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Defect-free epitaxial growth occurs when one crystal lattice has nearly identical lattice constants to another. Growth happens when lattice sites of the two lattices at the interface region are approximately matched, which is possible with a small lattice mismatch (less than 0.1%). This approximate matching is achieved even with elastic strain at the interface, where each atom is slightly displaced from its original position in the boundary layer. While a small amount of strain is tolerable for thin layers and even desirable for quantum well lasers, the strain energy stored in the crystal is generally lowered by the formation of misfit dislocations, which involve a missing row of atoms in one lattice.

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.

Both epitaxial and diffused wafers are essential materials in semiconductor manufacturing, but they differ significantly in their fabrication processes and target applications. This article delves into the key distinctions between these wafer types.

There are two types of epitaxy: homogeneous and heterogeneous. In order to produce SiC devices with specific resistance and other parameters for different applications, the substrate must meet the conditions of epitaxy before production can begin. The quality of the epitaxy affects the device's performance.

In the semiconductor industry, epitaxial layers play a crucial role by forming specific single-crystal thin films atop a wafer substrate, collectively known as epitaxial wafers. Particularly, silicon carbide (SiC) epitaxial layers grown on conductive SiC substrates produce homogenous SiC epitaxial wafers, which are instrumental in the fabrication of power devices such as Schottky diodes, MOSFETs, and IGBTs, with 4H-SiC substrates being the most widely utilized.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently confirmed a $544 million loan to SK Siltron, a semiconductor wafer manufacturer under SK Group.