Semiconductor Industries Invest Heavily in Expansion of CVD Silicon Carbide Capacity

CVD silicon carbide is a unique material, comprised of diamond-like crystal structure, which has numerous advantages for use in many industries. It has very high tensile strength, hardness and compressive strength, depending upon the type of silicon used and the application. It has the highest melting point of all crystals, which makes it extremely suitable for use in high-end mechanical components, such as for use in axles, gears, pins, hinges, and other component applications. Silicon carbide can also be used for application purposes such as in hollow metal tubes and pipes, hollow metals such as stainless steel and carbon fiber, thin sheets of plastic, and in building components such as window frames, sink inserts, cabinet pulls, door knobs and drawer fronts, among other items.

CVD silicon carbide is usually a hard, dry, white to gray, transparent, crystalline, lopsided silica, which is known as glassy quartz. Silicon carbide exhibits excellent strength, hardness, and compressive strength, depending on the kind of silicon used and the application. It has the highest melting point of all crystalline materials and hence is used for making microporous (high thermal conductivity) glass. Silicon carbide has excellent resistance to mechanical, chemical, and ozone ageing effects. It exhibits good electrical and optical properties, depending on the particular type of applications to which it is put.

CVD silicon carbide has various applications in metallurgy. It has excellent mechanical properties for making sheets, blocks and various components with high hardness. It has good thermal expansion, tensile strength and compressive strength for making sheets used in aerospace, automobile and turbine industry, and electronics. Silicon carbide has great resistance to corrosion, scratches, impact, erosion, creep, abrasion and thermal bridging.

CVD silicon carbide is also used in coating certain materials. Some examples are stainless steel, titanium, fiberglass, ceramic and granite, among many others. Many high-end heating furnaces now use silicon carbide to produce very hard metallic plates for their furnaces. The heat absorbed by these metal plates is so hard that they can withstand extreme temperatures and resist extreme conditions. Such wide application has prompted the semiconductor sector to invest in expansion of silicon carbide capacity. For instance, in May 2019, U.S.-based Cree, Inc., a manufacturer and marketer of semiconductors, announced to invest up to US$ 1 billion in the expansion of its silicon carbide capacity with the development of a state-of-the-art, automated 200mm silicon carbide fabrication facility in Durham, N.C.