China semiconductor production 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 process of growing SiC and AlN single crystals by the physical vapor transport method (PVT), components such as the crucible, seed crystal holder and guide ring play a vital role. During the preparation process of SiC, the seed crystal is located in a relatively low temperature region, while the raw material is in a high temperature region exceeding 2400°C. The raw materials decompose at high temperatures to form SiXCy (including Si, SiC₂, Si₂C and other components).

As global acceptance of electric vehicles gradually increases, Silicon Carbide (SiC) will encounter novel growth opportunities in the forthcoming decade. It is anticipated that manufacturers of power semiconductors and operators in the automotive industry will participate more actively in the construction of this sector’s value 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.

Silicon carbide (SiC) power devices are semiconductor devices made of silicon carbide materials, mainly used in high-frequency, high-temperature, high-voltage and high-power electronic applications. Compared with traditional silicon (Si)-based power devices, silicon carbide power devices have higher bandgap width, higher critical breakdown electric field, higher thermal conductivity and higher saturated electron drift velocity, which makes them have great development potential and application value in the field of power electronics.