With the global SiC market surpassing $10 billion (as predicted by Yole Intelligence), the mass production of 8-inch SiC wafers has become the core battleground for industry chain competition. However, the ultra-high hardness (Mohs 9.5), brittleness, and complex processing characteristics of SiC materials mean that equipment performance directly determines mass production yield and cost efficiency. Facing the goal of leading companies to "reach peak capacity by 2026," whether equipment suppliers can provide full-process solutions compatible with 8-inch wafers has become critical to determining market influence.
Process Route Revolution Driven by Demand
To address the differentiated needs of downstream applications, Siplus has introduced four 8-inch SiC processing routes, achieving precise balancing of efficiency, accuracy, and cost through flexible combinations of laser processing, thinning, polishing, and CMP.
1.Miniature Optical Devices (e.g., AR Glasses): Zero-Scratch Optical-Grade Surfaces
• Route: Laser Slicing→ Thinning → Double-Side Polishing
• Core Advantages:
o Non-contact laser slice ensures smooth, crack-free cutting surfaces, eliminating risks of polishing scratches at the source.
o The double-side polisher’s unique fluid supply and recovery system completely resolves abrasive crystallization residue, achieving zero scratches. Disc control technology suppresses dishing, achieving TTV ≤1μm and Ra <0.2nm.
2.Efficiency-First Mass Production: High-Pressure Breakthrough in Strong Acid Environments
• Route: Laser Slicing → Thinning → Multi-Wafer Single-Side Polishing
• Efficiency Leap:
o The single-side polisher’s strong acid-alkali resistance supports highly reactive polishing fluids, overcoming traditional equipment corrosion bottlenecks. A three-zone pressurized polishing head expands the process window, compatible with 6-inch, 8-inch, and 12-inch wafers.
o A high-strength, low-center-of-gravity structure enables continuous 400kg high-pressure operation for >3 hours, increasing capacity by 30%, while ensuring TTV <2μm and Ra <0.06nm.
3.Automotive-Grade Precision: From Subsurface Damage to Atomic-Level Flatness
• Route: Laser Slicing → Thinning → Double-Side Polishing → Single-Wafer CMP
• Precision Revolution:
o The double-side polisher’s PID air path ensures real-time thermal stability, providing a high-flatness substrate for CMP.
o Multi-zone dynamic pressure compensation eliminates wafer warping, reducing the damage layer to <0.1μm, TTV <1μm, and epitaxial defect rates by 60%.
4.Cost-Oriented Manufacturing: Shortened Process and CMP Cost Reduction
• Route: Laser Slicing → Thinning → Single-Wafer CMP
• Cost Restructuring:
o Skipping the polishing step shortens the process, while fully automated production line design reduces manual intervention.
o A polishing fluid recycling system reduces consumable usage and waste discharge. Polishing pad conditioning technology extends service life by >30%.
o AGV/robotic arm automation reduces labor costs by 40%.
o Compared to traditional processes, per-wafer processing costs decrease by 20%, while maintaining TTV ≤2μm and Ra <0.06nm.
Equipment Technology Iteration: Core Innovations Tailored for SiC Characteristics
To address SiC processing challenges such as high chipping rates and deep subsurface damage, Siplus has upgraded key equipment across the entire process, building a "material-process-equipment" integrated solution.
1.Thinning Equipment: Low-Damage Foundation
• High-power, high-rigidity air spindle system with axial runout <0.1μm, improving processing efficiency by 25% and reducing grinding wheel wear by 40%.
• Ultra-precise grinding stage with wafer flatness fluctuation <0.5μm, achieving TTV ≤2μm for 8-inch wafers.
• Stable thickness control system with thickness consistency error <±0.5μm and breakage rate as low as <5%.
2.Single-Side Polisher: Breakthrough in Capacity and Precision
• Ultra-high processing pressure supports continuous 400kg high-pressure operation for >3 hours, increasing capacity by 30%.
• High-strength, low-center-of-gravity structure suppresses overall vibration by >90%, extending service life by 3x in strong acid environments (pH 1-14).
• Three-zone pressurized polishing head expands the window to 300mm, achieving TTV <1μm.
• Precise pressure/temperature control reduces scratch rates to <0.5%.
3.Double-Side Polisher: Stable Choice for Large-Size Wafers
• Stable disc control technology achieves dishing <0.2μm and TTV ≤1μm.
• High-rigidity main support structure with thermal deformation coefficient <0.05μm/℃, enabling zero-deformation processing for 8-inch wafers.
• Real-time crack warning monitoring system reduces breakage risk by >80%.
4.CMP Equipment: Atomic-Level Surface Processing Revolution
• Separate inner and outer ring pressure application in the polishing head reduces the damage layer to <0.1μm and epitaxial defect rates by 60%.
• High-rigidity platen design achieves a polishing rate of 1.5μm/h (5x traditional) and Ra <0.1nm.
Benchmark Case: Full-Process Solution Reshapes Industry Value Chain
A leading substrate manufacturer adopted Siplus’s "laser → thinning → double polishing → CMP" combination solution, achieving the following breakthroughs:
• Yield Leap: Epitaxial defect rates for 8-inch wafers dropped from 8% to 0.5%.
• Cost Restructuring: Per-wafer processing costs decreased by 35%, approaching the critical point of $800/wafer.
• Efficiency Breakthrough: Full-process capacity increased by 40%, with pilot line monthly output exceeding 50,000 wafers.
Conclusion: Equipment Capabilities Define the New Boundaries of the 8-Inch Era
As the mass production of 8-inch SiC wafers enters the countdown phase, equipment suppliers’ technological reserves and collaborative capabilities will be the key to success. Through its four SiC processing routes and full-process equipment innovations, Siplus not only resolves the conflict between material loss and precision in SiC processing but also drives the industry toward a new era of "zero defects, high efficiency, and low cost" with automated closed-loop systems and intelligent decision-making engines. In the future, as 8-inch production lines gradually commence operations, equipment suppliers with full-process solution capabilities will dominate the next generation of SiC manufacturing standards.