Share the QR code < / P > < p > with friends and circles of friends < / P > < p > < science and Innovation Board daily (Shanghai, editor song ziqiao). According to Nikkei news, Sumitomo Metal Mine (hereinafter referred to as Sumitomo mine) under Sumitomo Group will mass produce a new generation of silicon carbide (SIC) wafers for the production of power semiconductors, and is expected to produce 10000 wafers per month in 2025. Sumitomo mining hopes to seize the market of wolfspeed (formerly Kerui, Cree) and other enterprises in the United States with this new SiC wafer, so as to achieve a global share of 10% < p > < / P > < p > you know, wolfspeed is the absolute leader of SiC substrate. It holds 50% of the global SiC wafer production capacity and has the world's largest SiC wafer factory. It announced a US $1 billion expansion plan early. It went public and changed its name last year to further focus its business on the third generation semiconductors such as SiC. According to the data compiled by Japanese patent result engaged in patent analysis, wolfspeed holds the largest number of patents related to SiC, and Sumitomo electrician ranks third (the company and Sumitomo mine are the core enterprises of Sumitomo Group) < p > in addition to wolfspeed, II-VI, Roma and others have also expressed their position to vigorously develop SiC wafer business. Wolves surround SiC. Where does Sumitomo mine come from < p > it is understood that Sumitomo's new wafer can be called the "advanced version" of traditional SiC wafer. Sumitomo mine synthesizes a wafer by pasting a layer of "single crystal SiC" which can reduce power generation loss on the "polycrystalline SiC" with irregular crystallization and low price. Compared with the traditional SiC Power Semiconductor Based on single crystal substrate, its price is 10% - 20% lower. In addition, when the inverter of pure electric vehicle adopts SiC Power semiconductor, the power loss can be reduced. Compared with such existing products, the new wafer of Sumitomo mine can further reduce the power loss by about 10% < p > at present, Sumitomo mine can supply new wafers with a diameter of 6 inches for semiconductor manufacturers, and strive to first apply them to household appliances and other products, and it is expected to be used for electric vehicles after 2025. The company will also consider developing 8-inch wafers with higher mass production efficiency and building production bases overseas < p > chi Xiannian, senior consultant of CCID Consulting integrated circuit center, told China Electronics News that if the new generation SiC semiconductor wafer materials of Sumitomo mine can pass the verification of downstream manufacturers and achieve mass production, it will become a strong competitor of wolfspeed < p > SiC has ushered in a sweet spot in price. Substrate manufacturers have made great contributions < / P > < p > according to the calculation of yole development, a market research organization, the cost of single-chip SiC is still 7 ~ 8 times higher than that of Si based products. Zheng Zhenxiang, an analyst at Guosheng securities, previously said that the difference between the actual transaction price of SiC and the price of Si devices has been reduced to 2-2.5 times, and the sweet spot of the wide application of SiC devices has come < p > this is closely related to SiC substrate manufacturers actively promoting technical improvement and production expansion. In the past two years, overseas manufacturers such as wolfspeed, Roma and Infineon, which started earlier, have continuously carried out product iterations, and the product performance and quality have been continuously improved; The wafer yield is improved, the size is upgraded, the capacity is expanded, and the substrate price is rapidly lowered < p > it is understood that wolfspeed is expected to take the lead in mass production of 8-inch SiC substrates in the first half of 2022. Generally, with the increase of wafer size, the cost will decrease by 35% - 40%. It is expected that wolfspeed will transfer from 6-inch to 8-inch, and the cost is expected to decrease by at least 50%. II-VI plans to expand 6-inch wafer production capacity by 5-10 times within 5 years from 2020, and expand 8-inch wafer production capacity using differentiated material technology < p > ZHENG Zhenxiang further predicted that after most substrate suppliers complete the R & D of low defect density single crystal growth process and thick single crystal growth process, the price per unit area of substrate will decrease relatively rapidly < p > SiC is the most mature third-generation semiconductor material at present. In the next decade, new energy vehicles, charging facilities and rail transit will be the main driving force for the significant growth of SiC device demand. The downward exploration of price is bound to push SiC applications into the fast lane