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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.

The liquid phase method is closer to the thermodynamic equilibrium conditions and is able to grow SiC crystals with better quality.

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.

The Silicon Carbide (SiC) production process encompasses the preparation of substrate and epitaxy from the materials side, followed by chip design and manufacturing, device packaging, and finally, distribution to downstream application markets. Among these stages, substrate material processing is the most challenging aspect of the SiC industry. SiC substrates are both hard and brittle, making cutting, grinding, and polishing extremely difficult. This increases the likelihood of defects during processing and reduces the yield rate. Currently, major international SiC manufacturers are planning to transition from 6-inch to 8-inch SiC wafers. Overcoming the challenges associated with 8-inch substrates has become a critical benchmark for the SiC industry. This article will introduce the key parameters of SiC substrates.

Currently, many semiconductor devices employ mesa device structures, which are predominantly created through two types of etching: wet etching and dry etching. While the simple and rapid wet etching plays a significant role in semiconductor device fabrication, it has inherent drawbacks such as isotropic etching and poor uniformity, which result in limited control when transferring small-sized patterns. Dry etching, however, with its high anisotropy, good uniformity, and repeatability, has become prominent in semiconductor device fabrication processes. The term “dry etching” broadly refers to any non-wet etching technology used for removing surface materials and transferring micro and nano patterns, including laser etching, plasma etching, and chemical vapor etching. The dry etching discussed in this text specifically pertains to the narrow application of processes using plasma discharge—either physical or chemical—to modify material surfaces.