China Alumina ceramic wafer polishing plate Manufacturers, Suppliers, Factory

Taiwan's Power Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) has announced plans to build a 300mm wafer fab in Japan in collaboration with SBI Holdings. The purpose of this collaboration is to strengthen Japan's domestic IC (integrated circuit) supply chain, with a particular focus on circuits for AI edge computing and packaging technologies.

The thermal conductivity of bulk 3C-SiC, recently measured, is the second-highest among inch-scale large crystals, ranking just below diamond. Silicon carbide (SiC) is a wide bandgap semiconductor extensively used in electronic applications, and it exists in various crystalline forms known as polytypes. Managing high localized heat flux is a significant challenge in power electronics, as it can lead to device overheating and long-term performance and reliability issues.

Compared with the PVT method, the liquid phase method for growing SiC has the following advantages:

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) refers to a process technology where multiple gaseous reactants at varied partial pressures undergo a chemical reaction under specific temperature and pressure conditions. The resulting solid substance deposits on the surface of the substrate material, thereby obtaining the desired thin film. In traditional integrated circuit manufacturing processes, the obtained thin film materials are generally compounds such as oxides, nitrides, carbides, or materials like polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, etc.

In traditional silicon power device fabrication, high-temperature diffusion and ion implantation stand as the primary methods for dopant control, each with its advantages and disadvantages. Typically, high-temperature diffusion is characterized by its simplicity, cost-effectiveness, isotropic dopant distribution profiles, and lower introduction of lattice damage. Conversely, ion implantation, though complex and costly, enables precise independent control over dopant concentration and depth but introduces a significant number of point defects and extended defects into the substrate.

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.