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World Intellectual Property Organization

Process for Producing Silicon Carbide Substrate Revealed

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A groundbreaking process for producing silicon carbide (SiC) substrates, crucial for the development of semiconductor devices, has been patented by Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. The innovative process, detailed in patent publication WO/2011/152089, presents a cost-effective method for manufacturing high-quality SiC substrates. By employing a unique combination of heating and void removal techniques, the process addresses the industry's longstanding challenges in reducing production costs while maintaining substrate quality.

Key Takeaways:

  • The patented process involves a multi-step approach to producing SiC substrates, including preparing a base substrate and an SiC substrate, making a layered substrate, heating the layered substrate to form a joined substrate, and removing voids to produce a high-quality substrate.
  • The process reduces production costs by optimizing the heating process, ensuring the temperature of the base substrate is higher than the SiC substrate.
  • This innovative approach enables the production of high-quality SiC substrates, a crucial material for semiconductor devices, such as power electronic devices, motor control units, and high-power radio-frequency amplifiers.
  • The process was developed by a team of Japanese inventors: Makoto Sasaki, Shin Harada, Takeyoshi Masuda, Keiji Wada, Hiroki Inoue, Taro Nishiguchi, Kyoko Okita, Yasuo Namikawa, and Taku Horii.
  • The patent, filed on 25 February 2011 under Application No. PCT/JP2011/054274, has been published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) under Publication No. WO/2011/152089.

Statistics:

  • 5 inventors contributed to the development of the patented process: Makoto Sasaki, Shin Harada, Takeyoshi Masuda, Keiji Wada, and Hiroki Inoue.
  • 2 other inventors provided significant input to the process: Taro Nishiguchi, Kyoko Okita, Yasuo Namikawa, and Taku Horii.
  • 3 key steps are involved in the patented process: (1) preparing the base substrate and SiC substrate; (2) making the layered substrate and heating it to form a joined substrate; and (3) removing voids to produce a high-quality substrate.

Sources:

  • World Intellectual Property Organization. Publication No. WO/2011/152089. Title of the Invention: PROCESS FOR PRODUCING SILICON CARBIDE SUBSTRATE, PROCESS FOR PRODUCING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE, SILICON CARBIDE SUBSTRATE, AND SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE.

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