The third-generation semiconductor industry is one of the advanced sectors in Beijing. To build the industry's cluster area in Beijing, the Zhongguancun Administrative Committee and the Shunyi district government formulated the "Measures Regarding the Promotion of the Innovation and Development of Frontier Semiconductor Industries such as Third-Generation Semiconductors in the Zhongguancun Shunyi Park.”

The "Measures" take Zhongguancun Shunyi Park as the core and focus on supporting multiple links in enterprise research and development, production, manufacturing and application. The goal is to build a complete industrial chain of third-generation semiconductors covering substrate, epitaxy, chip and device, packaging and testing, and equipment and material R&D.

Currently, Zhongguancun Shunyi Park has gathered more than 140 third-generation semiconductor companies. There are 22 key industrialization projects for 5G communications, new energy vehicles, national grid, rail transit, artificial intelligence and other application fields. These projects have realized industrial project clustering, industrial chain layout, and industrial ecological optimization.

From the production of substrate raw materials and the construction of the chips’ "foundation" to the promotion of processing equipment localization, how did Zhongguancun Shunyi Park build an entire industrial chain for the third-generation semiconductor industry? Let's take a look.

Qingtan Technology: An ideal substrate for the production of semiconductor materials

Diamond is often referred to by scientists as the "ultimate semiconductor." Its bandgap is 5.47 eV, which is five times that of silicon, its thermal conductivity is 14 times that of silicon, and its breakdown field strength is 60 times that of silicon. These comprehensive characteristics make diamond the most suitable substrate material for power electronic semiconductors.

In the CVD diamond process laboratory of Qingtan Technology, staff members debug and install the demonstration production line equipment. The equipment is composed of two parts: reactor body and process control system.

"It takes about three to four weeks for the equipment to complete the production cycle, from the extraction of carbon atoms to the deposition of a single diamond crystal. The machinery can produce 160 to 200 carats of single-crystal rough diamonds,” said Ning Shuxing, CEO of Beijing Qingtan Technology Co. “Every crystal is roughly 10 carats, although the record is 30 carats.”

Due to the properties of diamond, the theoretical operating temperature of diamond-based semiconductor devices can reach more than 500 degrees Celsius, and they have incredibly high voltage resistance and good heat dissipation capabilities. 

Therefore, these devices can be widely used in high-frequency and high-power applications, such as large radar devices, and high-power and high-voltage applications such as smart grids, rail transit, and electric vehicles.

Currently, Qingtan Technology has formed a strategic partnership with relevant scientific research teams at Tsinghua University. 

With Zhongguancun Shunyi Park's support, the Beijing Qingtan Engineering Technology Research Institute has been established to prepare electronic-grade diamond materials and design carbon-based semiconductor devices through the synergized development of companies, industries, universities, research institutes and end-users. 

Jiazu Technology: Laying the foundation for chip production

Round wafers and epitaxial films are collectively called epitaxial wafers, which are the most upstream applied materials of the chip. All chips are based on epitaxial wafers, which are the "foundation" of the chip industry.

In the production workshop of Jiazu Technology, the wafer polishing machine runs at high speeds. Staff members grind and polish the wafer substrate meticulously, and wafers are organized by shape and size.

Epitaxial wafers are produced by processing the incipient crystal into a round wafer and successfully coating it. The epitaxial wafer is finally processed into a chip through micro-nano processing. 

Established in 2017, Beijing Jiazu Technology Co is currently the first high-tech enterprise that industrializes two technologies simultaneously. It also possesses multiple independent patents in the field of gallium oxide. 

The company's single wafers and epitaxial wafers are produced in small batches and are widely used in photoelectric detection, power devices, radiofrequency devices and other fields. Its high-frequency and high-power devices will soon be pilot-produced.

Guolianwanzhong: Mass production of silicon carbide chips and devices

Silicon carbide is an emerging binary compound semiconductor material. In the case of DC to AC power inverters, silicon carbide modules can significantly reduce the inverter's weight and size while replacing the original silicon modules and saving energy. 

At similar power levels, the weight of the silicon carbide module inverter can be reduced by 6 kilograms, its size can be reduced by 43 percent, and the switching loss can be reduced by 75 percent.

Simply put, silicon carbide is high-purity silicon and carbon powder. After its single crystal growth in the single crystal furnace, it will be synthesized into powder and ingot. Then, after 35 steps, it will become chips of different sizes.

Established in 2015, Guolianwanzhong has developed and produced silicon carbide power electronic chips and devices with independent intellectual property rights, including Schottky diodes and MOSFETs (oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors).

"In the field of new energy vehicles and charging piles, GuolianWanzhong silicon carbide chips and devices can save more than 10,000 yuan ($1,548) in costs," said Feng Xuelin, who works in the marketing department of Beijing Guolianwanzhong Semiconductor Technology Co.

"Aftermarket verification, silicon carbide chips and devices can reduce vehicle weight, power consumption and switching losses. The product not only saves internal space in electric vehicles, but its high-temperature resistance (normal operations at 200 degrees Celsius) also reduces the pressure on the cooling system and saves cooling costs," said Feng.

Most of the chips, modules and devices of Guolianwanzhong are used in the power market to provide low-energy, miniaturized and portable power supplies for mobile terminals and smart devices. The company's products have been used by Great Wall Power Supply and Inventronics servers.

TSD Semiconductor: Localization of semiconductor processing equipment

TSD Group is a high-tech enterprise focusing on the research and development, production and sales of high-quality surface processing equipment in the semiconductor field. 

Its products include devices for thinning, grinding, polishing and other operations on special semiconductor equipment. This technology can be applied to silicon carbide, gallium nitride, gallium oxide, and other third-generation semiconductor substrate materials, chips (including 5G radio frequency chips, microwave chips, power chips, optical communication chips, etc.) and other fields.

For substrate materials to be used in chip-making, polishing is an indispensable part of the process. Polishing removes defects such as damaged layers and surface unevenness caused during the cutting process and significantly reduces surface stress and roughness, thereby obtaining an atomic-level surface.

The leading polishing equipment used by TSD Semiconductor is single-sided polishing machines. The TSP910 is a high-precision four-axis single-sided polishing device, and the accuracy of its end face runout is within 0.01 mm. 

The equipment's control panel adopts a man-machine dialogue operation interface with comprehensive functions and easy operation.

In the field of silicon carbide substrates, the technical level of TSD's single-sided polishing machine is equivalent to that of imported equipment of the same type. The company has also successfully developed a double-sided polishing machine. The polishing device is now in the product testing stage and is scheduled to be officially launched on the market in 2021.