Where Does CVD-SiC Growth Come From？ How to Seize Its Opportunities？
By Sera Lee (Sales) @ semicera semiconductor technology co., ltd.
In the global third-generation semiconductor material system, Chemical Vapor Deposition Silicon Carbide (CVD-SiC) is shifting from a “special material” to a “strategic material.” Whether in semiconductor equipment, SiC crystal growth, high-end optics, aerospace, new energy, or precision process equipment, CVD-SiC has become one of the irreplaceable core materials.
I. Where Exactly Does the Growth Momentum of CVD-SiC Come From?
(1) Cross-Industry “Structural Demand Upgrades”
1. Semiconductor Equipment: Process Limits Driving a Materials Revolution
As global wafer fabs enter the 5nm, 3nm, and even 2nm eras, plasma energy increases sharply, and equipment chambers and core components are exposed long-term to strong corrosion, high temperature, and high-energy ion environments. Traditional ceramics, quartz, and even some advanced composites can no longer meet reliability requirements. Due to its extremely strong corrosion resistance, high hardness, low impurity content, and long service life, CVD-SiC has become the core material of the following components:
-
plasma chamber liners
-
key parts of ESCs (electrostatic chucks)
-
quartz replacement components
-
chamber windows, baffles, rings
-
hot-zone parts in epitaxy equipment
Leading global equipment companies (Lam, AMAT, TEL) have replaced more than 70% of high-corrosion-area components with SiC or CVD-SiC structures.
2. SiC 8-Inch Crystal Growth: High-Purity Raw Materials Become Strategic Resources
With rapid growth in automotive traction inverters and energy-storage inverters, demand for SiC wafers will maintain over 20% CAGR from 2025–2030. Global manufacturers (Wolfspeed, ST, ROHM, Infineon) are accelerating expansion from 6-inch to 8-inch wafers, making crystal growth requirements for raw materials more stringent than ever.
With 7N purity, steady evaporation characteristics, low oxygen and nitrogen impurities, and fewer dislocation propagation defects, CVD-SiC has become the preferred material for 200mm boule growth, with global demand rising exponentially.
3. Emerging Fast-Growth Fields: AR/VR, LiDAR, Industrial Lasers
Due to its lightweight, high rigidity, and thermal stability advantages, CVD-SiC is being used in:
-
AR/VR micro-optics frames
-
LiDAR scanning structures
-
high-power laser galvanometers and mirrors
-
bases of ultra-high-speed precision mechanisms
These emerging markets will provide new incremental growth for the next decade.
(2) Breakthroughs in Material Purity and CVD Process Drive “Performance Leaps”
1. Raw Material Revolution: From the “Powder Era” to the “High-Purity Deposition Era”
Traditional sic powders have the following issues:
-
uneven particle size
-
high oxygen content
-
carbon encapsulation
-
uncontrollable metal impurities
CVD-SiC raw materials overcome these pain points, achieving:
-
7N purity
-
ultra-low metal impurities
-
high density, no carbon encapsulation
-
stable evaporation rate suitable for 8-inch boules
2. Deposition Processes Enter the Stage of Intelligence
In deposition technology, CVD processes are accelerating toward intelligent and equipment-co-optimized development. Leading enterprises globally are promoting process leaps through AI, flow-field design, and equipment-architecture innovations. For example, Mersen uses AI large models to achieve real-time parameter adjustment during deposition, while Aixtron improves airflow uniformity in reaction chambers through Multi-Ject precursor flow-channel design. These innovations bring significant process gains: deposition rate increases by about 10–15% annually, uniformity of coating thickness and composition improves by 20–40%, the first-pass yield of complex components rises significantly, and overall process cost continues to decrease. The combined effect of process intelligence and equipment iteration is driving CVD-SiC from a “high-cost specialty coating” toward a scalable, commercially mature industrial material system.
In summary, the growth of CVD-SiC is driven by three factors: rapid expansion of downstream applications, increasing performance requirements for materials, improvements in product quality resulting from high-purity raw materials and more stable processes, and the increased production efficiency brought by intelligentization and equipment upgrades. As semiconductors, SiC wafers, and emerging optical applications continue to grow, CVD-SiC is evolving from a material used in limited scenarios to a key material indispensable across multiple industries. The future market space is not only large but also long-term and certain.
II. How to Capture the Full-Scenario Opportunities of CVD-SiC?
For enterprises intending to enter the CVD-SiC field, the key to success lies in achieving full-domain coverage from core components to raw materials and from traditional semiconductor applications to emerging markets. Differentiated breakthroughs under global competitive patterns are the core path.
(1) Technology R&D: Precise Breakthroughs Benchmarking International Giants
The global CVD-SiC industry has formed a pattern in which technological barriers coexist with economies of scale. Leading enterprises rely on decades of technological accumulation to establish strong moats in equipment, processes, and material standards. For late entrants, rather than spreading resources thin, it is better to focus on key links, choose accurate breakthrough points, and use a “small entry point” to leverage a “large market.”
Especially in core process synergy, deposition equipment optimization, and material performance improvement, enterprises need to proactively benchmark against the highest international standards by improving coating uniformity, stability, and product consistency to shorten the gap and establish independent advantages.
For example, Aixtron’s G10-SiC epitaxy system adopts a 6×200mm batch structure and achieves high uniformity and high yield for large-diameter epitaxy through Planetary Reactor and Multi-Ject technologies, establishing an international benchmark. In the hot race of cooling substrates, Chinese companies are making focused breakthroughs. Zhejiang Liufang, leveraging long-term accumulation in dense coatings and material preparation, has successfully developed prototype SiC cooling substrates that have entered key customer testing, demonstrating the feasibility of domestic enterprises making breakthroughs in niche fields.
(2) Product Layout: Full-Scenario Coverage and Customized Adaptation
The applications of CVD-SiC are becoming more diverse, and customers in different industries have distinct requirements for material form, durability, processing size, and purity grade. A single product cannot cover all market needs; therefore, establishing a product matrix featuring “multiple product lines + customization capability” is key for enterprises to expand market share.
Product diversification not only allows enterprises to enter more sub-industries but also effectively disperses cycle fluctuation risks. In global competition, this cross-industry layout strategy has become mainstream. For example, Mersen Boostec of France has established a product system covering aerospace optics, semiconductor equipment, and high-precision laser processing, forming a highly stable business structure. Zhejiang Liufang, in emerging fields such as AR/VR optical parts and aerospace structural parts, expands its product matrix from a single category to multi-scenario coverage by quickly responding to customer needs through customized design. This not only aligns with global industrial development trends but also gives enterprises more flexibility in competition.
(3) Industrial Chain Collaboration: Building Competitive Advantages in the Local Ecosystem
At the international level, competition in CVD-SiC is shifting from technology competition between individual enterprises to competition between “supply chains.” Leading global enterprises commonly strengthen their advantages through vertical integration. Companies such as Wolfspeed, STMicroelectronics, and ROHM continuously integrate crystal, epitaxy, materials, and high-end components to reduce external dependence, improve capacity stability, and accelerate the adoption of new technologies in products. Meanwhile, cross-country joint development has become mainstream, such as Aixtron collaborating with crystal manufacturers to iterate epitaxy equipment, Entegris working with global semiconductor manufacturers to promote standardization of high-purity materials, and Mersen collaborating with equipment companies to optimize coating processes. These examples reflect global demand for synchronous coordination of “equipment + materials + processes.”
Against the background of geopolitical influence, supply shortages, and accelerated regionalized production, countries are restructuring supply chains for key materials to reduce potential risks. This change has created new capacity gaps in the global market and given enterprises not yet fully in the supply chain the opportunity to become “second sources” or even “technology replacers.” It is evident that international competition no longer depends solely on single-point technology or cost but on who can better integrate into global cooperation networks and establish cross-region, cross-field linkage systems. Enterprises that form stable coordination among equipment, materials, and applications and maintain continuous cooperation with global customers will be more likely to establish long-term competitive advantages in future international markets.
If you are seeking CVD-SiC-related product solutions or wish to understand application details across different industries, please contact us through our official website. We are committed to providing professional technology and services to support global partners in achieving breakthroughs and sustained growth in the CVD-SiC field.
