Buy Silicon Carbide
Silicon carbide (SiC) is a semiconductor base material consisting of silicon and carbon in their pure forms. SiC can be doped with beryllium, boron, gallium or aluminium to create a p-type semiconductor, or with nitrogen or phosphorus to form an n-type semiconductor. While SiC has been known for well over a century it is only in the past 30 years or so that semiconductor-grade silicon carbide has become available for utilisation by industry.
Silicon Carbide Uses
Silicon carbide is used in the manufacture of bearings, automobile brakes and other devices that involve high temperature settings. More recently, SiC has become an integral component of semiconductor applications due to its high thermal conductivity, high maximum current density and low coefficient of thermal expansion.
Together those 3 characteristics combine to give silicon carbide outstanding electrical conductivity, particularly when compared to SiC’s close relative, silicon. High power applications that require high current, high temps and high thermal conductivity are typically good candidates for SiC use.
In addition, SiC’s ability to support high operating frequencies along with its reputation for low switching losses enable it to produce industry-best efficiencies, particularly in applications that operate in excess of 600 watts.
Your Source for High-Quality Silicon Carbide
Lucky Sound have been bringing manufacturers together with quality source materials for nearly 30 years. If you are searching for a no-hassle way to source silicon carbide for your purposes the team at Lucky Sound are here to help.
Silicon Carbide: How it’s Made
The simplest method of producing SiC is to melt silica sand and coal together at very high temperatures, typically up to 2,500° C. More common types of SiC are created by doping SiC with iron and other impurities.
Pure silicon carbide crystals form when the silicon carbide sublimes at 2,700° C. When these crystals are heated they deposit onto graphite in a process commonly known in the industry as the Lely method. An alternative to the Lely method involves growing silicon carbide using chemical vapour deposition. This process is prevalent in the semiconductor industry. The process involves a special blend of gases being introduced to a vacuum and combining before depositing onto a substrate.
Each of the above methods of making silicon carbide consume vast amounts of energy and require a high degree of expert knowledge on the part of the manufacturing team to be successful.