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Worldwide sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment increased 5 percent from $102.6 billion in 2021 to an all-time record of $107.6 billion last year, SEMI, the industry association representing the global electronics design and manufacturing supply chain.

The history of silicon carbide (SiC) dates back to 1891, when Edward Goodrich Acheson accidentally discovered it while attempting to synthesize artificial diamonds. Acheson heated a mixture of clay (aluminosilicate) and powdered coke (carbon) in an electric furnace. Instead of the expected diamonds, he obtained a bright green crystal adhering to the carbon. This crystal had a hardness second only to diamond, and was thus named carborundum. In 1904, French-Jewish chemist Henri Moissan discovered rare natural silicon carbide minerals while studying meteorite samples from the Diablo Canyon in Arizona, USA. He named these minerals moissanite, and his discovery earned him the 1906 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

The first generation of semiconductor materials is mainly represented by silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge), which began to rise in the 1950s. Germanium was dominant in the early days and was mainly used in low-voltage, low-frequency, medium-power transistors and photodetectors, but due to its poor high temperature resistance and radiation resistance, it was gradually replaced by silicon devices in the late 1960s. Silicon is still the main semiconductor material in the field of microelectronics due to its high technological maturity and cost advantages.

​As the world searches for new opportunities in the semiconductor field, Gallium Nitride (GaN) continues to stand out as a potential candidate for future power and RF applications. However, despite its numerous benefits, GaN faces a significant challenge: the absence of P-type products. Why is GaN hailed as the next major semiconductor material, why is the lack of P-type GaN devices a critical drawback, and what does this mean for future designs?

SiC substrates are the most crucial component in the silicon carbide industry, accounting for nearly 50% of its value. Without SiC substrates, it is impossible to manufacture SiC devices, making them the essential material foundation.