200 mm Silicon Carbide Wafer Specification and Marking Update
By Kevin Nguyen, SEMI
FEBRUARY 2021 UPDATE:
The ballot for SiC Material and Wafer Specification Task Force is now available for voting. Visit https://www.semi.org/en/products-services/standards/ballots and select Ballot Period "02-2021" and Ballot Committee "Compound Semiconductor Materials".
- Ballot 6615: Revision of SEMI M55-0817, Specification for Polished Monocrystalline Silicon Carbide Wafers
The results will be discussed at the next Compound Semiconductor Materials Europe TC Chapter meeting in April 2021. Become a Member and join the Task Force today!
Not yet a Standards Member? Register at http://www.semi.org/standardsmembership
SEMI M55, Specification for Polished Monocrystalline Silicon Carbide Wafers, initially developed in 2004 for 50 mm wafers, has been updated over the years to add specifications for 76.2 mm, 100 mm, and 150 mm wafers. The proposal, written in June 2020 article, seeks to establish requirements for the 200 mm generation.
Since June, Applied Materials and GlobalFoundries have also joined the SiC Material and Wafer Specification Task Force (TF), which has been meeting monthly via Web conference every last Thursday of the month from 7:00-8:00 AM Eastern Time.
Both silicon carbide users and suppliers have stakes in this proposal. To address all concerns, the TF has mapped out a timeline and allocates time in each meeting to discuss each section thoroughly. As of November, the strategy seems to be paying off.
Significant progress has been made on defining electrical properties and physical characteristics (e.g., thickness and tolerance, edge shape, flatness, orientation, and defects) for the draft. However, there are a few remaining sections including test methods and certification.
The TF will need one more meeting to finalize Document 6615: Revision to SEMI M55, Specification for Polished Monocrystalline Silicon Carbide Wafers. The document is expected to be ready for balloting in January of 2021.
Correspondingly, Tom Barbieri (Wolfspeed/Cree) has also proposed Document 6604: Revision to SEMI T5-1214, Specification for Alphanumeric Marking of Round Compound Semiconductor Wafers, to include marking for 200 mm silicon carbide. The current version of SEMI T5 covers 200 mm compound semiconductor wafers, however, it does not specifically address marking for silicon carbide.
The initial ballot for 6604 was issued in February 2020. Several technical rejects were received, and the TF will rework Document 6604A and reballot in December 2020 or January of 2021.
Get Involved
SEMI Standards development activities take place throughout the year in all major manufacturing regions. To get involved, join the SEMI International Standards Program at: www.semi.org/standardsmembership.
For more information, please visit our main Web site and current events page. If you have any questions regarding SEMI Standards activities, please contact your local SEMI Standards staff.
Standards Watch
SEMI
www.semi.org
December 3, 2020