Overview

The properties of silicon carbide make it a superior semiconducting material for power devices operating at high voltages.  It possesses high thermal conductivity, can withstand high electric fields and current densities before breakdown, and experiences low leakage currents at high temperatures.  Until recently, however, silicon carbide has been difficult to produce in economic quantities and with the quality necessary to meet the stringent specifications (e.g., micropipe density, diameter, conductivity, surface features) required by manufacturers of today’s increasingly complex semiconductor devices. 

Available wafer size (primarily 2-inch, most recently 3-inch) has been a limiting factor to the economic production of silicon carbide devices.  Larger sized wafers allow for a greater throughput from the same semiconductor manufacturing process, enabling manufacturers to spread their fixed cost of production over a larger volume of finished product.  For example, a 4-inch wafer has 78% more surface area than a 3-inch wafer, resulting in significant economies of scale.

Caracal scientists are at the forefront of the significant technological progress taking place in growth techniques for silicon carbide.  These advancements will allow wafer diameters to grow rapidly from three to four inches and beyond, while simultaneously eliminating the vast majority of defects.

The cutting-edge growth technologies we employ at Caracal are described in the Crystal Growth and Epitaxial Growth sections.