Abstracted from 【China Daily】

China's top industry regulator has included silicon carbide (SiC), a key basic semiconductor material, in the five-year plan for the development of industrial technology innovation. The move is part of broader efforts by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to guide the development of carbon-based materials to support the chip innovation and development, experts said. Carbon-based materials can be a good substitute for silicon-based semiconductor materials, and they are an important component for the third-generation semiconductor technology that China aims to achieve a breakthrough.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, carbon-based materials will be included in the "14^th Five-Year Plan" (2021-2025) for the development of raw materials industry, and silicon carbide and carbon-based composites will be included in the "14^th Five-Year Plan" for the development of industrial technology innovation. The larger goal is to support the industry to overcome technical barriers, improve the product quality and promote the modernization of the industry chain.

A research report of Dongxing Securities indicates that Silicon, found in large natural reserves, has become the most important raw material for manufacturing chips and devices. It is used in more than 90% of semiconductor products as the substrate. However, due to the limitation fo its characteristics, silicon-based power devices are gradually unable to meet the demand of emerging applications for high-power, high-frequency devices, such as 5G, new energy vehicles and high-speed rail. Therefore, silicon carbide has the potential to partially replace the silicon as new substrate material for the production of high-voltage and high-frequency devices, said Dongxing Securities.

As China seeks breakthroughs in the "Post-Moore’ Law Era" for third-generation chips, silicon carbide has become key materials for third-generation semiconductor technology. In 1975, Gordon Moore, Co-founder of Intel,  predicted that the number of transistors on a chip would double about every two years.But rapid technological advances may make that law obsolete in the future.

In May, potential disruptive technologies for integrated circuits or ICs in the Post-Moore’ Law era were discussed at a government meeting attended by Vice Premier Liu He. Yuekai Securities indicated in a research report that the third-generation semiconductor technology is clearly an important development direction, and its main downstream applications include 5G base stations, new energy charging piles, intercity high-speed rail, etc.

Third-generation semiconductor technology provides good opportunities for Chinese chipmakers to catch up with their foreign counterparts. Third-generation semiconductor products primarily use proven manufacturing and processing technologies, and Chinese manufacturers face fewer obstacles than traditional silicon-based semiconductor technologies.

Xiang Ligang, Chairman of the Information Consumption Alliance of the Telecommunications Industry Association, said, "the main battlefield of the third-generation semiconductor technologies is in China, but it will take a long time for Chinese companies to solve a string problem. They face challenges prior to widespread adoption of these technologies."