POWER SEMICONDUCTOR Resonac and Soitec partner on SiC substrates

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Resonac Corporation has signed an agreement with Soitec, a French manufacturer of advanced semiconductor substrate materials, to jointly develop 200mm silicon carbide bonded substrates, which will serve as the material for SiC epitaxial wafers used in power semiconductors.

By combining Resonac’s high-quality silicon carbide (SiC) single crystal substrates*1 with Soitec's substrate bonding technology, we aim to improve the productivity of 8-inch SiC wafers and diversify the supply chain in the SiC epi-wafer business. Power semiconductors are widely adopted in power applications such as electrified vehicles (xEVs) and industrial equipment, and the market is expected to expand further in the future. Especially, SiC is in high demand due to its advantages over silicon (Si), such as lower power loss and heat generation during power conversion, contributing to energy saving. However, SiC single crystal substrates, which are the main material for SiC power semiconductors, require uniform crystals, advanced technology for production, and time-consuming crystal growth, making productivity improvement a challenge.

Resonac produces SiC epi-wafers with epitaxial layers grown on SiC single crystal substrates, which are highly regarded by device manufacturers both domestically and internationally for their world-class quality. We are also developing 8-inch large-diameter wafers and have started shipments of samples.

BASIC KNOWLEDGE - SiC

The role of silicon carbide in power electronics

Soitec possesses a unique technology (SmartSiC™ technology) that processes high-quality SiC single crystal substrates, bonds the processed surface to a polycrystalline SiC wafer*2 as a support substrate, and then splits the single crystal substrate into thin film, enabling the production of multiple high-quality SiC wafers from one SiC single-crystal substrate. This technology not only improves productivity but also reduces CO2 emissions during SiC wafer manufacturing by up to 70 %, offering environmental and cost benefits. The bonding substrate technology has already been commercialized for Si wafers, and Soitec has expertise in its practical application.

In this joint development, Resonac will supply SiC single crystals to Soitec, which will then manufacture SiC bonded substrates using these single crystals. Through the collaboration of the two companies, we aim to improve production efficiency of 8-inch SiC wafers and diversify the supply chain in the SiC epi-wafer business.

The Resonac Group, as a "Co-creative Chemical Company," aims to contribute to sustainable development of the global society and positions SiC epi-wafers business, which realize efficient use of energy, as a core growth business. Moving forward, Resonac will continue contributing to the proliferation of SiC power semiconductors by supplying high-performance and highly reliable products under the motto of "best-in-class."

*1. SiC single crystal substrate: A material with a crystal structure in which atoms are arranged in a regular pattern. It has uniform physical properties and requires advanced manufacturing technology to form single crystals.

*2. Polycrystalline SiC wafer: A material composed of many small crystals (grains). Each of the small grains is a single crystal, and polycrystalline materials are aggregates of these grains. The overall crystal structure is random, making it easy to manufacture and cost-effective, and thus widely used in various applications.

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