China LTOI Manufacturers, Suppliers, Factory

Heat treatment is one of the essential and important processes in the semiconductor process. Thermal process is the process of applying thermal energy to a wafer by placing it in an environment filled with a specific gas, including oxidation/diffusion/annealing, etc.

In the world of high-temperature heating, achieving precision and reliability in extreme conditions is paramount. To meet these challenges, innovative materials and designs have been developed to push the boundaries of what's possible. One such advancement is the Silicon Carbide (SiC) coated graphite heating element.

The processing of 4H-SiC substrate mainly includes the following steps:

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.

Semiconductor technology has been the backbone of modern civilization, fundamentally transforming the way we live, work, and interact with the world. It has enabled unprecedented advancements in various fields including information technology, energy, telecommunications, and healthcare. From the microprocessors that power our smartphones and computers, to the sensors in medical devices, and the power electronics in renewable energy systems, semiconductors are at the core of nearly every technological innovation of the past century.