excellent breakdown voltage, thermal conductivity, electron saturation rate, and radiation resistance. Compared with gallium nitride, silicon carbide has a wider range of applicability in medium and high voltage applications, and occupies a dominant position in the application market above 600V, with a larger market size. In recent years, silicon carbide power semiconductor devices have been widely used in many industries and are expected to play a key role in the continuous transformation of the power semiconductor industry.

Silicon carbide is currently the most mature wide bandgap semiconductor material in terms of crystal growth technology and device manufacturing. The production process of silicon carbide power semiconductor devices involves the following steps. First, silicon carbide powder is grown, cut, ground and polished to form a silicon carbide substrate, and then single crystal epitaxial material is grown on the substrate. The chip undergoes a series of complex processes (including photolithography, cleaning, etching, deposition, thinning, packaging and testing) to finally form a silicon carbide power semiconductor device.

The upstream segment of the industry chain involves the preparation of silicon carbide substrates and silicon carbide epitaxial chips. As a key material in the industry chain, the quality of silicon carbide epitaxial chips is crucial and the value of epitaxial layer manufacturing accounts for about 25% of the entire silicon carbide power device value chain. Unlike traditional silicon-based power semiconductor devices, silicon carbide power semiconductor devices cannot be manufactured directly on silicon carbide substrates; instead, high-quality epitaxial layers need to be deposited on the substrate. Due to the high technical barriers to manufacturing high-quality silicon carbide epitaxial chips, their supply is relatively limited. As the global demand for silicon carbide power semiconductor devices continues to grow, high-quality epitaxial chips will play an increasingly important role in the industry chain.

The midstream segment includes the design, manufacturing, packaging and testing of silicon carbide power semiconductor devices. Silicon carbide power semiconductor device manufacturers use silicon carbide epitaxial chips as basic materials and manufacture silicon carbide semiconductor devices through complex manufacturing processes. Device manufacturers are generally divided into three types: IDM, device design companies and wafer foundries. IDM integrates the design, manufacturing, packaging and testing of silicon carbide power semiconductors and other industry chains. Device design companies are only responsible for the design and sales of silicon carbide power semiconductors, while wafer foundries are only responsible for manufacturing, packaging and testing.

Downstream divisions involve applications such as electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, renewable energy, energy storage systems, as well as emerging industries such as home appliances, artificial intelligence computing power and data centers, smart grids, and eVTOL.

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