Oxford Instruments announces the introduction of a SiC substrate contactless plasma polishing system providing a replacement for the chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) method.
Oxford Instruments has recently announced the introduction of a SiC substrate contactless plasma polishing system with the aim to provide a clean, dry, cost-effective, higher yield, and sustainable replacement for the well-established chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) method. By working with Clas-Sic and qualifying entire wafer 1200 V MOSFET devices, the project has advanced significantly, strengthening trust in the novel solution and its effects on SiC power semiconductor devices.
According to Clas-SiC, the parametric results and yield for the 1200 V MOSFET are quite promising and very similar to those of the traditionally CMP-prepared wafers that were used as a direct comparison.
Substrates from several vendors were acquired, processed at Oxford Instruments, and put into the production flow on two different device types, achieving comparable results. Because of this, Oxford Instruments is confident that their process window is reliable and will help to reduce the cost of SiC substrates.
SiC substrates are currently in short supply due to high demand, and the wide band gap semiconductors that are produced on them are also in demand. New solutions are consequently required because this production gap is expected to develop exponentially as compound semiconductors used in the applications of the high-growth electric vehicle and sustainable energy markets. Plasma polishing is a plug-and-play substitute for CMP that immediately lowers the cost per wafer with lower OPEX, but it is also a crucial enabling technology to hasten the transition to thinner slices and more wafers per boule at 150 mm and 200 mm. This and other cutting-edge SiC technologies have the power to alter the paradigm of production and enable SiC supply chains to sustainably serve high-growth technology markets.
The whole wafer MOSFET performance data from Oxford Instruments will be presented at ICSCRM in Davos, Switzerland, from September 11–16, 2022.
