China Gan On Sic Manufacturers, Suppliers, Factory

There are several materials currently under investigation, among which silicon carbide stands out as one of the most promising. Similar to GaN, it boasts higher operating voltages, higher breakdown voltages, and superior conductivity compared to silicon. Moreover, thanks to its high thermal conductivity, silicon carbide can be utilized in environments with extreme temperatures. Lastly, it is significantly smaller in size yet capable of handling greater power.

As a third-generation semiconductor material, Gallium Nitride is often compared with Silicon Carbide. Gallium Nitride still demonstrates its superiority with its large bandgap, high breakdown voltage, high thermal conductivity, high saturated electron drift velocity and strong radiation resistance. But it is undeniable that, like Silicon Carbide, Gallium Nitride also has various technical difficulties.

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.

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 ultra-high synthesis temperature and the difficulty of achieving dense sintering of SiC ceramics have limited their development. The sintering process is crucial for SiC ceramics.