Silicon carbide wafers, also known as SiC substrates, provide the wide bandgap, high thermal conductivity, and high breakdown strength required for power electronics, electric vehicle inverters, RF devices, aerospace systems, and high-temperature semiconductor research. UniversityWafer supplies 4H-SiC and 6H-SiC wafers in N-type and semi-insulating grades, with on-axis or off-axis orientations, custom thicknesses, diced samples, and epi-ready CMP surfaces for device fabrication, epitaxial growth, and materials research.
UniversityWafer, Inc. supplies 4H-SiC and 6H-SiC wafers for power electronics, epitaxial growth, RF devices, materials science, high-temperature sensors, and semiconductor research. Available options may include N-type silicon carbide, semi-insulating SiC, on-axis and off-axis orientations, single-side or double-side polishing, and epi-ready CMP surfaces.
Researchers may request full SiC wafers, diced chips, custom-cut samples, test-grade material, or broken SiC substrates for budget-conscious experiments.
A university researcher requested pricing and specifications for the following:
We are interested in purchasing silicon carbide wafers and would like information about wafer thickness, SiC polytype, crystal orientation, surface finish, and pricing.
We would initially like to test several lower-cost or broken wafers to determine whether the damaged areas affect our research. If they work for our application, we may purchase additional quantities.
Refer to Request #247746 when asking about similar 4H-SiC or 6H-SiC specifications.
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Broken, chipped, reclaimed, and lower-grade silicon carbide substrates can provide an affordable alternative for experiments that do not require an intact prime wafer. UniversityWafer helps budget-conscious university laboratories locate SiC pieces suitable for cleaving, deposition trials, microscopy, process development, and preliminary material testing.
As a university laboratory with a limited budget, we would like to test several broken SiC wafers before purchasing a larger quantity. Please include the thickness, 4H or 6H polytype, crystal orientation, and surface condition with the quote.
Small SiC chips and diced substrates may be available for researchers who do not require a full wafer. Common research sizes may include:
Available material may include 4H-SiC and 6H-SiC with N-type conductivity, single-side polishing, and resistivity ranges suitable for materials and semiconductor research. Inventory changes, so researchers should submit acceptable specification ranges rather than relying on one exact item.
These specifications are examples of previously available research material and should not be interpreted as guaranteed current inventory. Submit your acceptable polytype, diameter, orientation, thickness, resistivity, grade, and quantity so UniversityWafer can identify the closest available substrate.
Broken SiC wafers may be especially useful as cleaving substrates. Researchers can cut or cleave smaller pieces from the undamaged portions, reducing material costs when a full-diameter prime wafer is unnecessary.
The broken 2-inch SiC wafers we previously purchased worked well as cleaving substrates. We are now interested in several thicker 3-inch or 4-inch 4H-SiC wafers and would like information about quantity discounts.
Include as many of the following specifications as possible:
UniversityWafer, Inc. supplies silicon carbide wafers for power electronics, electric vehicles, RF devices, high-temperature sensors, renewable-energy systems, and advanced semiconductor research. Available materials include 4H-SiC and 6H-SiC substrates with N-type, semi-insulating, on-axis, and off-axis specifications.
Compared with conventional silicon wafers, SiC substrates provide a wider bandgap, higher critical electric field, strong thermal conductivity, high-temperature capability, and excellent resistance to harsh operating conditions. These material properties make silicon carbide especially useful for devices that must control high voltage and current while minimizing power loss.
Silicon carbide is classified as a wide-bandgap semiconductor. The bandgap varies by polytype, with 4H-SiC commonly cited at approximately 3.26 eV and 6H-SiC at approximately 3.0 eV. By comparison, silicon has a bandgap of approximately 1.12 eV at room temperature.
A wider bandgap helps SiC semiconductor devices maintain useful electrical performance at higher temperatures and withstand stronger electric fields before breakdown. This allows manufacturers to design smaller, faster, and more efficient power devices for high-voltage applications.
The larger bandgap does not mean that SiC stores energy like a battery. Instead, it describes the energy required for electrons to move from the valence band to the conduction band. This electronic property contributes to the material's ability to support high-temperature and high-voltage semiconductor operation.
Silicon remains the dominant semiconductor material for integrated circuits and many low- to medium-voltage devices. However, SiC offers important performance advantages in demanding power-electronics applications.
Silicon carbide is used in electric vehicles primarily in power-conversion electronics, not as the battery's energy-storage material. SiC MOSFETs and Schottky barrier diodes can be incorporated into traction inverters, onboard chargers, DC-DC converters, and fast-charging systems.
In a traction inverter, power semiconductor devices convert direct current from the battery into alternating current for the electric motor. Reducing switching and conduction losses can improve system efficiency, decrease heat generation, and reduce the size of cooling components.
Potential advantages of SiC electric vehicle electronics include:
The actual benefit depends on the device design, voltage platform, drive cycle, packaging, thermal management, and overall vehicle architecture. Silicon carbide components can cost more to manufacture than comparable silicon devices, but their system-level efficiency may offset part of the initial expense.
Video: Charging Electric Vehicles with SiC
The high critical electric field of silicon carbide makes it well suited for power devices that control hundreds or thousands of volts. SiC substrates are used in the development of MOSFETs, Schottky barrier diodes, junction barrier Schottky diodes, and other discrete power components.
These devices are used in applications where electrical efficiency, high power density, and reliable operation are important, including:
Semi-insulating silicon carbide provides high electrical resistivity and strong thermal conductivity, making it an important substrate for RF and microwave research. It can support epitaxial materials and device structures used in radar, telecommunications, satellite communication, and high-frequency power amplifiers.
Common RF research applications include:
Researchers studying RF devices often request semi-insulating 4H-SiC wafers because their high resistivity helps reduce parasitic conduction while their thermal properties support heat dissipation.
Silicon carbide can form many crystal structures known as polytypes. The two most commonly requested research polytypes are 4H-SiC and 6H-SiC.
| Property | 4H-SiC | 6H-SiC |
|---|---|---|
| Crystal structure | Hexagonal | Hexagonal |
| Approximate bandgap | 3.26 eV | Approximately 3.0 eV |
| Common conductivity options | N-type and semi-insulating | N-type and semi-insulating |
| Typical research uses | Power devices, SiC epitaxy, MOSFETs, diodes, and RF structures | Materials research, optical experiments, sensors, and legacy device studies |
| Common orientation | On-axis or off-axis from <0001> | Generally on-axis or near <0001> |
4H-SiC is generally preferred for modern power-electronics research because of its favorable carrier mobility and high critical electric field. 6H-SiC remains useful for materials science, optical, sensor, and specialized semiconductor experiments.
The electrical specification of a SiC wafer should be selected according to the intended device or experiment.
Important ordering specifications include polytype, conductivity type, resistivity, diameter, thickness, crystal orientation, off-axis angle, surface finish, micropipe density, total thickness variation, bow, warp, and defect requirements.
SiC wafers may be supplied on-axis or with the surface intentionally cut several degrees away from the primary crystal plane. Off-axis 4H-SiC wafers, including common 4-degree specifications, are widely used for homoepitaxial SiC growth because the miscut promotes controlled step-flow growth.
The correct orientation depends on the deposition method, device structure, epitaxial process, and research objective.
An epi-ready SiC wafer typically receives precision polishing and chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) to produce a smooth surface suitable for epitaxial growth. Surface quality is important because polishing damage, scratches, particles, and subsurface defects can influence the quality of deposited semiconductor layers.
Researchers may request:
SiC power devices can increase the efficiency and power density of converters used in solar, wind, battery-storage, and smart-grid systems. Higher switching frequencies may allow designers to reduce the size of passive components, while lower losses can reduce cooling requirements.
Renewable-energy applications include:
Silicon carbide is studied for electronics and sensors that operate under high temperature, radiation, mechanical stress, and corrosive conditions. Potential applications include spacecraft power systems, satellite communication, turbine monitoring, combustion sensing, nuclear instrumentation, and high-temperature industrial controls.
SiC does not make every electronic component inherently radiation-proof. Device architecture, dielectric quality, packaging, dose, particle type, and operating conditions all influence radiation performance. However, its material properties make it a valuable platform for radiation-tolerant and harsh-environment semiconductor research.
These limitations do not make SiC unsuitable for semiconductor manufacturing. Instead, they explain why substrate quality, process control, defect inspection, and appropriate wafer specifications are especially important.
Include the following information when requesting a SiC wafer quote:
UniversityWafer supplies SiC substrates for university research, device development, epitaxial growth, power electronics, RF experiments, and prototype fabrication. Full wafers, small pieces, diced samples, and budget-conscious research grades may be available depending on inventory.
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