8inch SiC wafers is hot selling

Silicon carbide is one of the most important third-generation semiconductor raw materials, with high band-gap width, high conductivity, and high thermal conductivity, can be used to manufacture high power, high-pressure resistance, high-temperature resistance, high frequency, low energy consumption, radiation resistance ability of strong power and radio frequency devices.

In terms of market capacity, the overall SiC power component market is expected to grow 41.4 percent year-on-year to $2.28 billion in 2023 as projects with automotive and energy companies such as Infineon and ON Semi are announced, according to TrendForce's Compound Semiconductor Research unit.

Meanwhile, the SiC power component market is expected to reach $5.33 billion by 2026, driven by strong demand in downstream applications, with mainstream applications heavily reliant on electric vehicles and renewable energy. However, the current situation is that the supply of silicon carbide substrate materials is still limited to the development of the industry, therefore, silicon carbide substrate is still in a vast blue ocean market.

Silicon carbide in the process, most of the equipment and the traditional silicon production line are the same, but because silicon carbide has high hardness characteristics, the need for some special production equipment, such as high-temperature ion injection machine, carbon film sputtering instrument, mass production of high-temperature annealing furnace, which has high-temperature ion injection machine is an important standard to measure the silicon carbide production line.

In the field of new energy vehicles, the demand for SiC is very strong, and the industrialization process of SiC is accelerating. Infineon recently stated: "SiC can significantly increase the range of new energy vehicles, or significantly reduce the number and cost of battery installations for the same range. As a result, SiC is increasingly being used in traction main inverters, on-board charger OBCs, and high and low voltage DC-DC converters." "The high voltage and high junction temperature characteristics of SiC make it irreplaceable in 800V main drive systems," Navitas said. In other words, OEMs recognize and are willing to pay for SiC based on main-drive performance, range improvement, and the use of more powerful systems in high-end models. Only in the first quarter of 2023, more than 20 domestic and foreign auto companies have announced or are ready to board SiC, including BYD, Tesla, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Hyundai, and so on. Infineon has signed a multi-billion euro SiC order with Hyundai Group. Infineon SiC devices will be used in the main drive electronic control inverters of Hyundai, Kia, and Genisex vehicles. Onsemi has a long-term supply deal with BMW, and its 750V EliteSiC module will be used in BMW's 400V electric drivetrain; McLaren said its 800V inverters will be equipped with STMicroelectronics SiC modules; Range Rover announces Wolfspeed SiC technology...

In recent years, the 8-inch SiC substrate field has into the outbreak stage, production capacity exceeds supply, and the company actively builds factories and expands production.