News Center
Reaction-sintered silicon carbide, silicon carbide nozzles, radiation tubes, burners, heat-exchange tubes, silicon carbide furnace tubes, burners, silicon carbide plates
A more efficient semiconductor material—silicon carbide
Release time:
2020-09-30
In power electronics, semiconductors are typically based on the element silicon—but silicon carbide offers significantly higher energy efficiency. Physicists from the University of Basel, the Paul Scherrer Institute, and ABB explain in the scientific journal “Applied Physics Letters” why it has been challenging to combine silicon and carbon in practical applications.
Energy consumption is steadily increasing worldwide, making sustainable energy sources such as wind and solar power increasingly important. However, electricity is often generated far from consumers. Therefore, efficient distribution and transmission systems are just as crucial as substations and power converters that transform the generated DC electricity into AC electricity.
Save a substantial amount of money
Modern power electronic devices must be capable of handling high currents and high voltages. Currently, transistors made from semiconductor materials used in field-effect transistors are predominantly based on silicon technology. However, using SiC instead of silicon offers significant physical and chemical advantages: in addition to higher thermal resistance, this material also provides better energy efficiency, thereby enabling substantial cost savings.
As is well known, these advantages are significantly affected by defects at the interface between silicon carbide and the insulating material silicon dioxide. This damage stems from tiny, irregular clusters of carbon rings that have been crystallized within the lattice—a phenomenon experimentally confirmed by researchers led by Professor Thomas Jung of the Swiss Nanoscience Institute, the Department of Physics at the University of Basel, and the Paul Scherrer Institute. Using atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy, they demonstrated that defects are generated near the interface as a result of the oxidation process.
The experiment confirmed.
Under high temperatures, during the oxidation of silicon carbide to silicon dioxide, interference carbon clusters just a few nanometers in size are formed. “If we adjust certain parameters during the oxidation process, we can influence the formation of these defects,” says PhD student Dipanwita Dutta. For example, an atmosphere of nitrous oxide during heating leads to significantly fewer carbon clusters.
The experimental results were confirmed by a team led by Professor Stefan Gödecker from the Department of Physics at the University of Basel and the Swiss Nanoscience Institute. Computer simulations corroborated the structural and chemical changes induced by graphite carbon atoms as observed in the experiments. In addition to the experiments, atomic-level insights were also gained regarding the generation of defects and their impact on electron transport in semiconductor materials.
Make better use of electricity
“Our research provides crucial insights that will help advance the development of silicon carbide-based field-effect transistors. As a result, we anticipate making a significant contribution to more efficient power utilization,” Jung commented. This work was initiated as part of the Nano Argovia applied research project program.
Recommended Content
Share
Shandong Huamei New Materials Technology Co., Ltd.
Address: Middle section of Cuifang Street, Fangzi District, Weifang City