Norstel completes 150mm SiC n-type wafer development

Norstel AB of Norrköping, Sweden has developed low-defect-density 150mm silicon carbide (SiC) n-type substrates.

Norstel manufactures conductive (n-type) and semi-insulating SiC substrates and provides services such as epitaxy deposited by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) as well as wafer characterization and polishing. Applications include diodes and switches for power electronics and GaN/SiC devices for RF components used in power conversion, electric vehicles (EVs), telecom base-stations etc.

“With a micropipe density (MPD) below 0.2cm-2 and a threading screw dislocation (TSD) density below 500cm-2, our first 150mm conductive 4H SiC substrates demonstrate our commitment to quality as an enabler for high-yield device processing,” says chief technology officer Dr Alexandre Ellison.

The firm states that it has prioritized wafer quality over time to get to the next wafer size. As a result, emphasis was given in R&D to first decreasing the dislocation density in the SiC wafers prior to diameter expansion from 100mm to 150mm. The first 150mm customer samples will be available by first-quarter 2018.

“Our SiC Perfection development program performed in the recent years has enabled us to achieve a leading position in terms of high-quality SiC wafers,” claims chief operating officer Ronald Vogel, adding that the firm has now managed to preserve the quality during the expansion to 150mm.

“In light of the growing market demand for SiC-based energy efficient power electronics solutions in applications like PVs, EVs/HEVs, charging infrastructure, trains, energy storage and many more, the SiC device and module industry scales up to meet such demand,” continues Vogel. “Larger-diameter and lower-defect SiC wafers will enable them to increase production efficiency, device yields and volume supply capability to meet their customers’ expectations.”

Norstel is exhibiting in booth #320 at the International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials (ICSCRM 2017) in Washington DC, USA (16-22 September).