PRESENTATION

How to save process cost in your SiC/GaN production using best in class power supplies?

In the domain of SiC and GaN semiconductor production, understanding and optimizing heating technologies can lead to significant overall cost savings. These technologies are integral in processes like Physical Vapor Transport (PVT), Epitaxy, Pysical Vapor Deposition (PVD) and Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP). It can not only save costs, but also stabilize or improve process results. The Heating Technologies involved are provided by different vendors, with different Power Supplies and Specification - all of the Power Supplies can provide basically similar temperatur ranges or target temperatures. However, even if the direct heating result in the product is identical, different costs are effective. Simulations and measured Power Supply parameters show that e.g. THD (total harmonic distortion) can be considerably different and can cause severe OPEX cost increase in terms of energy cost and susceptor or graphite reactor wear off. Hence if we look to cost the TCO (total cost of ownership) we find that this is the right parameter to look at and can bring out very different cost results for the customer compared if you only look to the initial purchasing cost of a Power Supply. Combination and integration of different heating options e.g. the combination of microwave solid state power generators (µW-SSPG) with Induction Heating Generators can substantially shorten process time for e.g. MOCVD or RTP processes. The µW-SSPGs can control extremely homogene heating pattern on Si or SiC Wafer Substrates. It allows to heat up Substrates from room temperature to app 600 °C within < 30 seconds. Above 600 °C Substrates become conducting and a onset of a different heating method like induction is required to pick up the heated Substrate and bring it very fast to higher processing temperatures. Nevertheless we can show that processing temperatures can be reached in a substantial shorter heat up phase with even improved homogenity. CAPEX for a combination of Power Supplies are higher than for a single Power Supply on one hand, but can result in pretty improved production time results on the other hand.