Development history of silicon carbide

Silicon carbide is a compound composed of two extremely abundant elements, carbon and silicon, on Earth, but it is difficult to trace in crustal veins. During the billions of years of evolution on Earth, crystalline silicon carbide minerals with industrial application value have not been formed. So far, only a small amount of coexisting natural crystalline silicon carbide has been found in diamonds or volcanic rocks. The earliest discovered silicon carbide is known to have originated from a meteorite during the birth of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago, hence it is also known as the "semiconductor material that has traveled through 4.6 billion years of time".

In 1824, Berzelius first reported the synthesis of compounds containing silicon carbon.

In 1992, Acheson invented the process of synthesizing SiC from silicon dioxide, carbon, and additives, and mass-produced industrial silicon carbide for cutting, grinding, and polishing.

In 1905, Moissan discovered natural SiC and named it Moissanite

In 1907, Round first discovered the electroluminescence phenomenon of silicon carbide and prepared the earliest LED diode.

In April 1959, the first International Conference on Silicon Carbide was held as a pioneer in semiconductor devices, The inventor of bipolar transistors, Nobel laureate in physics in 1956, W. B. Shockley, said, "There may be two particularly important issues in the field of electronics today: one is miniaturization, which is the process of devices becoming smaller, more complex, and faster, and the other is problems related to new environments, such as higher temperatures and radiation resistance." He believes that SiC has strong chemical bonds and is suitable for making high-temperature devices, Extensive and in-depth research is needed on SiC materials. Perhaps one day, large SiC single crystals will easily grow, which requires unremitting efforts.

In September 1959, the late renowned physicist and Professor Xie Xide of Fudan University proposed that silicon carbide crystals have high temperature resistance and radiation resistance, which may be used to manufacture semiconductor lasers.

In 1978, Y.M. Tairov and V.F. Tsvetkov of the Soviet Union invented the Physical Vapor Transport (PVT) technology for the growth of silicon carbide crystals.

In 1983, German G. Ziegler successfully grew silicon carbide crystals using the so-called Modified Sublimation Process.

In 1987, a research team at North Carolina State University in the United States announced the successful growth of silicon carbide crystals using the Seed growth Sublimation Process. In July 1987, CREE Company was established in Durham, North Carolina, specializing in the commercial production of silicon carbide crystal growth and silicon carbide wafers. At one point, it held a 60% to 70% share of the global substrate silicon carbide chip market.

In 1989, CREE launched the world's first blue LED based on SiC material.

In 1997, the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences officially launched research on SiC crystals, led by researcher Chen Xiaolong. Through long-term basic research by the team, various challenges in the growth of SiC single crystals were ultimately overcome. High quality 2-inch 4H and 6H SiC single crystals have been grown.

In September 2006, Beijing Tianke Heda Blue Light Semiconductor Co., Ltd. introduced patented technology related to SiC crystal growth from the Institute of Physics, and took the lead in starting the industrialization of SiC crystals in China. In 2012, the company began mass production of 4-inch SiC crystals, and in 2018, it began mass production of 6-inch SiC crystals, embarking on a journey of silicon carbide in China.