Porous Silicon Carbide (SiC) Ceramic Plates: High-Performance Materials in Semiconductor Manufacturing

Ⅰ. What is a porous SiC ceramic plate?

Porous silicon carbide ceramic plate is a porous structure ceramic material made of silicon carbide (SiC) by special processes (such as foaming, 3D printing or adding pore-forming agents). Its core features include:

● Controllable porosity: 30%-70% adjustable to meet the needs of different application scenarios.

● Uniform pore size distribution: ensure gas/liquid transmission stability.

● Lightweight design: reduce equipment energy consumption and improve operating efficiency.

Ⅱ.Five core physical properties and user value of porous SiC ceramic plates

1. High temperature resistance and thermal management (mainly to solve the problem of equipment thermal failure)

● Extreme temperature resistance: continuous working temperature reaches 1600°C (30% higher than alumina ceramics).

● High efficiency thermal conductivity: thermal conductivity coefficient is 120 W/(m·K), fast heat dissipation protects sensitive components.

● Ultra-low thermal expansion: thermal expansion coefficient is only 4.0×10⁻⁶/°C, suitable for operation under extreme high temperature, effectively avoiding high temperature deformation.

2. Chemical stability (reducing maintenance costs in corrosive environments)

● Resistant to strong acids and alkalis: can withstand corrosive media such as HF and H₂SO₄

● Resistant to plasma erosion: life in dry etching equipment is increased by more than 3 times

3. Mechanical strength (extending equipment life)

● High hardness: Mohs hardness is as high as 9.2, and wear resistance is better than stainless steel

● Bending strength: 300-400 MPa, supporting wafers without warping

4. Functionalization of porous structures (improving process yield)

● Uniform gas distribution: CVD process film uniformity is increased to 98%.

● Precise adsorption control: The positioning accuracy of the electrostatic chuck (ESC) is ±0.01mm.

5. Cleanliness guarantee (in compliance with semiconductor-grade standards)

● Zero metal contamination: purity > 99.99%, avoiding wafer contamination

● Self-cleaning characteristics: microporous structure reduces particle deposition

III. Four key applications of porous SiC plates in semiconductor manufacturing

Scenario 1: High-temperature process equipment (diffusion furnace/annealing furnace)

● User pain point: Traditional materials are easily deformed, resulting in wafer scrapping

● Solution: As a carrier plate, it operates stably under 1200°C environment

● Data comparison: The thermal deformation is 80% lower than that of alumina

Scenario 2: Chemical vapor deposition (CVD)

● User pain point: Uneven gas distribution affects film quality

● Solution: The porous structure makes the reaction gas diffusion uniformity reach 95%

● Industry case: Applied to 3D NAND flash memory thin film deposition

Scenario 3: Dry etching equipment

● User pain point: Plasma erosion shortens component life

● Solution: Anti-plasma performance extends the maintenance cycle to 12 months

● Cost-effectiveness: equipment downtime is reduced by 40%

Scenario 4: Wafer cleaning system

● User pain point: frequent replacement of parts due to acid and alkali corrosion

● Solution: HF acid resistance makes the service life reach more than 5 years

● Verification data: strength retention rate >90% after 1000 cleaning cycles

IV. 3 major selection advantages compared with traditional materials

V. FAQ for industry users

Q1: Is porous SiC ceramic plate suitable for gallium nitride (GaN) device production?

Answer: Yes, its high temperature resistance and high thermal conductivity are particularly suitable for GaN epitaxial growth process and have been applied to 5G base station chip manufacturing.

Q2: How to choose the porosity parameter?

Answer: Choose according to the application scenario:

● Gas distribution: 40%-50% open porosity is recommended

● Vacuum adsorption: 60%-70% high porosity is recommended

Q3: What is the difference with other silicon carbide ceramics?

Answer: Compared with dense SiC ceramics, porous structures have the following advantages:

● 50% weight reduction

● 20 times increase in specific surface area

● 30% reduction in thermal stress