Overview of the development process of silicon carbide

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a compound composed of silicon and carbon that has a long history. Since its accidental discovery in 1891, it has undergone an evolution from abrasive to high-tech semiconductor material. Originally mainly used for cutting and grinding, it began to explore its semiconductor properties in the 1950s, and became an important material for electric vehicles and 5G technology in the 21st century. In the future, silicon carbide may play a greater role in areas such as quantum computing, but its development still faces technical challenges.

Detailed development history

The development of silicon carbide can be divided into several stages:

 Early discovery (late 19th century) : In 1891, American scientist Edward Goodrich Acheson accidentally discovered silicon carbide while trying to make artificial diamond, and began industrial production in 1893, mainly used as an abrasive.

Industrial applications (early 20th century) : Widely used in grinding wheels and cutting tools due to its high hardness and high temperature resistance.

Semiconductor exploration (1950s) : Silicon carbide was first used to make diodes in 1955, but crystal growth technology limited its development.

 Modern breakthrough (21st century) : With the advancement of crystal growth technology (such as physical vapor transfer method), silicon carbide became the core of high-power electronics, widely used in electric vehicles, 5G communications, and solar inverters.

 Future prospects: Research shows that silicon carbide has potential in quantum computing and optoelectronics, but production costs and technical challenges still need to be overcome.

Expansion of modern applications

In the 21st century, with the breakthrough of crystal growth technology (such as physical vapor transfer method, PVT), silicon carbide ushered in a golden age of development. Its excellent physical and electrical properties make it an ideal material for high-power, high-temperature, high-frequency electronic devices. Here are the main advantages:

  High temperature stability: It can work above 600°C, far exceeding traditional silicon materials.

  High efficiency: Reduces energy loss, suitable for electric vehicles, solar inverters and 5G communications.

  Durability: Resistant to radiation and chemical corrosion, suitable for aerospace and extreme environments.

For example, Tesla used silicon carbide devices in its Model 3 inverters, which greatly improved energy efficiency and driving range. The industrial chain of silicon carbide includes upstream substrate and epitaxy links, midstream device manufacturing and downstream applications, and substrate manufacturing is the link with the highest technical barriers and the largest value.

Future prospects and challenges

With the increasing global demand for efficient energy and sustainable development, the outlook for silicon carbide is even brighter. Researchers are exploring higher purity crystal growth techniques to reduce production costs. For example, silicon carbon-based qubit devices have been shown to have excellent performance in quantum information processing, showing their potential in the field of quantum computing and optoelectronics.

However, the development of silicon carbide still faces challenges, such as increasing the degree of crystallization and reducing production costs. The current silicon carbide technology in the gate drive circuit asymmetry and other problems still need to be solved, but with the deepening of the application of materials, these problems are expected to gradually overcome.

 Data and comparative analysis

The following table summarizes the key properties of silicon carbide compared to traditional silicon materials, reflecting its advantages in the high-tech field:

conclusion

The development of silicon carbide is a technological evolution spanning a hundred years, from the accidental discovery in 1891 to the semiconductor star in the 21st century, it has witnessed the continuous exploration and breakthrough of human materials science. Whether in industrial manufacturing or high-tech fields, silicon carbide has written its own legend with its excellent performance. In the future, its potential in the fields of quantum computing, green technology and intelligence is worth looking forward to.

I hope this article can provide readers with a comprehensive perspective on the development of silicon carbide, if you are more interested, welcome to further discuss.