Silicon Carbide and Semiconductors for Non-Experts
Semiconductor 2.0 Workshop: Orientation for Future-Ready Silicon Carbide Semiconductor Materials and Value Creation
Module 1: introduction to silicon carbide material and market
Module 2: crystal growth and manufacturing
Module 3: data-driven value creation for business and sustainability
This workshop is intended to provide orientation for professionals in various domains. No prior knowledge of semiconductors is required. Semiconductors are relevant in the society in many ways, not only technical. It is useful either you are in other green technologies, environment, other research discipline, data-driven concepts (machine learning, AI), etc. The workshop is an orientation so that you can add your expertise and interest as additional knowledge layer and apply your knowhow as added value to semiconductors.
Applications and markets
Silicon carbide is a key wide-bandgap semiconductor material for high-power electronics and established in markets such as electric vehicles, photovoltaic inverters, etc. Next market steps are emerging in data centres, grids, etc.
A second generation of silicon carbide applications is emerging by thin films on wafers, mainly in photonics and nanoscale applications like the graphene platform. Research topics include cubic silicon carbide (for medium power electronics, solar cell concept, hydrogen generation by solar driven water splitting), light emission by fluorescent SiC for a new type of white LED, laser conversion for high power laser transmission, graphene on SiC, etc.
A transition
Silicon Carbide and semiconductors are in a transition. The India Semiconductor Mission 1.0 initiated and expanded India’s semiconductor capabilities. The version 2.0 emphasizes on semiconductor equipment, materials, domestic intellectual property, supply-chain resilience and talent development. In Europe, the proposal for Chips Act 2.0 by European Commission presents that “…the initial Chips Act was predominantly supply-driven, but the Chips Act 2.0 places greater emphasis on demand-side measures…”. Market context is changing rapidly. The SiC wafer production is increasingly exposed to international cost competition, driven by capacity expansion, price pressure and stronger manufacturing capability in Asia, including intensified competition from China.
Opportunities and future
Research opportunities are multifold. This creates both an industrial opportunity and a competence challenge: future SiC manufacturing requires not only materials and process know-how, but also competence in digitalisation, sustainability, critical raw materials, resilience, etc. The innovation potential is to move beyond conventional high-volume wafer manufacturing and create a differentiated pathway for high-value SiC materials and future technologies. This is achieved by combining SiC manufacturing competence with data-driven value creation, sustainability metrics, traceability and emerging-technology pathways.