Silicon is currently the most widely used raw material for manufacturing chips and semiconductor devices, and more than 90% of semiconductor products are made of silicon. However, limited by the characteristics of the material itself, silicon-based power devices have gradually become difficult to meet the requirements for high power and high frequency performance of devices in emerging applications such as 5G base stations, new energy vehicles, and high-speed rail.

Silicon carbide is a third-generation semiconductor material. As a wide-bandgap semiconductor material, the main difference from silicon is the forbidden band width. This allows the size of silicon carbide devices with the same performance to be reduced to one-tenth that of silicon. The loss has been reduced by three quarters, and it has become a new substrate material for the preparation of high-voltage and high-frequency devices. Silicon carbide devices have broad application areas and market space, and are expected to grow to US$2.562 billion in 2025, with an annual compound growth rate of about 30%.

The significance of silicon carbide devices lies not only in their excellent performance, but also in bringing a full range of impetus to the industry. Silicon carbide is expected to lead China's semiconductors into the golden age:

1. On the way of catching up with third-generation semiconductors, Chinese companies will be less hindered than in traditional silicon-based fields. In the field of traditional silicon-based semiconductors, technological progress has slowed down significantly. Developed countries rely on decades of research and development and layout, accumulate enough patents, and control the technology and supply chain of upstream key materials and equipment, occupying The initiative to impose sanctions on Chinese semiconductors and launch a technological war. With the overall backwardness of industrial supporting facilities, China's replacement process in the field of silicon-based semiconductors is slow.

In the third-generation semiconductor industry, the gap between Chinese companies and overseas leaders has been significantly reduced, and Chinese companies are ushering in a good opportunity for catching up and developing.

2. The supporting integration of the industrial chain is more adequate, bringing development opportunities that Chinese semiconductor companies did not have in the past. Another reason for the difficulty of domestic semiconductor manufacturers to catch up in the past is that there are not enough trial and online opportunities, and it is difficult to use customer feedback and questions to positively motivate R&D. At present, the main application areas of third-generation semiconductor devices, such as new energy vehicles, photovoltaics and high-speed railways, will be concentrated in China in the future. Chinese companies have also cooperated with car companies and home appliance companies in supporting and industrial cooperation. Devices are gradually The introduction of the terminal product supply chain will bring more trial and improvement opportunities for domestic enterprises.

Now, as the technology of Chinese companies continues to develop and costs continue to fall, China’s third-generation semiconductor materials are expected to be the first to achieve domestic substitution.