The third-generation semiconductors are coming and the previous-generation materials will be fully retired?
Integrated Circuit Series Report ②
◎Our reporter Liu Yan
From the perspective of the three important parameters of semiconductor materials, the third-generation semiconductor materials have excellent performance in three indicators: electron mobility, saturation drift rate, and band gap.
There is a saying in the semiconductor industry that "one generation of materials, one generation of technology, and one generation of industry".
Similar to some people's assertions on the manufacturing of the "diamond in the industrial crown", in chip manufacturing, if the materials are absent, the technology is at best a PPT and cannot be implemented as a product.
With the progress of the third-generation semiconductor application technology represented by silicon carbide, gallium nitride and other wide-bandgap compounds, the key core devices of strategic emerging industries such as 5G, millimeter wave communications, new energy vehicles, photovoltaic power generation, aerospace, etc. Performance will be improved qualitatively.
With the entry of gallium nitride materials into power management applications as a sign, the "super outlet" of the third generation of semiconductors has been whizzing.
"The 14th Five-Year Plan for the National Economic and Social Development of the People's Republic of China and the Outline of Long-Term Goals for 2035" has included the promotion of the development of wide-gap semiconductors such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride in the "Technology Frontier Field Research" section .
The compound semiconductor manufacturing industry ushered in a new look
When the first- and second-generation semiconductor materials are gradually approaching their physical limits, the third-generation semiconductor materials, which are expected to break through the bottleneck of traditional semiconductor technology, become the darling of industry development.
In fact, the reason why domestic semiconductor materials are divided into "generations" is somewhat due to the three industrial revolutions that have come with the large-scale application of semiconductor materials.
The first generation of semiconductor materials is represented by silicon (Si), which replaced bulky electron tubes and promoted the rapid development of the microelectronics industry centered on integrated circuits.
The second-generation semiconductor materials are mainly gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium antimonide (InSb), etc. Indium phosphide semiconductor lasers are key components of optical communication systems, and high-speed gallium arsenide devices have opened up new industries for optical fiber and mobile communications. .
The third-generation semiconductor materials represented by silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) have effectively promoted the development of semiconductor lighting, display, electric vehicles and other industries.
From the perspective of the three important parameters of semiconductor materials, the third-generation semiconductor materials have electron mobility (high-frequency working performance under low-voltage conditions), saturation drift rate (high-frequency working performance under high-voltage conditions), and band gap (the device’s Withstand voltage performance, maximum operating temperature and optical performance) are better than silicon devices in three indicators.
Among them, the most noticeable is the "Wide Band-Gap (WBG)" of the third-generation semiconductor.
The advantage of the high band gap is that the device is resistant to high voltage and high temperature, and has high power, anti-radiation, strong electrical conductivity, fast working speed and low working loss.
But the superiority of the parameters does not mean that one generation of semiconductor materials is better than one generation.
In fact, the first, second, and third-generation semiconductor materials each have their own suitable application areas. For a long time in the future, these three-generation semiconductor materials will coexist.
Although silicon materials do not have such great parameters, there is currently no semiconductor material that can compete with it in terms of reliability and overall performance.
As the "ultimate semiconductor" in the minds of the semiconductor industry, diamond has not even made its way out of the laboratory.
But at the same time we can see that as GaN materials cut into power management, the landscape of the compound semiconductor manufacturing industry is ushered in changes.
Compound semiconductors generally refer to all kinds of semiconductor materials that are not based on silicon, and can generally be divided into three-five group semiconductors and two-six group six semiconductors.
Group three and five semiconductors are composed of three groups of elements such as aluminum, gallium, and indium, and group five elements of nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, and antimony.
Group 26 semiconductors are compounds formed by the elements of group II zinc, cadmium, and mercury and the elements of group VI sulfur, selenium, and tellurium.
All electronic devices need power management. When GaN knocks on the door of the huge market of power management, compound semiconductors have also begun to show commercial potential that cannot be underestimated.
The third-generation semiconductor is yet to be introduced
Due to the mature manufacturing process, large reserves in nature and wide application, silicon material devices have an insurmountable price advantage.
However, when Tesla took the lead in fully adopting silicon carbide at a cost of several times higher in order to increase the mileage by only 5%, the application potential of this new material in the field of new energy vehicles and supporting facilities has been verified. Industries that regard energy conservation as their primary need have set a good example.
Although problems such as high costs and immature production processes have yet to be resolved, the application of third-generation semiconductors has opened a gap.
The 2021 top ten technology trends released by Alibaba Dharma Academy put "the third generation of semiconductors ushering in an explosion of applications" at the top.
Dharma Institute believes that in the next five years, the third-generation semiconductor materials will achieve breakthroughs in materials growth, device preparation and other technologies. Electronic devices based on third-generation semiconductor materials will be widely used in 5G base stations, new energy vehicles, UHV, Scenarios such as data centers greatly reduce overall energy consumption.
It is foreseeable that with the expansion of demand for third-generation semiconductors in markets such as 5G and new energy vehicles, and continuous breakthroughs in preparation technology, especially large-scale material growth technology, the cost-effectiveness of third-generation semiconductors will also be improved.
The third-generation semiconductors have significant advantages in special scenarios such as high temperature, strong radiation, and high power.
However, in the foreseeable third-generation semiconductor markets such as power devices, silicon materials still dominate. It is not easy for companies to switch from their mature silicon product lines to third-generation semiconductors.
The difficulty of the third-generation semiconductor is not in the design of equipment and logic circuits. To move towards large-scale commercial use, how to effectively reduce the price of substrates and increase the size, how to form an effective development process in line with the process conditions of different materials, and continue to penetrate the field of power semiconductors, related companies still need Hard work.
In the opinion of the experts of the Top Ten Science and Technology Trends Project Team of the Dharma Academy, there are some necessary conditions that need to be met for the third generation of semiconductors to move toward large-scale and commercialization.
For example, the intergenerational advantages in the subdivisions have been further verified by the market. The reliability of components can meet the differentiated needs of the complete machine manufacturers on the consumer and industrial ends. The profit on the application side can basically cover the input of materials to the process, and the foundry system effectively supports The stable supply of general-purpose chips and the growth of professional engineers for third-generation semiconductor devices and circuits.
Can't miss the new semiconductor train
Compared with the design link, the scale of the semiconductor manufacturing link is much smaller, but the technical requirements are higher, which is the foundation of the entire semiconductor industry.
Chips are not all of the semiconductor industry, but they have the most demanding material performance requirements, and the production process is the most complicated, followed by display panels and photovoltaic panels the lowest.
Semiconductor materials involve various metals, alloys, non-metals, various elements, and various reagents such as acids and alkalis. There are hundreds of micromolecule industries, and many hidden champions are hidden.
In the global semiconductor material supply chain, Japanese companies occupy a dominant position.
In the third-generation semiconductor industry, European, American, and Japanese manufacturers are in a tripartite state, and 70% to 80% of the global silicon carbide market is controlled by the United States.
In recent years, Chinese semiconductor manufacturers have made considerable progress in the three key aspects of the semiconductor chip industry: design, manufacturing, and packaging and testing. Some design and packaging and testing companies have entered the world's leading camp.
However, there is still a big gap between us and foreign manufacturers in the semiconductor manufacturing process, and the key equipment and semiconductor materials required for it are particularly weak.
Most domestic third-generation semiconductor companies are still in the stage of R&D, project construction or small batch supply.
Compared with traditional silicon semiconductors, which can easily reach hundreds of billions of investment, the third-generation semiconductor investment intensity is small, but it is of great strategic significance. It is regarded by all circles of industry, education and research as a breakthrough for my country to get rid of the external dependence of the integrated circuit industry and achieve technological catch-up and industrial development.
Academician Hao Yue of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other experts believe that my country's third-generation semiconductor development level is not far from the international advanced level and can become a breakthrough in the development of the national integrated circuit industry.
The third generation of semiconductors is an important development direction in the field of scientific research, and companies have also begun to invest on a large scale in the fields of integrated circuits and semiconductor technology.
However, as expressed by Wang Wenyin, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference this year, during the National People's Congress and the People's Political Consultative Conference this year, the third-generation semiconductor profit release is slow. It is necessary to avoid industrial development from becoming a mess, and through planning to guide local efforts into real production capacity.
People look forward to the emergence of such a group in the third-generation semiconductor market, which does not have to be large but has the right to speak and the ability to control the industrial chain, which can not only provide guarantee and support for the high-quality operation of the conventional economy, but also exert a surprise effect at critical moments.