Silicon carbide (SiC) has become a cornerstone of next-generation power electronics, driving advancements in electric vehicles, renewable energy, and industrial applications. After several years of rapid capacity expansion, the SiC industry is now entering a new phase focused on optimization, quality, and long-term scalability.
This transition reflects a broader realignment across the global semiconductor ecosystem. As new fabs come online and supply chains mature, the industry is prioritizing stability, cost efficiency, and technical excellence over sheer capacity growth. SiC has moved from being a niche technology to a critical enabler of the energy transition, and this maturity demands not only investment in tools and materials, but also in process knowledge, cross-industry standards, and long-term partnerships that can sustain innovation at scale.
To understand how this shift is unfolding, SEMI Europe spoke with Dr. Mark Puttock, Senior Director, Technology and Innovation at Entegris. Puttock shared his perspective on the industry’s evolution and how strategic collaboration and process innovation are shaping the next chapter of SiC manufacturing.
From Ramp-Up to Refinement
The early growth of SiC manufacturing was driven by surging demand for high-efficiency power devices, particularly in electric vehicles. According to Puttock, that expansion period has given way to a new focus on yield, uniformity, and process control.
The industry is entering a stage of maturity where success depends on optimization rather than scale alone. Improving consistency across crystal growth, wafer, and device fabrication is becoming just as important as adding capacity. This refinement phase calls for closer integration between materials science and manufacturing technology to ensure reliability and cost efficiency.
A Focus on Process and Materials Innovation
As SiC moves toward high-volume production, challenges related to contamination control, defectivity, and wafer uniformity are taking center stage. Puttock noted that addressing these issues requires collaboration between materials suppliers, equipment manufacturers, and device makers.
Efforts across the industry are converging on similar goals: enhancing purity, improving process repeatability, and developing new methods to enable larger wafer formats. Moving from 6-inch to 8-inch SiC wafers, for example, is widely recognized as a key step toward higher throughput and cost efficiency. Puttock emphasized that innovation in materials science and manufacturing technology must go hand in hand to support this scaling trend.
Insights from Cross-Industry Collaboration
A recent Entegris blog post featuring insights from Volkswagen Group Components and Porsche Consulting explores how SiC adoption is reshaping manufacturing strategies beyond the semiconductor industry. The post also highlights the strategy paper developed by Porsche Consulting in collaboration with Entegris. This joint effort demonstrates the value of aligning semiconductor-grade precision with automotive manufacturing demands. By sharing perspectives across industries, partners can accelerate best-practice adoption and strengthen the overall ecosystem for wide-bandgap technologies.
Building a Sustainable Future
Sustainability remains an integral part of this optimization phase. SiC devices themselves enable energy efficiency in end applications, but the way they are manufactured is equally important. Optimizing material use, recycling process consumables, and improving chemical delivery efficiency all contribute to a smaller environmental footprint. As production scales, attention to both performance and sustainability will be key to long-term success.
Looking Forward
The transition from expansion to optimization marks a pivotal moment for SiC manufacturing. Industry focus is shifting from building capacity to mastering control, quality, and resource efficiency. Puttock sees the future of SiC as one shaped by deeper digital integration, data-driven process development, and continued collaboration across disciplines. These advancements will help enable more consistent, sustainable, and cost-effective production—laying the foundation for the next generation of high-performance power devices.
At the same time, Entegris continues to invest in materials science, contamination control, and advanced process technologies that help its customers overcome the complex challenges of SiC manufacturing. By combining technical expertise with a collaborative approach, the company plays an active role in supporting the industry’s transition toward more efficient and sustainable production.
James Lam is Business Development Manager at SEMI Europe.
