Electronic, magnetic & optical materials · Semiconductors

4H silicon carbide semiconductor

A wide-bandgap silicon-carbide polytype used for high-voltage, high-temperature and high-efficiency power electronics.

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Overview

Constituent	Min	Max	Typical	Note
Si			70	stoichiometric mass %
C			30	stoichiometric mass %

Property	Value	Unit	Condition
Density	3.21	g/cm³	Representative; verify product form and condition
Band gap	3.26	eV	Representative; verify product form and condition
Critical electric field	~2.8–3.0	MV/cm	Representative; verify product form and condition
Thermal conductivity	~370–490	W/m·K	Representative; verify product form and condition
Electron mobility	~900	cm²/V·s	Representative; verify product form and condition
Hardness	~9.2	Mohs	Representative; verify product form and condition

reference

Purity, orientation, doping and processing state must be stated.

Micropipes, basal-plane dislocations and epitaxial defects affect yield and reliability.
High-temperature packaging and gate-oxide reliability are system-level concerns.

System	Designation	Note
SEMI	SiC wafer specifications	diameter and defect grade dependent

Confirm the applicable specification, product form and condition before using values for design or procurement.

Rapidly expanding but capital-intensive substrate and epitaxy capacity.

Energy-efficiency gains can dominate lifecycle impact; wafer kerf and device scrap recovery are emerging.

Enables high-voltage traction inverters, grid converters and industrial drives with lower switching and conduction losses.

Critical inputs: Silicon, Carbon

Basis: EU Critical Raw Materials Act (2024); USGS 2025 Critical Minerals List; US DOE Critical Materials Assessment (2023)