(Invited) The Evolving SiC Market and Impact on CMP Supply Chain

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a wide bandgap semiconductor with physical and electrical properties that provide superior performance in high-voltage or high-power applications. Compared to the more established silicon devices, SiC provides better thermal conductivity, ~10x higher breakdown voltage, faster switching speeds and lower resistivity. Even with the performance advantages, the adoption rate of SiC is slowed by high cost and the inherent difficulty of processing this material. SiC is extremely hard (just below diamond on the hardness scale) and chemically inert which makes processing boules into wafers rather difficult. This presentation will contrast some of the basic differences between process methods developed for silicon and other semiconductor materials versus those required for SiC. Demand for high-quality single crystal SiC substrates continues to rise as the worldwide demand for electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, green energy production, and more efficient power devices in general requires more and more SiC devices. SiC wafer manufacturers are trying to ramp output as quickly as possible but technical difficulties of processing SiC are often a limiting factor. In spite of aggressive capital spending by many of the major players, the actual growth in substrate production has been constrained to around 15% CAGR even though demand would support a much faster ramp. As end use markets continue to evolve, ripple effects are also evident in the underlying supply chains, such as CMP pads and slurries.