China Wafer Fabrication Manufacturers, Suppliers, Factory

Graphite susceptor is one of the essential parts in the MOCVD equipment, is the carrier and the heater of the wafer substrate. Its properties of thermal stability and thermal uniformity play a decisive role in the quality of wafer epitaxial growth, which directly determines the uniformity and purity of the layer materials, in a result its quality directly affects the preparation of epitaxy.

In the semiconductor industry, quartz is widely used, and high-purity quartz products are even more important consumables in wafer production. The production of silicon single crystal crucibles, crystal boats, diffusion furnace core tubes, and other quartz components must use high-purity quartz glass products.

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.

SiC MOSFETs are transistors that offer high power density, improved efficiency, and low failure rates at high temperatures. These advantages of SiC MOSFETs bring numerous benefits to electric vehicles (EVs), including longer driving range, faster charging, and potentially lower cost battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Over the past five years, SiC MOSFETs have been widely used in the power electronics of EVs in vehicles from OEMs such as Tesla and Hyundai. In fact, SiC inverters accounted for 28% of the BEV market in 2023.

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.

Silicon carbide (SiC) crystal growth furnaces are the cornerstone of SiC wafer production. While sharing similarities with traditional silicon crystal growth furnaces, SiC furnaces face unique challenges due to the material’s extreme growth conditions and complex defect formation mechanisms. These challenges can be broadly categorized into two areas: crystal growth and epitaxial growth.