Hyperion enables improved silicon carbide wafer production with reduced CMP polishing

The booming semiconductor market demands constant innovation in material processing, especially for emerging materials like silicon carbide (SiC). Used in power electronics, lighting, and RF devices, SiC boasts superior properties like extended battery life, lower energy consumption and faster switching. These advantages make it the rising star of semiconductor materials, fueling a skyrocketing demand for SiC wafers. Consequently, SiC wafer and tool manufacturers face a pressing challenge to continuously refine their SiC wafer production processes and material removal methods to unlock the full potential of this game-changing material.

To avoid chipping or cracking, diamond is a popular material utilized to machine SiC in various steps in the wafer production process. A critical step near the end of the process where diamond is often not used is the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) stage. This crucial step removes possible surface defects in the SiC wafer. However, it’s very time-sensitive and often serves as a bottleneck that impacts efficiency output. 

This article discusses how Hyperion Materials & Technologies has developed a new slurry utilizing submicron Hyperion® diamonds to reduce the final CMP stage to produce epi-ready wafers efficiently with an excellent surface finish while saving time and money. Hyperion provides lab and testing results of this new solution along with its ability to enhance SiC wafer processing. 

Download the tech note and learn more about how Hyperion submicron slurry can help reduce the final CMP polishing stage to develop efficient, high-quality, epi-ready SiC wafers.